Innovations in Literacy Professional Learning: Strengthening Equity, Access, and Sustainability

Professional learning (PL) opportunities are essential for PreK-12 literacy educators, but too often these efforts fail to help teachers develop and deeply engage with their work. This forward-looking book describes keys to providing effective, sustainable literacy PL that values teachers over test scores and capitalizes on social networks and communities. The volume presents case studies of transformational initiatives tailored to culturally and linguistically diverse populations of teachers and students, varying school resources, urban or rural settings, and other factors. Issues of access and equity are emphasized throughout the book's discussions of innovative in-person, hybrid, and remote PL models. The companion website features 11 brief videos in which chapter authors provide engaging commentary on their respective topics.

Dana A. Robertson, EdD, is Associate Professor of Reading and Literacy in the School of Education at Virginia Tech. He is a former elementary classroom teacher, literacy specialist, and literacy coach, and conducts research focused on classroom discourse, reading and writing challenges, and literacy professional learning and whole-school literacy improvement. Prior to coming to Virginia Tech, Dr. Robertson was Executive Director of the Literacy Research Center and Clinic at the University of Wyoming. He was named an Emerging Scholar by the Reading Hall of Fame, is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences, was a collaborating author on the International Literacy Association’s Standards for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals (2017), and serves as a board member-at-large for the International Literacy Association. His work has appeared in many journals and books of educational practice and research.

Leigh A. Hall, PhD, is Director of Research at Merlyn Mind in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she focuses on understanding and improving K-12 educators' experiences with AI technology in their classrooms. Previously, she was a Professor at the University of Wyoming, where she held the Wyoming Excellence in Higher Education Endowed Chair in Literacy Education. During her time in Wyoming, she focused on how teachers can work with diverse learners to improve their literacy instruction, and the role that technology can play in enhancing and supporting that instruction. Dr. Hall is a recipient of the Outstanding Dissertation award from the International Literacy Association and the Early Career Achievement Award and Edward B. Fry Book Award from the Literacy Research Association. She has published in leading journals of literacy research and practice.

Cynthia H. Brock, PhD, is Professor at the University of Wyoming, where she holds the Wyoming Excellence in Higher Education Endowed Chair in Literacy Education. Her scholarly research agenda centers on the study of opportunities for learning. Dr. Brock explores the literacy learning opportunities of elementary children from diverse cultural, linguistic, and economic backgrounds; she also explores ways to work with pre- and inservice teachers and administrators to foster children’s literacy learning opportunities. She has conducted qualitative research in cross-cultural contexts, including in the United States, Australia, England, Fiji, Thailand, Laos, Spain, Chile, and Costa Rica.