SESSIONS &amp; SPEAKERS

Reading is the centerpiece of education in the United States from the time of school entry. Reading is recognized as essential for a successful future, and as such is regarded as a civil right. As a result, reading is being introduced at younger and younger ages. Despite this, fewer than half of children who are poor, brown, black and male are reading at grade level in 4th grade. The role of instruction, language variation, and deficit thinking are discussed in this training, including recommendations for improving outcomes going forward.

OUR STORY, OUR PURPOSE

Rene Benavides & Mark Isero
of VTA Collective

Too often in conversations about literacy, we pass over the sense of why it’s important. Rarely are we given the opportunity to connect with our personal sense of why we do this work. In this session, we will engage in reflective writing to reconnect with our personal motivations to support the development of literacy as a priority in our work with young people. We will engage in storytelling connected to our why, ground together in a guided practice, and engage in aspirational thinking about the future we long for and who it is we need to be to get there.

CONCURRENT SESSION WORKSHOPS

IT'S NOT THE SWING OF THE PENDULUM: READING & THE BRAIN

The Right to Read Project
Lani Mednick and Margaret Goldberg

In this training, Margaret and I will give an overview of well-established findings of the reading research. We then will engage in an interactive workshop regarding the 4 part-processor and how the brain learns to read. We will relate this to best practices at the systems and classroom level to give student access to their civil right to read.

SUPPORT DUAL LANGUAGE LEARNERS WITH SEEDS REPEATED READ ALOUD

CARES for Learning
Bernadette Pilar Zermeno

Helping children and families engage with print and books that mirror their experiences and support language development is essential in early education. Come and learn tips and strategies to cultivate self-love and language development through the use of CARES for Learning Repeated Read Aloud to support dual language learners! We will discuss the importance of book choice, new vocabulary, and question development. Have fun while learning!

AGENTIC STUDENTS + LITERACY

Energy Convertors
Charles Cole III & Daysi Perez

Our training will focus on the intersection of literacy + agency by showing how our student-led reports lift all boats through literacy. Our methods impact both policy goals and, what we have coined as Agentic goals. Agentic goals give youth and their community tools immediately while still working to improve systems around them. Literacy is at the center of this. Energy Convertors fellows and staff will discuss A-G completion rates in a manor that will:

Make the community AWARE of the brokenness within the A-G system across Oakland.
Educate the community on how to NAVIGATE the current system while offering concrete steps to improve it.
Create a sense of DUTY to spread our research and data in hopes to improve rates moving forward.

EARLY LITERACY KINGS PROJECT

Oakland Unified School District Early Literacy Kings Project
Taji Brown and Kahlil Chatmon

Participants in this workshop will be exposed to the framework of the Early Literacy Kings Project in their attempt to create pathways for young men of color and improve literacy with our young scholars. We will share key components in working with a collaborative in creating pathways to education for young men of color. We will share components around supporting conditions for learning and supporting young readers. We will share data and learning from the previous year. Finally, we will dialog with kings who are a part of the program.

LIFE AS PRIMARY TEXT: AN EXPERIENTIAL YOUTH SPEAKS WRITING WORKSHOP FOR EDUCATORS

Youth Speaks
Gabriel Cortez

Through writing workshops, open mics, poetry slams, rap battles, and more, Youth Speaks encourages students to find, develop, publicly present, and apply their voice, identity, power, and imagination towards societal change. This interactive session will introduce you to Youth Speaks practices and pedagogy by allowing you to experience what it’s like to be in a Youth Speaks writing and performance workshop. Afterwards, we will break down the experience so you leave with concrete tools and understanding for how to better activate the voices of your participants in fun and liberatory ways.

Tandem, Partners in Early Learning
Paola Bea and Yolanda Romo-Gonzalez

MATH IN STORYBOOKS

It is now common knowledge that literacy and language development are critical components of children’s kindergarten readiness. Guess what else predicts school readiness and positive academic outcomes? Early math skills. This workshop explores the intersection of early math, literacy, and language development, highlighting how any picture book can promote children’s knowledge and understanding of foundational math concepts. It introduces participants to key strategies for incorporating math talk/ideas into book sharing experiences, fostering a greater sense of comfort and familiarity with math for children, families, and educators. The books featured in this workshop are drawn from Tandem’s diverse and inclusive collection.

