Early Literacy Legislation in California: An Overview of AB 2222
WORKSHOP CONTENT STRAND
Literacy & Social Justice
Session Description
With the largest student population in the country, California now joins other states across the nation by pursuing early literacy legislation for the 2024 legislative cycle. Introduced by Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), AB 2222 hopes to ensure a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to teaching all of California’s elementary school students how to read and addressing the deep inequities around reading achievement for California’s most vulnerable students. Join the three co-sponsors of the bill, Decoding Dyslexia CA, Families In Schools, and EdVoice, for a conversation and overview of the legislation and hear why AB 2222 is so important to improving literacy outcomes for students across California.
Speaker(s)
Heather Calomese
Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer
EdVoice
Heather Calomese is the Chief Policy & Advocacy Officer at EdVoice, a nonprofit education advocacy organization. Heather has worked in education for over two decades. She started her career teaching English and special education in Iowa City and the Chicago Public School District before transitioning to an administrator role.
From 2017-2020, Heather was the Executive Director of Special Education for the Illinois State Board of Education where she focused on the alignment of systems and supports for students receiving Early Childhood, Multilingual, and Special Education services.
Most recently, Heather was the Director of the Special Education Division at the California Department of Education. While there, she helped redesign statewide special education monitoring systems to focus on results for Students with Disabilities and also deepened the collaboration between the State and Local Educational Agencies (LEA).
Heather holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in special education and teaching from the University of Iowa and master’s degree in educational leadership/administration from Concordia University.
Megan Potente
Co-State Director
Decoding Dyslexia CA
Megan Potente is Co-State Director for Decoding Dyslexia CA, a grassroots movement dedicated to improving access to evidence-based literacy instruction as a fundamental civil right and cornerstone of social justice.
She has been active in DDCA leadership for over 4 years. During that time, Megan has worked to see DDCA achieve two major legislative milestones, the first being improved literacy standards for teacher preparation and the second, required K-2 universal screening for reading difficulties, including risk of dyslexia, which was passed last year.
Megan is a former 20-year elementary educator with experience as a public school classroom teacher, literacy specialist, literacy coach, special education teacher, and educational therapist in private practice. She has extensive structured literacy experience and moderates the California: Science of Reading–What I Should Have Learned in College Facebook group. Having started her teaching career in 1997, Megan has worked in schools through the swings of the pendulum but is optimistic about a future where the needs of children and evidence of effectiveness are prioritized. She has a son, a brother, and a nephew with dyslexia.
Yolie Flores
President/CEO
Families In Schools
Yolie Flores is President/CEO of Families In Schools, a nonprofit statewide organization based in Los Angeles, California, whose mission is to elevate and support families as essential partners in the education of their children.
Previously, Yolie served as the national campaign director for Parent Nation, a project of the TMW Center, University of Chicago, a mobilization effort rooted in science that pushes for a society that better supports parents in their role as children’s first and most important teachers. She also served as the chief program officer for the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. Before that, she was president and CEO of Communities for Teaching Excellence, a national education advocacy organization and was elected to the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education in 2007, where she served for three years as vice president. Prior to LAUSD, Yolie was for eight years the CEO of the Los Angeles County Children’s Planning Council.
Over her 30-year career, Yolie has held leadership roles in the nonprofit, local government, and philanthropic sectors. Yolie earned her master’s in social welfare from the University of California, Los Angeles.