Montana's

High School Forum 2024

Great Falls | November 19

Holiday Inn & Convention Center

Renewal Unit Certificates have been emailed. Please contact Tammy Lysons, tamara.lysons@mt.gov if you didn't receive your certificate for the Forum or Pre-Forum.

Keynote: Unlocking the Power of Literacy: A Call to Action for Montana's Educators

Carrie Cole

Carrie Cole is an independent educational consultant with Side-by-Side Educational Consulting, specializing in the training and delivery of evidence-based literacy practices grounded in the Science of Reading. She leads the Side-by-Side team, working in schools and districts, supporting consultants, and ensuring that clients receive the highest quality support possible. Ms. Cole holds a master’s degree in literacy and is known for her ability to not only effectively communicate the latest research on effective literacy practices, but also demonstrate how to implement evidence-based practices into the “real world” classroom. She is especially passionate about serving children living in poverty.

She has worked with and advised state officials, district leaders, school administrators, instructional coaches, and teachers across the country, as well as written and delivered on-site professional development and coaching at state, district, and school levels centered on effective instruction and evidence-based literacy practices. She is a contributing author for CORE’s Teaching Reading Sourcebook (2nd-3rd Editions). Prior to consulting, Ms. Cole was a professional development specialist for the Idaho State Department of Education, a regional educational consultant for a major publishing company, and a classroom teacher at the elementary level (all subjects) and secondary level (English Language Arts and literacy interventions).