What’s Inside: In this episode, we chat with Shanna Beber, Director of Literacy, and Catsaha Edwards, Literacy Professional Development Specialist, with the Louisiana Dept of Education (LDOE). Beber and Edwards share their work in Louisiana to support the initiatives passed in two recent pieces of state legislation: Senate Resolution 182 and House Resolution 222. These resolutions provided the funds and resources to establish the Early Literacy Commission whose purpose is to guide the state-wide implementation of practices rooted in the Science of Reading research base.

Beber and Edwards, both former school-based educators, are now a part of a larger team who are leading Louisiana school districts through this process by creating an approved list of professional development providers, designing accessible, "on-demand" professional development for leaders and teachers, holding office hours so that school leaders can call in for support. On the podcast, they share the insights they've gained while providing training, gathering data, and connecting with stakeholders amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the disruptions of hurricane season.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Literacy Foundations Professional Development Providers

• Louisiana Comprehensive Literacy Plan

• Louisiana Literacy

• Excel in Ed

This podcast episode was sponsored by Heggerty Phonemic Awareness