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Dear Cotsen Colleagues,

Welcome to a series ofÌę videos recorded by fellows and mentors representing the graduating class of 2021. Although we cannot gather in person this year for the culmination of the fellowships, we are nonetheless excited to celebrate and salute our fellows and mentors on the journey that they have just completed.

The 2020-2021 school year was a momentous one. We grew in ways we didn’t know we could, we firmly held onto hope, and we tried every single day. As this year came to a close, a few of your colleagues took time to reflect and capture their thoughts about being a part of the fellowship. We hope you enjoy listening to and connecting with their experiences. Speaking on behalf of the 2021 graduating class are the following representatives: (Click the link to watch on YouTube).

First, our Founding Director, Mrs. Margit Sperling Cotsen, and I would like to share a few to thank the graduates for their dedication and commitment to teaching excellence.

, fellow, Villacorta Elementary, Rowland
, fellow, Hancock Park Elementary, Los Angeles
, fellow, Phelan Language Academy, Whittier City
, fellow, Whitaker School, Buena Park
, mentor, Beatty School, Buena Park
, mentor, Cabrillo Elementary, Wiseburn

To the graduating class, you inspire us, and we can hardly wait to witness all the magic that you will bring to your students.

Sincerely,

Jerry Harris
Executive Director

Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:
That even as we grieved, we grew.
That even as we hurt, we hoped.
That even as we tired, we tried.
That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious.
Ìę Ìę Ìę Ìę Ìę Ìę Ìę ÌęFrom “The Hill We Climb” by Amanda Gorman

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The beginning of a new school year has historically conjured up visions of gleaming polished floors, freshly stocked classrooms, and the uncontainable excitement of students eager to see friends and find out who is going to be their teacher for the next 180 days. While these images are still part of our collective musings, we also find thoughts of social distancing, loss, and a myriad of additional challenges, both known and unknown, crowding into this idyllic mental landscape. We find ourselves in unfamiliar territory, making this school year profoundly different. Yet, in the most fundamental way, this year is the same as its predecessors in that there are still thousands of young people and their families looking to schools, specifically their teachers, to create a safe space for learning.

Our founder, the late Lloyd Cotsen, understood the power of the student and teacher dynamic. As a result, he established the Cotsen Foundation for ART of TEACHING to nurture the development of great teachers, who would bring life-changing magic to their charges. Mr. Cotsen wanted to ensure that boys and girls would experience at some point in their educational journeys, teachers who would help them change how they viewed themselves and the world, by challenging them and encouraging them to dream and achieve. I cannot think of a moment in recent history, when the transformative magic of great teachers has been needed more than it is now.

The Foundation’s Board and staff thank you for all you have done in preparation for this year, and we reaffirm our commitment to providing you with outstanding support in your quest towards instructional greatness in this new context. We have been busy over the past several months creating professional development opportunities that we trust you will find valuable.

Our goal has been to reimagine the provision of a full range of supports and resources so that you continue to grow your craft and refine the skills that are needed for effectively meeting the needs of students given our current reality.Ìę To that end, we will offer all of our traditional trainings in Literacy, Math, and Science instruction as well as the Annual Conference online. In addition to the subject matter trainings, we have added sessions on Social Emotional Learning/Trauma and strategies for engaging students and partnering with parents virtually to this year’s professional development opportunities.Ìę However, in order to best respond to your needs, the mode of workshop delivery will be reassessed throughout the course of the year. We are also extremely pleased to announce the creation of a special Alumni Portal that will be placed on our website to enhance the connection and sharing of resources for ART of TEACHING alumni teachers.

Mr. Cotsen once said, “Education can be a head game… an affair of the mind. But teaching is an affair of the heart.” We at the Foundation are very clear that the true hearts of teachers have been on display everyday since the pandemic swept across our communities. Your caring, resilience and flexibility over the last several months have been nothing less than inspiring. We are equally convinced that this same strength and commitment of heart will allow all of us who care about great teaching and learning to lean into the moment and create magic for students and each other. Welcome back and best wishes for many moments of joyful learning ahead!

