Leading with what we know works is the best test prep there is. State testing season brings pressure. There is no way around that. As an administrator, I feel it too. Every winter, the same internal conversation starts playing in my head. Should we be doing more? Should we shift instruction? Should we add practice? Should we pull out packets and start drilling, just in case? Right now, my district is in the middle of rolling out a new literacy program. It is a program I belie

Working to protect what public education promises every child: the right to read. If we want different outcomes for kids, we have to start making different decisions about reading. I was recently at a party, talking with a friend and fellow teacher, when the conversation took a familiar turn. She had just been moved into a reading intervention position and was feeling overwhelmed. She came to me looking for guidance. Naturally, I asked what resources she had. What program was

School change is not about programs. It’s about people. Leading change means listening, learning, and staying steady when the work gets hard. Educational change is not a technical problem. It is a human one. If change were simply about adopting a new program, attending professional development, or updating a pacing guide, schools would have solved this decades ago. Instead, leaders find themselv

Sunday Literacy was born from a promise I made early in my career after realizing I did not know how to teach a child to read. This work is about prevention, not reaction, and building the kind of capacity that endures.

This year taught me that literacy work is never just about programs or pacing. It is about people, access, and belief. As I reflect on the lessons learned, the people who walked with me, and the voices I carry forward, I am reminded that literacy is a right worth fighting for. I am grateful for the work behind us and hopeful for what lies ahead.