This past January, I hosted events to introduce new learning about literacy in my community of Denver, Colorado. My primary goal was to spread awareness of our national illiteracy crisis and explain some of the causes of that crisis. My secondary goal was to share information about the instructional methods that can be used to remedy the crisis. 

In February, I began sharing that learning in greater detail. I met with teachers, administrators, nonprofit professionals, folks in the public sector, and parents. I also shared with my friends who have generously introduced me to their friends.  We talked about ways in which we could come together to make a meaningful difference for those in our community who are sub-literate or illiterate. We talked about the dire need to support our older students who are nearing high school graduation and are reading and writing well below grade level. We talked about enriching the literacy instruction of our youngest students by making sure their listening and speaking skills are being developed to prepare them for the reading and writing instruction that they will begin in kindergarten and first grade. As I met with these new partners and professionals I told them about the power of Evidence Based Literacy (EBLI) Instruction as the best training tool available to employ in our battle against illiteracy. 

During this time I was introduced to an incredible special educator and high school teacher named Pam. In my first conversation with her she walked me through the sequence of how she delivered lessons to her high school linguistics students. She explained to me that she spent multiple years teaching her students the very long and detailed curriculum laid out in the Wilson Reading System. Despite her training and skill, she remained frustrated that she was unable to teach kids the entire Wilson curriculum before they graduated from high school, it just took too long. I knew after hearing this that Pam would love to learn more about EBLI because it would offer her the same things it offered me… effective and efficient instruction for kids who were lagging behind their peers. 

Pam invited me to visit her class. As impressed as I was by her students, I was also saddened to see how uninspired they were by the material in the Wilson Reading System. Mostly I was distraught with the realization that despite all of Pam’s experience, skill and effort, they were still likely to graduate without being fully literate. 

Since that first visit, I’ve been back every day. I use EBLI with Pam’s students. The kids are doing great with the material. They are challenged and engaged. Pam is just as awestruck as I am with the brilliance of the approach and the pace of the instruction. We are blown away by the growth the students are exhibiting after only a few hours of EBLI instruction. We are desperate to share EBLI with others. There are still two months remaining in the school year. We have work to do. We share our progress with others and invite them to come and see EBLI in action. 

The past three months have been full of positive energy, excitement and possibility.  Pam and I are on our way to sharing our message. I love having Pam and her students as partners in this work. I am also beyond thankful for my friends and the professionals I’ve met throughout our city who are rooting for us and our students and those who continue to make introductions on our behalf.