September 10 | 3:00–4:00 p.m. CT   

Presenter: Kari Kurto, Director of Policy and Partnerships, The Reading League

Focus: Translating SOR principles into the context of adolescent readers, including solutions and strategies for a whole-school approach to literacy.

Problem of Practice: Many leaders and educators see SOR as “K–3 only,” which limits coherent literacy systems.

Learning Goals:

• Understand which aspects of the science of reading are the same and which differ between K-3 and 4-12 literacy instruction.

• Identify what evidence-aligned literacy practices to supplement instruction in upper elementary through high school classrooms.

• Commit to one leadership action to bring a “K–12 lens” to literacy planning and professional learning.

October 8 | 3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.  CT   

Presenter: Ryan Buggy, Professional Learning Director – Research & Impact, The Reading League

Focus: Dispelling misconceptions about reading comprehension assessments and unpacking evidence-based recommendations from meta-analyses and the IES Practice Guide on secondary reading intervention.

Problem of Practice: Schools often address surface-level symptoms (motivation, engagement) rather than students’ underlying needs in language comprehension and word recognition.

Learning Goals:

• Understand the psychology of motivation, including why some common strategies often miss the mark.

• Reviewing what reading comprehension assessments can (and can’t) tell us about students’ needs, and what other tools we can use.

• Discuss evidence-based recommendations for addressing the literacy needs of secondary students.

November 12 | 3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.  CT   

Presenter: Elisabeth Lamoureaux, Professional Learning Director – Leadership & Implementation, The Reading League

Focus: Designing a system of tiered literacy supports that fits real secondary schedules and realities.

Problem of Practice: In many middle and high schools, MTSS functions as a paperwork process, a compliance step, rather than a system that actually delivers tiered literacy instruction to students who need it.

Learning Goals:

• Explain how MTSS differs from RTI and why that shift matters for secondary implementation.

• Identify what effective Tier 1, 2, and 3 literacy instruction looks like in grades 4–12.

• Apply a tool for making MTSS more actionable and data-driven in your building.

December 10 | 3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.  CT   

Presenter: Marisa Ramirez Stukey, Chief Academic Officer, The Reading League

Focus: Moving from isolated efforts to a coherent system.

Problem of Practice: Districts often lack a coordinated literacy vision beyond elementary.

Learning Goals:

• Understand the essential components of a strong 4–12 literacy plan (curriculum, professional learning, data, and leadership).

• Learn how to evaluate curricular materials and interventions for evidence alignment.

• Define clear next steps to communicate, monitor, and sustain a systemwide plan.

Sat., September 12, 2026, 8:00-9:30AM CST - Dr. Anita Archer, author, education consultant, literacy expert on “Explicit Instruction – Using Opportunities to Respond as Preventive Behavior Management”. This event is on Zoom & free of charge. A link will be sent 1 week prior to the event and again a few days before the event.

Sat., October 10, 2026, 9:00-10:30AM CST - Dr. Julie Brown & her team from Mountain Views Supervisory Union in VT, on “A Whole-School Approach to Improving Secondary Literacy”. Attendees will explore how we have translated literacy research into sustainable practice across our middle and high school, with a focus on building systems that support improvement at scale. Through the lens of our multi-year journey, participants will examine strategies they can adapt to their own schools and districts to strengthen secondary literacy instruction.

Participants will learn about and consider how to customize the following for their own contexts:

• A systems-change model for improving secondary literacy that centers a whole-school approach

• A multi-year effort for building teacher leadership as the engine for literacy improvement

• A model of professional learning that supports instructional change and collective efficacy

Attendees will gain practical ideas and actionable next steps for leading sustainable secondary literacy improvement in their own settings.

This event is on Zoom & free of charge. A link will be sent 1 week prior to the event and again a few days before the event.

Sat., November 14, 2026, 8:00-9:30AM CST - Dr. Stephanie Stollar from Mount St. Joseph University, "MTSS at the Secondary Level". MTSS is a framework for using the science of reading to improve reading outcomes. The core components of MTSS include teaming, assessment, data-based decision making, professional learning, and evidence-based tiers of instruction. This presentation will explore the core components and how to implement them in grades 6-12. Strategies for overcoming common barriers will be discussed. Participants will be encouraged to reflect on their current systems and consider next steps.

This event is on Zoom & free of charge. A link will be sent 1 week prior to the event and again a few days before the event.

Sat., December 12, 2026, 8:00-9:30AM CST - Dave Stevenson, CEO of Reading Futures, Elfreida (Freddie) Hiebert, Founder, Textproject.org, and Liz Kline, Chief Product Officer, Reading Futures, talking about “Supporting Struggling Adolescent Readers". This event is on Zoom & free of charge. A link will be sent 1 week prior to the event and again a few days before the event.