MOESC Celebrates Third Year of Adolescent Literacy Network
Mansfield, OH (August 20, 2024) – MOESC’s Adolescent Literacy Network is making a notable impact in its third year. This initiative unites teams of administrators and educators from various disciplines—including math, science, social studies, English Language Arts (ELA), health, physical education and Career and Technical Education (CTE)—to delve into leadership and evidence-based instructional practices that integrate literacy across all subjects.
The influence of the AL Network is evident at both the teacher and district levels. Katy Endsley, who started the network as a history teacher at Mansfield City, is now making an impact as the Assistant Principal at Mansfield Senior High School. She shared, “Mansfield Senior High has been utilizing the Adolescent Literacy Network for the past few years. I have felt the impact because it helped me include more evidence-based literacy strategies in my teaching and grew my literacy knowledge. As a history teacher, I was happy to learn skills that helped my students become more successful readers. Working with this network has empowered me to lead PDs with my colleagues and feel confident to share what I have learned.”
Currently, 50 teachers and administrators from ten school districts are involved in the program, with several new participants joining this year. Stacey Meyer, a new participant from Fredericktown Local Schools, said, "I am looking forward to the Adolescent Literacy Network this year. Having the opportunity to focus on high-impact practices not only with my team but also with other districts is such a unique opportunity to really impact students across so many districts."
Lexington Local Schools, GOAL Digital Academy, Lucas Local Schools, Hillsdale Local Schools, Clear Fork Local Schools, Crestview Local Schools, Mt. Gilead and Highland Local Schools are also participating.
The network will reconvene this September for new participants while returning cohorts will start meeting in October. The focus will be on developing teacher leaders in each content area, building capacity for adolescent disciplinary literacy within the school system and investing in evidence-based practices to improve student outcomes. In addition to these meetings, Mid-Ohio’s literacy consultants will continuously support teacher teams through virtual sessions and in-district visits.
Danya Davis, a Literacy Consultant, underscored the network's progress: “As we enter our third year, it’s inspiring to see our teacher leaders becoming key influencers within their districts. Our objective is to empower educators to exchange best practices and spearhead learning initiatives within their districts, and it’s thrilling to see this vision materialize. We’re observing a robust framework for peer coaching developing across the districts. In September, we look forward to welcoming a new cohort of teachers while continuing to work with previous cohorts. We’ll offer more subject-specific sessions, dedicated opportunities for new participants and enhanced collaborative experiences.”
For more information, please contact Amber Clay-Mowry, Director of Leadership & Learning at Mid-Ohio ESC, at clay-mowry.amber@moesc.net.
Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center provides specialized academic and support services, including professional development, to 13 school districts and over 20,000 students in Crawford, Morrow and Richland Counties. Client districts receive services from curriculum, gifted and special education consultants, speech pathologists, psychologists, special education teachers, occupational therapists and physical therapists