SPEAKERS
Opening Remarks
Rachael Garnick
Coalition Manager
Teach Plus PA
Jake Seitz
6th Grade Student
Panther Valley School District
Keynote Address
Kareem Weaver
Co-Founder & Executive Director
FULCRUM
Beyond the Classroom: The Broader Impacts of the Literacy Crisis
Moderator
Laura Boyce
Executive Director
Teach Plus PA
Panelists
Host
Keenan Hudson
Re-Entry Connect Podcast
Sherry Roland Washington
Chair of Education
NAACP PA
Luke Bernstein
President & CEO
PA Chamber of Business and Industry
Deon Butler
Dyslexia Advocate & Former NFL Tight End
Pediatrician & Faculty Member
PolicyLab at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)
Dr. Danielle Erkoboni MD
Afternoon Remarks
Lt. Governor Austin Davis
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Breakout Sessions
Breakout #1: Mobilizing Advocates for Change
Facilitator
Deon Butler
Dyslexia Advocate & Former NFL Tight End
Breakout #2: Supporting Educators: Implementing Evidence-Based Instruction in Schools and Districts
Moderator
Dr. Megan Gierka
Head of Implementation Strategy
AIM Institute
Panelists
Dr. Greg Milbrand
Assistant Superintendent
Cumberland Valley SD
Jodi Jackson
Principal
Middletown Area SD
Suzanne Hess
Kindergarten Teacher
Cumberland Valley SD
Michelle Trostle
TaC Consultant
Capital Area IU
Breakout #3: The Power of Policy: Lessons from Other States
Moderator
Ashley DeMauro Mullins
Vice President, Advocacy
ExcelinEd
Panelists
Senior Policy Fellow at ExcelinEd, Senior Visiting Fellow at the Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz, and former Mississippi State Literacy Lead
Dr. Kymyona Burk
Susan Ward Schmidt
Teacher, Advocate, and Michigan Literacy Policy Expert
Deputy State Superintendent, Office of Teaching and Learning, Maryland, and former Mississippi Department of Education Elementary Reading Lead
Dr. Tenette Smith
Panel Discussion: Bridging the Gap Between Policy and Practice
Moderator
Maddie Hanna
K-12 Education Reporter
Philadelphia Inquirer
Panelists
Senior Policy Fellow at ExcelinEd, Senior Visiting Fellow at the Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz, and former Mississippi State Literacy Lead
Dr. Kymyona Burk
Dr. Nyshawana Francis-Thompson
Chief of Curriculum and Instruction
The School District of Philadelphia
Rep. Jason Ortitay
Pennsylvania State Representative
Hollie Woodard
Parent Advocate and PA Teacher of the Year Finalist
Amy Coleman
Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Bristol Township School District
Closing Remarks
Closing Q&A
Senior Policy Fellow at ExcelinEd, Senior Visiting Fellow at the Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz, and former Mississippi State Literacy Lead
Dr. Kymyona Burk
Call to Action: A Blueprint for Pennsylvania’s Literacy Future
Rachael Garnick
Coalition Manager
PA Literacy Coalition