Sincerely,

Jerry Harris

Executive Director
żì»îÁÖapp

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It is the żì»îÁÖapp’s sincere hope that you and your family are healthy and doing well during these unprecedented times.ÌęThe challenges we face during this pandemic are formidable, but are not ones that cannot be overcome. We, the non-medical, non-scientific members of the community, may not have the capacity to determine the therapeutic interventions needed to end this crisis, but our collective compassion, creativity, and willingness to make a difference help define the quality of life as we endeavor through it.

Social distancing, one of the guiding precepts of the day, need not mean emotional distancing. As such, from our perspective at The żì»îÁÖapp of TEACHING, the adage, “Once a Cotsen, always a Cotsen,” has never been more meaningful.ÌęAlthough our offices are currently closed in compliance of state and local guidelines, our commitment to you remains unwavering. We have adjusted how we work, and staff is busily working remotely to provide you with support and a variety of phenomenalÌęe-learning professional development opportunities. Our goal is to continue to be one of your resources for outstanding professional development while you are at home. You will receive more information about these opportunities and other supports soon.

The Cotsen Board and staff know that these are busy and uncertain days. We also understand that you are deep in the throes of trying to make the best of this extraordinary time for your students and families. But things will get better, and at some point these days will be behind us. In the meantime, we at the Foundation, are all just an email away, and look forward to staying connected with you in the weeks and months that lie ahead.

Stay safe and take good care.

Jerry

Jerry Harris
Executive Director

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In the spring of 2014, Alyssa Davis, a teacher at Rio Del Mar Elementary School in Pajaro Valley Unified School District was in the middle of a divorce. Alyssa had a one-year-old at home, and she was in the 8th year of her teaching career. Although she loved being in education,Ìęshe was feeling discouraged and disheartened.

That year, the Cotsen Foundation came to Rio Del Mar to present the żì»îÁÖapp of TEACHING fellowship. After some consideration, Alyssa applied and received the opportunity to expand her professional horizons by becoming a Cotsen Mentor.

“Shortly after beginning my time with ART of TEACHING, I was feeling rejuvenated and inspired as an educator for the first time in a long while,” Alyssa admitted.

Devin Avey was eleven years into his teaching career at Rio Del Mar Elementary School when he applied and was accepted as a Cotsen fellow. He was looking forward to a brand-new opportunity to grow his teaching practices, more excited than ever.

“I felt proud that I had been selected to be a fellow,” said Devin.Ìę “I learned so much that first year; it was truly a “mind blowning” type of experience because it pushed me in a radically different approach to teaching. With Common Core just emerging, the żì»îÁÖapp of TEACHING fellowship was exactly what I needed.”

However, during the summer of 2015, Devin tragically lost his wife. His colleagues banded together to support Devin in his time of grieving, yet it was unclear what the future would hold for Devin.

“I wasn’t sure he wouldn’t want to continue with the fellowship starting back up in fall,” added Alyssa. “I knew it would be an added responsibility and commitment that Devin might not be up for during that terrible time.”

To the surprise and admiration of his family, friends, and colleagues, he came back to work and continued the fellowship.

Throughout the second year of the żì»îÁÖapp of TEACHING fellowship, Devin and Alyssa developed themselves as educators and deepened their friendship, based on professional respect, relatable personal life situations, and good-hearted humor.Ìę

“The Cotsen Foundation’s ART of TEACHING fellowship literally saved my career,” said Devin. “I had an inspiring first year of teaching as a fellow, but my second year was colored with gloom. I had completely lost the wind in my sails with barely enough motivation to show up on time each day at work. My loss had drained me of my passion for teaching.”

