The Literacy View
Teachers are tired and want to be excited about teaching again. Too often, professional development is boring, not substantive, or lacks a practical how-to approach. The Literacy View invites viewers to sit with Faith Borkowsky and Judy Boksner to discuss best literacy practices in easy-to-implement ways. The two women are educators and literacy coaches. Faith and Judy encourage all educators to enter lively discussions about literacy's most pressing issues.
Faith's Bio-Faith Borkowsky, the founder of High Five Literacy, LLC, is an internationally respected and sought-after literacy consultant, certified dyslexia practitioner, and award-winning author and speaker. She has over thirty-five years of experience in literacy instruction - as a classroom teacher, reading and learning specialist, regional literacy coach, administrator, and private tutor. Faith counsels and provides professional development for school districts and teachers,
and offers parent workshops, presentations, and private consultations on science-based literacy practices. She is the author of the award-winning book, Failing Students or Failing Schools? A Parent’s Guide to Reading Instruction and Intervention, and the “If Only I Would Have Known…” series of books, conceived as a roadmap for literacy-readiness and success for parents of young children. Faith regularly blogs about literacy issues and tirelessly advocates for community-based solutions to promote literacy for all children and social justice. She works with school districts and community-based literacy professionals all over the world, and in 2021, Faith was a finalist for the World Literacy Foundation Award for her significant contributions to literacy.
Faith is honored to have a role in the 2022 feature-length documentary, The Truth About Reading.
Judy's Bio-Judy Boksner has over 25 years of New York City Education experience as an educator, classroom teacher, coach, and reading specialist. Judy works with teachers and children all throughout areas in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Greenwich Ct. She has extensive training in evidence-based methodologies such as Orton Gillingham, Wilson’s Fundations, and SRSD for Writing Instruction. Judy is also trained in The Hochman Method, also known as The Writing Revolution. Judy's work may be seen and followed on her show The Literacy View YouTube channel and
podcast where Judy and her co-host Faith Borkowsky discuss and interview some
of the leading voices in education about shifting to evidence and science aligned
practices to accelerate student outcomes. Judy works with many private clients as a reading specialist and is also teaching mini courses at Manhattanville College.
For Professional Inquiries Please Reach Out To:
FaithandJudy@gmail.com
realteacherstheliteracyview@gmail.com
DISCLAIMER: THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS PUBLICATION ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHORS. THEY DO NOT PURPORT TO REFLECT THE OPINIONS OR VIEWS OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS OR THEIR MEMBERS. THE DESIGNATIONS EMPLOYED IN THIS PUBLICATION AND THE PRESENTATION OF MATERIAL THEREIN DO NOT IMPLY THE EXPRESSION OF ANY OPINION WHATSOEVER ON THE PART OF- CONCERNING LEGAL STATUS OF ANY COUNTRY, AREA, OR TERRITORIES, OR OF ITS AUTHORITIES. THE LITERACY VIEW IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE NYCDOE OR LITERACY TEAM.
The Literacy View
Ep.29: The One About... Forcing Schools to Change How They Teach Kids to Read
Dr. Maureen Ruby has done it ALL! If your district is transitioning to evidence-based programs and practices, you need to listen! Maureen began her career as a dentist, but switched to teaching to help advocate for her son and other students like him struggling in school.
Read Dr. Ruby’s bio here:
Maureen F. Ruby, DMD, PhD, holds the Isabelle Farrington Endowed Chair in Social, Emotional, and Academic Leadership in the Farrington College of Education and Human Development at Sacred Heart University. An associate professor, Ruby is a dentist-turned-educator who represented the North Branford Public Schools as the 2000 Teacher of the Year and was a Connecticut State Teacher of the Year semifinalist. Maureen has worked at the elementary, middle, and secondary levels as a classroom teacher and reading consultant. She holds Connecticut certifications in elementary education, special education, remedial reading, literacy consultancy, and leadership. Upon receiving her PhD from the University of Connecticut in special education with a focus on literacy, Maureen served as program coordinator of the Graduate Reading Program at Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) Department of Education for the 102 and 097 reading certifications new window) is a 30-minute video that shares some of the important lessons learned during the CEPL project. Upon her return to K–12 education, Maureen served in the New London Public Schools as supervisor of Professional Learning and Staff Development and in the Norwalk Public Schools as literacy supervisor and interim Director of Pupil Services and Special Education, and for seven years as assistant superintendent of the Brookfield Public Schools, Maureen’s leadership responsibilities as assistant superintendent included curriculum, instruction, assessment, professional learning, human resources, and grant management. Her leadership has been recognized by both Sacred Heart University, where she was the Farrington College of Education Alumni Outstanding Administrator for 2018, and the University of Connecticut, where she was the Neag School of Education Outstanding Administrator for 2019 (opens in a new window). In addition to her current role at Sacred Heart University in Educational and Literacy Leadership, Maureen also serves as an adjunct at Fairfield University in the graduate program in reading. Her work has focused on reading, special education, English learners, assessment, curriculum, and social emotional learning. In addition to her doctorates in dental medicine and special education, she holds master's degrees in education (SCSU) and Materials Science (School of Engineering at UConn), and a bachelor's degree in biological sciences (UConn).
We will be discussing the article, “New York Is Forcing Schools to Change How They Teach
Children to Read.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/09/nyregion/reading-nyc-schools.html
Many principals are dissatisfied with the plan’s rollout.
Can the chancellor make this work without buy-in?
What does that do to trust and morale?
Find out about Faith Borkowsky’s books here:
https://ifonlybooks.com
https://highfiveliteracy.com
The Literacy View is an engaging and inclusive platform encouraging respectful discussion and debate about current issues in education.