PRINCETON, N.J., June 30, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Learning
Ally is excited to announce the recipients of its 2020 Winslow
Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Education Award, a national
achievement award named for a longtime advocate for helping
struggling readers reach their potential.
Learning Ally's mission is to transform the lives of struggling
learners by providing educators with proven solutions that enable
students to reach their academic potential. In a time when distance
learning is necessary, the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution has
become a crucial teacher resource that allows struggling readers to
work independently at home and keep up with course work. This award
honors educators in U.S. schools who embody our mission.
Today we recognize four educators--and for the first time, a
school--who have, despite the current challenges, provided
exemplary opportunities for their students with reading deficits to
achieve both inside and outside of the classroom.
Terrie Noland, Learning Ally's VP
of Educator Initiatives, offered congratulations to this year's
nominees and winners, saying, "In the face of unprecedented
challenges, you stepped up and made a difference. The circumstances
of this school year could have written a tragic story for many
students, particularly those who struggle to read. Your dedication
to education excellence has made all the difference, and we
couldn't be more proud of you."
A national selection committee chose this year's award winners
from a pool of hundreds of nominees.
The 2020 Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Education Award
Winners are:
Maria Arcodia, General Education
Teacher at Brooklyn Arbor Elementary School, New York, NY
Ms. Arcodia, the mother of a student with dyslexia and a visual
impairment, has made it her goal to ensure all of her students
develop a love of reading--even when learning to read--no matter
what challenge or disability they face. She has been extremely
proactive in her efforts to secure reading accommodations for her
school, creating an educator and parent coalition to secure funding
from charitable sources. She has held workshops for parents so they
know to help their kids use accommodations at home, and has even
helped fellow teachers advocate for accommodations to support their
students who attend other schools. She is currently completing work
to become a certified Orton-Gillingham instructor so she can ensure
all her students succeed at reading.
Julie Gutman, Director of Special
Education at Lake Orion Community
School District, MI
Ms. Gutman and her district have been recognized by local, state
and international organizations for their student successes in
reading instruction and achievement. Her leadership and hard work
has led to the development of many high impact programs that
continue to have positive impacts on student outcomes, including
90% of the district's elementary students reading at or above
grade-level reading.
Susan Ketterer, Dyslexia
Specialist at Cross Oaks Elementary School, Cross Roads, TX
Ms. Ketterer is a strong advocate for all students who struggle
to read, and has helped restructure her district's dyslexia
department procedures, policies and communications. She creates a
healthy environment for reading and learning with audiobooks among
her students and takes time to share and educate other teachers
about the resources available to them. She has also worked closely
with parents in an effort to encourage and support their
participation.
Kevin Wright, General Education
Teacher at Clarendon Avenue School, Mukwonago, WI
Mr. Wright has long championed the use of assistive technology
to support the reading development of students who struggle with
decoding. Having partnered with his school's speech pathologist to
identify new and better tools, his success, including improved test
scores, has become a model for his district and led to his school
being awarded "exceeds expectation" on their state report card two
years in a row.
Park Vista High School, Lake Worth,
FL
Park Vista HS presents a model for successfully creating an
atmosphere that fosters inclusiveness and learning for all
students, including those with reading deficits. The school
encourages students to participate in their IEP meetings and
provides academic counselors to discuss course work and other
concerns, making them active participants in their education. They
require all teachers to take dyslexia overview training and provide
the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution to all qualifying students,
even those taking technical classes. Their success has led a number
of neighboring schools to try to emulate their model.
For more information on Learning Ally, or to request a demo of
the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution, visit
http://www.learningally.org/educators or call 800-221-1098.
About Learning Ally
Learning Ally is a leading nonprofit education solutions
organization dedicated to equipping educators with proven solutions
that help new and struggling learners reach their potential. Our
range of literacy-focused offerings for students Pre-K to 12th
grade and catalog of professional learning allows us to support
more than 99,000 educators across the US. The Learning Ally
Audiobook Solution is our cornerstone award-winning reading
accommodation used in more than 17,500 schools to help students
with reading deficits succeed. Composed of high quality, human-read
audiobooks and a suite of teacher resources to monitor and support
student progress, it is designed to turn struggling readers into
engaged learners. For more information, visit LearningAlly.org.
SOURCE Learning Ally