As time went, things slow began to look up for Devin and the end of 2016, the Rio Del Mar cohort graduated from the fellowship. “Along with friends and family, my Cotsen family kept me going,” admitted Devin. “The collaboration and passion for deepening our craft of teaching helped pull me out of my despair. Cotsen saved my career and my team inspired me to be a better teacher.”

While the fellowship had ended at Rio Del Mar, the work started there did not. As teachers continued developing their pedagogy and grow together as a school team, one February night something else grew.

ÌęDuring a staff celebration, Alyssa and Devin noticed something deep between them. Something they hadn’t quite realized had been brewing between them. “We realized that night that we were both in a place in our lives where we were ready for a change,” said Alyssa.Ìę “We were ready for a partner, ready for something deeper and more personal than what we already had.”

Sixteen months later, they were engaged, and a year after that, they were married on June 21, 2019.

With a shared passion for education, their bond grew, and their relationship flourished. They had struck a healthy balance between “teacher talk” and life outside of education.

“Here we are on our 6^thÌętrip to the Cotsen Annual ART of TEACHING Conference, attending as husband and wife,” said Alyssa. “We are eager to encourage each other in our educational endeavors
truly all thanks to Mr. Cotsen and his vision to turn good teachers into great ones!”

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The annual conference is an opportunity to give new mentors and fellows a preview of the kinds of teaching practices that the foundation will be advancing in its two year professional development program. The conference also offers alumni a yearly chance to reinforce the work done during the core fellowship.

Presenters are drawn from among outstanding thinkers, researchers, and writers in TK -5 education. Their work reflects an emphasis on both the social-emotional and intellectual qualities characteristic of the teaching valued by the żì»îÁÖapp of TEACHING. Those who present are authors of books that frequently inform fellows’ new or continuing practice and often are the focus of monthly inquiry meetings.

This year each of six speakers presented three sessions in the areas of their respective expertise – reading, writing – or math –Ìę varying each session’s focus by topic or grade level.

Deputy Director of the Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University’s Teachers College, ÌęMary Ehrenworth, spoke on teaching writing, altering her grade level focus fromÌę2-8 to 3-6, with one k-5 session, based on her book The Power of Grammar, Unconventional Approaches to the Teaching of Conventions.ÌęSince so many days of Cotsen professional development in literacy draw on the work of Ehrenworth and her colleagues at Teachers College, her sessions were especially appropriate for a large number of Cotsen mentors, fellows, and alumni.

In responding to the movement to include TK in k-5 elementary schools, Matt Glover, author of numerous books on young children’s writing and a third time speaker at the conference, presented two sessions on primary writing including TK. Focusing on the word “nurturing” in both composition and reading, Glover acknowledged the need to be attentive to the social and emotional needs of the youngest students. In his K-6 session, he emphasized the engagement that can be elicited by offering choice of genre in teaching to students at all age levels.

Elham Kazemi of the University of Washington and Angela Chan Turrou of UCLA paired for three sessions with two based on the work described in their book Choral Counting and Counting Collections. These practices – so important in developing children’s number sense, relational thinking, and math fluency – offer support for Cognitively Guided Instruction or CGI, the math approach advanced by the Foundation. Their third session “What is CGI?” offered an introduction to those new to CGI principles.

For her presentation, Debbie Miller drew, largely, from her most recent book, What’s the Best That Could Happen, New Possibilities for Teachers and Readers.ÌęHer theme was especially apropos for new Cotsen fellows as well as alumni since it addressed both the fear of trying something new and the feeling of “being stuck” in practices that may not be responding to children’s needs. She also discussed teaching to develop children’s agency, by creating an environment where children are encouraged to be independent, a topic that she underscored with references to Peter Johnston, a past speaker at Cotsen conferences.

Ruth Parker, Co-founder and former CEO of Mathematics Education Collaborative and co-author of Making Number Talks Matter, presented yet another practice that can be supportive of CGI. With special attention to access for all students, she spoke on number talks, a math learning activity that can offer multiple entry points for different learners across all grade levels. Offering one session on how number talks can support English Language Learners, she followed with another about number talks as a means of engagingÌę “every learner.” Then addressing the need to bridge the connection between early grades and higher math, she spoke on bridging early multiplication relationships to algebra.