A robust understanding of early math concepts is a powerful predictor of children’s later learning outcomes, across all areas of learning not only in STEM but also in literacy and language arts. In mathematics, like other domains, racial disparities are significant: Black and Latino students typically have fewer opportunities for high-quality, culturally responsive early math learning experiences. Promoting children’s understanding of early math concepts is, therefore, an issue of literacy and justice.

INTERVENTION IS RACIST

3Ls Academy: Literacy, Leadership & Liberation
Sabrina “Bri” Moore & Precious "Nerdy-P" James

If you’re working at any level, in the development of antiracist learning cultures, do not miss this workshop grounded on the practical pedagogy of antiracist practice in literacy learning and leadership. Teachers and leaders of literacy will leave this session with concrete moves to interrupt practices and policies of literacy learning that perpetuate outcomes predictable by race. Be ready to do the heavy lifting and learning for better literacy outcomes. As-well-as have some learning fun with P and Bri. Being an antiracist in literacy learning and leading requires action not more words of advocacy; acceleration, relationship, rigor & relevance matters.

THE OAKLAND REACH AND FLUENTSEEDS PARTNERSHIP

The Oakland REACH & FluentSeeds
Emily Grunt and Michael De Sousa

Developing partnerships happens when organizations remember “Who are we doing this work with?” Come build, listen and learn about the development of FluentSeeds and The Oakland REACH partnership during this last year COVID year.

ARGUING THE CASE FOR STUDENT LEARNING

Education Coalition for Hispanics in Oakland (ECHO)
Emma Chavez Roos, Lily Wong Filmore,
Peter Roos, & Kenji Hakuta

In this workshop we present a three-pronged argument for student learning: what do students require to thrive academically; what role must schools and school leadership play in creating and supporting conditions for learning; and finally, how can the community support the efforts of schools and students in promoting literacy and learning? We will argue the case from our perspectives as advocates for educational equity, as community activists, and as participants in research and policy arenas. We hope participants will engage in a discussion of student learning, what stands in its way, and what can be done to improve learning outcomes.

HELP WANTED: CHANGE MANAGERS FOR LITERACY INSTRUCTION

FULCRUM
Kareem Weaver

Change is hard, and managing it is even harder. But the reality for schools, educators, and parents is that effectively shifting the approach to reading instruction takes more than a new curriculum. This session will explore the importance of change management related to literacy shifts. Feelings of loss, shame, anger, and grief (related to reading instruction) will be examined.

A pathway forward, towards managing change, will be crafted with attendees who work within schools, systems, and organizations. Parents are also welcome to attend.

UNITING SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES FOR OUR KIDS: FAMILY ENGAGEMENT LAB & SPRINGBOARD COLLABORATIVE

Family Engagement Lab and Springboard Collaborative
Vidya Sundaram, Cecilia Aguilar, Olivia Michaelson, Iralys Lopez & Yareni Carrasco

Families play a powerful and impactful role in supporting student literacy development. Learn about innovative literacy-focused family engagement approaches by hearing firsthand from local nonprofits Springboard Collaborative and Family Engagement Lab. Springboard will share their methodology of equipping Families to become reading coaches. Through their FELA framework they utilize families as assets in order to extend and sustain a culture of literacy habits and critical thinking that go beyond a classroom. Family Engagement Lab will share more about FASTalk (Families and Schools Talk), their family engagement tool that promotes equity and builds partnerships between teachers and historically underserved families by sharing engaging, at-home literacy activities via text messages in each family’s home language. In our exciting joint session, which includes an interactive Q&A, you will hear from two Oakland organizations that are empowering families, supporting educators, and lifting up students to reach their full potential.

FEATURED GUESTS

YOUTH SPEAKS
PERFORMANCE

Youth Performers

Youth Speaks offer multiple online and in-person events and activities for teens throughout the Bay and beyond the school year, including online writing and performance workshops, open mics, poetry slams, and more. Committed to critical youth-centered pedagogy, Youth Speaks elevates youth voice, action and leadership through local, national and international programming, solidifying its place as a home to incubate change.

HEALTH & WELLNESS CLOSING

Breathe For Change
Michelle Cordero