Our LETRS Literacy Champion contest asks: “What makes a literacy champion and who is your literacy champion?” The contest also shares the insights of some true literacy champions, like Dr. Louisa Moats, educator Dr. Ebony Lee, Dr. Carol Tolman, Dr. Lucy Hart Paulson, and others. We’re looking for your nominations to add to our hall of fame.

The science of reading ... has allowed me to transition from a traditional classroom teacher to a virtual classroom teacher. Anyone can open a reading program and read the scripted text, but what happens when you do not have that reading program? LETRS provides you with the why (science) and the how (science) to teach reading, no program needed. LETRS teaches the science of reading which can be applied to any student, while being based on their individual level.

Phonemic awareness is an essential foundational skill for unlocking the alphabetic principle to read words. It follows that weak phonemic awareness negatively impacts a student’s ability to readily blend words, leading to weak comprehension; we cannot understand what we cannot read.

You can’t keep your brain from counting the days until you have to return to work. You are wondering what you will be asked to do upon your return. This leads us to the next steps in our summer essential learning.

Last week, I was happy to be part of an Education Week webinar with Dr. Louisa Moats. With my assistant superintendent, Kim Bennett, we shared the story of how we achieved significant K–3 literacy results in the Rapides Parish School District.

LETRS has been reborn with new content, organization, and online elements. Dr. Louisa Moats shares where LETRS came from, what makes it a unique professional development experience, and why it endures as a widely used and respected approach to teaching teachers.