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Ron Mirr, Senior Vice President of Learning Supports and Family and Community Education, (FACE), for Scholastic Education, recently facilitated a powerful day-long parent engagement workshop for Cotsen teachers and administrators. His session, Leveraging Home – School Partnerships to Improve Student Learning, provided participants with a comprehensive framework and strategies to forge full, equal, and equitable partnerships among families, educators and community partners with the goal of promoting children’s learning and development.

Workshop attendees explored how to create richer conversations and relationships with the families of their students as Ron guided them through the Family Engagement Assessment and the Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family – School Partnerships.Ìę The Family Engagement Assessment is designed to help assess how welcome families feel at your school. The Dual Capacity – Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships is designed to support the development of family engagement strategies, policies and programs.

Mirr emphasized several key concepts that are critical to moving family engagement from an “events”- focused approach, to a more complete process that builds the capacity of both educators and families to support student success at all grade levels. He shared that schools with effective engagement practices:

• Link family engagement efforts with student achievement
• Utilize strengths-based lens to examine their family partnership work
• Build and enhance the capacity of educators and families in the 4C areas:
• Capabilities (Skills and knowledge)
• Connections (Network)
• Cognition (Shifts in beliefs and values)
• Confidence (Self-efficacy)

Martha Mota, a mentor from Harry Bridges Span School, commented, “One of my biggest take-aways was the difference between family engagement and parent involvement. Family engagement is important because it places the student in the center, and it allows for the student to get support at school and at home. This support is very important for the student to grow and learn academically and socially.”

Alex Jauregui, Cotsen mentor from Beatty Elementary School, added, “If parents feel that their child’s school is a ‘family’ and everyone cares for one another, they are more willing to help out, take part in their child’s education and take an active part in school life. Family engagement is a collaborative effort between teachers, parents, and students. I cannot assume what parents want. I need to ask them what they would want to do and what goals they would like to set to ensure success for their child. We have to be in constant communication with each other.”

The Cotsen Foundation believes that family engagement is an integral factor in the support and success of students’ academic lives and has developed the Parent Engagement Grant to help schools work with parents to better understand classroom curriculum and learn ways to support the academic and social-emotional development of their child at home. For more information on this grant, go to

Ron Mirrhas nearly 40 years of experience working with schools and social service agencies on engaging families and community partners in the learning process. He is a co-author of the Family Engagement Assessment-a tool that measures a school’s capacity for developing effective partnerships with families.

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The Cotsen Foundation takes great joy from seeing so many alumni, mentors and fellows alike, rising to new heights as leaders in their schools/districts. The following are the names of Cotsen alumni who have taken on new leadership positions as of the 2019 – 2020 academic year and/or have received advanced degrees in 2019:

Andrea Arias (alumna fellow ’09) is now the assistant director for the Early Entrance Program at Cal State LA. Andrea’s most recent position was vice-principal at James Guinn School in the Anaheim Elementary School District.

Ignacio Avila (alumnus fellow ‘11) is now the principal of Daniel Phelan Language Academy. Ignacio was previously the coordinator of instructional technology for the Whittier City School District.

Raquel Bahena (alumna mentor ‘19) is now the IB Coordinator/Coach for Oswalt Academy in the Rowland Unified School District. She is now overseeing the school’s inquiry program, working with teachers in their instructional practices, holding professional development, and working to support our teachers K-8. Raquel just recently finished the Cotsen fellowship as a mentor for Oswalt.

Lila Daruty (alumna fellow ’12) is now the principal of Webster Elementary School in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Lila was previously the assistant principal of Grant Elementary as well as the coordinator for the New Teacher Induction Program in the SMMUSD.

