News

Created to Celebrate Schools, Districts Teaching Literacy Based on Science of Reading

DALLAS, Nov. 11, 2020 — Voyager Sopris Learning today launched the first-ever “Dr. Louisa Moats Award for Excellence Implementing the Science of Reading.” Nominations are open now for the award, which seeks out and celebrates schools and districts for their excellence using the science of reading and Voyager Sopris Learning’s LETRS literacy professional learning solution.

The award is named in honor of internationally recognized literacy expert, Dr. Louisa Moats, who has been a leader in researching and advocating for professional development in the science of reading. She has inspired a generation of education leaders, teachers, and students to improve literacy achievement and reading success for all students. Dr. Moats is co-author of LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling), the landmark evidence-based professional learning that prepares educators for the challenging work of teaching literacy.

Dr. Moats said she is honored to be part of an award that will discover and call attention to “all those wonderful educators out there who have taken information about reading science and made it visible in school programs, policies, practices, and outcomes.”

Nominees are asked to submit video or written answers to four key areas of the award criteria, including how LETRS has transformed the applicant’s literacy teaching strategies and instruction. The nomination period closes Feb. 15, 2021; award recipients will be announced at a virtual event on March 31, 2021.

“The winning district must have strong leaders who have ‘owned’ the challenge and who aspire to get all kids reading,” Dr. Moats said. “It must also have a core group of teachers who have dug into substantive learning about reading science, who have been willing to change and improve, and who are working hard to refine their teaching skills.”

Dr. Moats, who earned a doctoral degree in reading and human development from Harvard University Graduate School of Education, said her admiration for educators knows no bounds.

“Teaching is hard and change is hard. It may involve letting go of dearly held beliefs or familiar programs and activities and replacing them with new understandings and practices,” Dr. Moats said. “So educators need every positive incentive to do that. Most importantly, kids' lives are at stake here. Those schools and districts that are working to ensure that everyone learns to read must be celebrated so that others will follow their lead.”

The school or district that earns the grand prize will receive $5,000, a trophy inscribed with the recipient’s name and certificate of award, as well as 30 LETRS Champion T-shirts and 30 LETRS Champion journals. Two runners-up will be announced as well.

“LETRS is relied upon nationally by thousands of educators, and this award will extend Dr. Moats’ legacy by honoring the work of  an institution in the U.S. that has made a significant, transformational contribution toward the improvement of student literacy ,” said John Campbell, CEO of Cambium Learning Group, parent company of Voyager Sopris Learning. “We want to shine a light on the hard-working educators who embody her dedication to literacy education excellence. The schools using LETRS and the science of reading are improving literacy for their students and, in doing so, are honoring Dr. Moats’ lifelong, groundbreaking work.”

For more information on the “Dr. Louisa Moats Award for Excellence Implementing the Science of Reading,” as well as a video message from Dr. Moats, visit www.voyagersopris.com/louisa-moats-award.

About Voyager Sopris Learning

Voyager Sopris Learning^® is an education partner committed to unlocking the full potential of every teacher and every student. We believe that the best way to meet and exceed standards in education is to address the underlying systems of teaching and learning, and to nurture those systems at their most fundamental levels. Our programs and services are based on research and classroom evidence, ensuring they are easy to implement, teacher friendly and effective. We offer a variety of digital and blended instructional tools, programs, and professional learning, all of which are designed to help every teacher deliver nothing short of the highest-quality instruction to every student. Voyager Sopris Learning is a business unit of Cambium Learning^® Group, Inc.

For more information, visit www.voyagersopris.com, or find us on Facebook or Twitter.

About Cambium Learning Group, Inc.

Cambium Learning Group believes every student has great potential, teachers are mission-critical, and data, instruction and practice work together to drive performance. With a portfolio of award-winning brands, Cambium Learning Group’s digital and blended curriculum and professional learning solutions drive proficiency, equity, and other learning outcomes in classrooms everywhere. Brands include Learning A-Z® (online differentiated instruction for K-6 school reading, writing and science), ExploreLearning® (online interactive math and science simulations, a math fact fluency solution, and a K-2 science solution), Voyager Sopris Learning® (blended solutions that accelerate struggling learners to achieve in literacy and math and professional learning for teachers), Cambium Assessment (innovative state- and district-level assessment solutions), and VKidz Learning (online PreK-12 homeschool curriculum and programs for literacy and math).

Come learn with us at www.cambiumlearning.com.

### 

Media Contacts: