Programming, Services and Fostering Language Comprehension

Part 3 of 4 in our Science of Reading workshop series. 
Format

Live via Zoom with pre-work

Workshop Date

April 7, 12-2pm ET / 9-11am PT

Facilitators

Liz McChesney

Credit Hours 

4 Credit Hours

Additional Series Sessions

Find all sessions here

Member Price

$400 or $1250 for the 4-workshop series

About this Course

Once you've got the basics of the Science of  Reading, it's time to think about how you might apply it in the library context. In this workshop, gain proficiency in addressing the ways in which traditional public library services and programs address Reading Comprehension such as through culturally diverse trade books, Every Child Ready to Read and ECRR2. 

Guest Speakers: Dr. Shannon Ayers, Director of Customs Solutions, Lakeshore Learning; Mandy O’Brien, Children’s Services Librarian, Skokie Public Library; William Alvites, Literacy Manager, San Francisco Public Library; Jacqueline Lamb, Cleveland Public Library.

Learners are expected to attend and actively participate in the live session. Recordings will be provided should a conflict arise, but registrants should plan to attend live in order to benefit from the learning.

About the Science of Reading Workshop Series

The Science of Reading, a research-backed approach to reading education, is building momentum in schools across the country and showing clear results. Library leaders who serve youth have an opportunity to partner with schools and the broader community to implement and reinforce science-based methods of reading instructor and improve local youth literacy. In this four-part workshop series, ULC Senior Advisor and early literacy expert Liz McChesney will provide library leaders with the information they need to strategically implement science of reading concepts and practice in their daily work with youth. 

Course format: This course is designed to provide library leaders with key foundational information over the course of four 2-hour workshops. Staff may choose to register for the entire series, or pick and choose which workshops seem they will be most beneficial. Each workshop will have some pre-and post-work designed to help enhance and apply the learning to the library context. 

Audience: Library leaders who work with youth and have the capacity to implement practices that support the Science of Reading whether in a system or an individual branch. 

Course Facilitator:
Liz McChesney

Senior Advisor, Urban Libraries Council

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Liz McChesney is a career-long children’s librarian and administrator and under her leadership numerous national initiatives have been spearheaded including the move to broaden summer offerings for youth. Liz serves as a Senior Advisor in Educational Equity at The Urban Libraries Council, she is a Fellow at the National Summer Learning Association and is the Community Partnerships Director for the Laundry Literacy Coalition. A frequent author and speaker, Liz has earned numerous national awards including the 2024 David M. Rubenstein Award for Literacy Excellence from the Library of Congress and the ALA Library Service to Children Distinguished Service Award. Her book, The Path Forward, was published in 2023 by ALA Editions. 

Shannon Ayers, Ph.D.

Director, Custom Solutions Division, Lakeshore Learning

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Shannon Ayers, Ph.D., is a respected and committed leader in early childhood program innovation. She brings nearly 25 years of experience developing, implementing and evaluating transformative materials, programs and strategies designed to improve the health, education and well-being of young children. Shannon has broad experience throughout the early childhood field—spanning in scope from the classroom to state and national thought leadership. In her role as Director of Lakeshore’s Custom Solutions Division, Shannon utilizes her extensive knowledge to ensure that early learning programs working in partnership with Lakeshore receive the targeted resources they need to ensure success for children, families and staff alike.
Prior to joining Lakeshore, Shannon was senior program officer at The Nicholson Foundation, where she led investments in early childhood health and education. Previously, she was associate research professor at the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University. In this role, she led a variety of research, technical assistance and professional development projects. Shannon also served as co-director of the Office of Early Literacy at the New Jersey Department of Education, and she was instrumental in developing and implementing the New Jersey Early Literacy Initiative.
Shannon holds both an M.Ed. in language and literacy, as well as a Ph.D. in educational psychology, from The Pennsylvania State University. She is also a certified teacher and reading specialist, with several years of experience in public school classrooms and higher education teacher preparation programs.

Mandy O'Brien

Children's Services Librarian, Skokie Public Library

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Amanda “Mandy” O’Brien has worked as a Youth Services Librarian at Skokie Public Library since 1999 and was the recipient of the Illinois Library Association's 2022 Youth Services Achievement Award. Before working at SPL, Mandy worked as a magazine editor and still freelances for publishers and educational organizations. She enjoys infusing social-emotional learning techniques and early literacy practices into her library work, including storytimes, family games, marquee events, and Booking with a Buddy (which will kick off its 29th consecutive year this summer).

William Alvites

Literacy Manager, San Francisco Public Library

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William Alvites has over 10 years of experience in the San Francisco Public Library system. He previously served as a Youth Services Librarian and a Learning Differences Librarian, and is now the Literacy Manager supporting FOG Readers, overseeing both the instructional and operational sides of the program.

Jacqueline Lamb

Senior Director, Youth Services and Family Engagement, Cleveland Public Library

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Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Jacqueline Lamb is a dedicated educator and community leader. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Special Education (Mild/Moderate) from Cleveland State University in 2012.
Jacqueline began her career in 2013 with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) as a Family and Community Engagement Coordinator. In this role, she supported networks of schools in building strong family-school partnerships to promote student academic success. She also led and piloted CMSD’s Academic Parent Teacher Teams (APTT) program, fostering collaboration between parents and teachers of kindergarten through third-grade students. This program focused on developing and sustaining foundational literacy and math skills.
In 2018, Jacqueline joined the New York City Department of Education (DOE) as a Training Manager in the Office of Family and Community Empowerment. There, she developed training programs and built capacity among parents, community members, educators, and DOE administrative staff to emphasize the vital role of parent leadership in schools. She also contributed to Mayor Bill DeBlasio’s Community
Schools Initiative by designing training for over 250 community school directors, equipping them to
connect family and community engagement with wraparound services.
After her tenure in New York, Jacqueline pursued graduate studies at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. She focused on the foundations of education and its relationship to the Black community. In August 2021, she earned her master’s degree in Social Foundations and Community Education and returned to Cleveland to be closer to her family.
Currently, Jacqueline serves as the Senior Director of Youth Services and Family Engagement at the Cleveland Public Library. In this role, she leads, develops, and directs educational and family programs designed to enhance literacy and academic achievement for scholars. In addition to her work at the library, Jacqueline is a part-time professor at Cleveland State University, where she teaches The Social
Context of Urban Education in the College of Education.