Lani Davies (alumna fellow ’19) received a master’s degree in educational leadership this summer. Lani is currently a teacher at Rowland Elementary School in the Rowland Unified School District.

Alicia Decker (alumna fellow ’11) is now a teacher specialist for Pomona Unified School District. Alicia is now collaborating with teachers and administrators to adjust and design coursework, evaluation/testing, and classroom organization strategies. Alicia was previously a first-grade teacher at Lexington Elementary School.

Fiona Engler (alumna fellow ’15) is now the magnet coordinator for Paseo Del Rey Magnet School. Fiona is now in charge of all magnet enrollment, Title 1 compliance, and GATE compliance.

Elisa Erickson (alumna mentor ’19) is now the instructional coach next year at Lampton Elementary School in Norwalk La-Mirada Unified School District. Elisa is now coaching the staff at Lampton and help develop the school’s Cognitively Guided Instruction approach. Elisa finished the Cotsen fellowship last spring as a mentor at Lampton.

Roisin Fahey Vivo (alumna fellow ’11) is now the new teacher project mentor in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. Roisin is now providing support for new teachers’ immediate curricular needs, as well as helping to cultivate their teaching habits of mind while assisting with induction requirements. Roisin was previously a 5th-grade and 3rd-grade teacher at Mintie White Elementary School.

Stephanie Given (alumna mentor ’18) is now the instructional program specialist at Acacia Elementary School in the Fullerton School District. Stephanie is now coaching the staff at Acacia and helping develop the school’s Balanced Literacy approach. Stephanie has been a mentor for the past four years (2 rounds) while acting as an instructional coach for Acacia and Richman Elementary School.

Stephanie Guppy (alumna mentor ’19) is now vice-principal at Robert C. Fisler School in the Fullerton School District. Stephanie finished her second round in the Cotsen Fellowship last spring as a mentor at Robert C. Fisler School.

Karina Hartl (alumna fellow ’12) is now the principal of Carmela Elementary School for the South Whittier Elementary School District. Karina’s most recent position was Coordinator of Special Projects for the Whittier City School District.

Amanda Heineman (alumna fellow ’13) is now principal at Estock Elementary in the Tustin Unified School District. Amanda was previously aÌęcoordinator in Educational Services, where she supported curriculum, professional development, and teacher induction.

Amy Hodge (alumna mentor ’17) is now principal at El Rincon Elementary in the Culver City Unified School District. Amy was previously anÌęinstructional coach at Farragut Elementary School.

Alicia Jackson (alumna mentor ’16) received a second master’s degree in educational leadership with an emphasis on administration. Alicia is an instructional coach at Farragut Elementary in the Culver City Unified School District. This year, her role has expanded to “district-level” instructional coach.

Krystal Kawamoto (alumna fellow ’19) is now the district instructional coach this next year for Oswalt Academy in the Rowland Unified School District. This position consists of working and supporting teachers, students, and administration. Krystal was previously a kindergarten teacher at Oswalt.

Julienne Lee (alumna principal) is now the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services at Fullerton School District. Julienne was previously the principal at Robert C. Fisler School.

Teri Malpass (alumna fellow ’07) is now the principal at Gisler Elementary School in Fountain Valley School District. Teri was previously an assistant principal at McGaugh Elementary School in the Los Alamitos Unified School District.

Katie Masterson (alumna fellow ’17) is now the assistant principal for Juan De Anza in the Wiseburn Unified School District. Katie was previously a teacher at El Rincon Elementary School.

Venus Moeller (alumna mentor ’19) is now the assistant principal at Sowers Middle School in Huntington Beach City School District. Venus was previously a teacher at Courreges Elementary School in Fountain Valley School District.

Anne-Marie Mowad (alumna fellow ’05) is now the assistant principal at Jane Addams Middle School in the Lawndale Elementary School District. Anne-Marie was previously an instructional technology resource coach for the school.

Lucy Salazar (alumna principal) is now the executive director of the Long Beach Education Foundation. Lucy was previously the principal at Alvarado Elementary School in Long Beach Unified School District.

