January 22 , 2010

"Teaching Reading IS Rocket Science."  This quote is still as relevant today as it was over 10 years ago when Dr. Louisa Moats wrote an article regarding the complexity of the reading process and the responsibility of insuring that all educators step up to the challenge of preparing to teach this most important academic skill for children. 

The Academy In Manayunk (AIM) once again demonstrated its leadership in the field of teaching reading by responding to the critical need for continuing professional development in education by sending eight members of its faculty and staff to the 2010 LETRS Summit hosted by Louisa Moats.  This three day conference convened the top researchers and trainers in the field of reading to present the latest findings to the question of how children learn to read, and the best research-based strategies for teaching reading, spelling and writing.

Academy In Manayunk faculty with Nancy Hennessy, National LETRS Trainer (2nd from left) and Dr. Louisa Moats, creator
of LETRS (5th from left). Pictured: Chris Herman (Upper School faculty), Nancy Hennessy, Nancy Blair (Assoc. Dir./Director of Admissions), Pat Roberts (Executive Director), Dr. Louisa Moats, Dr. Grace Ashton (Director of Psychology), Kathy Johnson (Head of Lower School), Jackie Galbally (Lower School faculty), Kris McGuirk (Director of Education), Carrie Shankweiler (Head of Upper School)

LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) is a professional development program developed by Dr. Louisa Moats to help teachers from grades K-12 understand the language structures they are teaching, how students learn to read and write, and the best reasons why some children fail to learn. LETRS helps teachers gain in-depth, useful instructional information that complements their everyday teaching practices. It is not a "reading program", nor is it a replacement for core reading programs; rather, it is designed to bring deeper insight and knowledge to reading instruction, provide answers that instructional materials cannot, and allow teachers to reach, through explicit, scientifically-based methods, students who might otherwise fail.

The research on reading continues to come out of our universities at a tremendous pace.  The challenge is how to speed the process of research to practice in our schools.  The mission of the Academy In Manayunk is to serve as both an implementation site and training organization to transfer this knowledge to educators in the Greater Philadelphia region.  For more information on upcoming LETRS and other professional development offerings, please check the AIM website at www.aimpa.org.  We are pleased to announce that Dr. Louisa Moats will also be the keynote speaker at the PA Branch of the International Dyslexia Association Conference hosted by the Academy In Manayunk on October 8, 2010.  Mark your calendars now!