Joan Strasser Durrin (alumna mentor) is now the district instructional coach/TOSA for the Rowland Unified School District. Joan finished the Cotsen fellowship last spring as a mentor at Rowland Elementary School.

Erica Silva (current mentor) has received a doctorate degree in educational leadership this year from USC. Erica is a first-year mentor at Monroe Elementary School in Monrovia Unified School District.

Kristin Welch (alumna fellow ’15) has joined the UCLA Math Project in Center X as a Cognitively Guided Instruction math coach. Kristin was chosen for the Google Innovator Academy in Copenhagen in November 2019 and is aiming to complete the project by November 2020. Kristin was previously a 2nd-grade teacher at Coeur d’Alene in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Jennifer Williams (alumna mentor ‘17) is now the assistant principal of Peter Burnett Elementary School and Juan Cabrillo Elementary School in the Wiseburn Unified School District. Jennifer was previously a teacher and instructional coach at Juan Cabrillo.

Jennifer Wilson (alumna fellow ’10) is now a reading specialist for Boulder Creek Elementary School in the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District. For the last 20 years, Jennifer has taught 1^st-grade, 2nd-grade, kindergarten, and reading recovery. She began taking her master’s in reading and literacy this past summer.

Wendy Wood (alumni fellow ’04) is now the Assistant Principal of McGaugh Elementary in Los Alamitos. Previously, Wendy was 20% Administrative Designee and 80% classroom teacher at Lee Elementary in Los Alamitos.

Martha Monahan (alumna principal ’19) has received a doctorate degree in educational leadership this year. Martha is principal at Center Street Elementary School in the El Segundo Unified School District.

If you are a Cotsen alum or know of a Cotsen alum who has risen to new leadership positions or academic challenges, but are missing from this list, please email us atÌęinfo@cotsen.organd we will be sure to add you or them to the list. Thank you.

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It’s the beginning of a new school year
 a truly extraordinary time. It’s a time of sharpened new pencils, fresh unused crayons, and shiny clean mobile devices; a time of anxious parents who want to make sure their child was assigned to the classroom with the best teacher, (of course that generally means a Cotsen teacher.) But perhaps most importantly, it’s a time of fresh starts and new possibilities.

With the memory of last year’s struggles and challenges dimmed by weeks of summer fun, students, parents, and staff each in their own way experience renewal, resolve, and dreams of joyful learning for the upcoming 180 days. The possibilities of fresh starts and clean slates that a new school year brings help make the excitement of this time year palpable.

We at the żì»îÁÖapp of TEACHING experience the effects of a new school year too. We are tremendously excited about the possibilities for joyful transformative learning and professional growth for each of you who are part of the Cotsen community. This year, we welcome 105 new teachers to our ranks. You are now part of a lively intellectual community of more than 1500 current and alumni mentors, fellows and administrators across thirty districts, who are committed to teaching and learning excellence for themselves and the students they serve.

Cotsen is honored to partner with you in your pursuit of instructional excellence, and we look forward to providing you with professional growth opportunities and support that inspire you and give you tools that help you work magic with your students. Please be on the lookout for notices about them that will be sent to you throughout the year. You should have already received information about the żì»îÁÖapp of TEACHING’s 14^thAnnual Conference, which will take place in Long Beach on Saturday, September 28^th, so mark your calendar.

In sum, the 2019-2020 school year begins with great promise of even greater accomplishments for our Cotsen community. Welcome back, and on behalf of our Board of Directors and staff we send our sincerest wishes for the most excellent year ever!

Sincerely,

Jerry Harris

Executive Director

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Founder of The Educator Collaborative, Chris Lehman, and The Educator Collaborative Book Ambassador and teacher librarian, Julia Torres, led the first Alumni Speaker Series of the 2019-2020 school year. Their presentation titled, Literacy as a Tool for Collective Liberation: Culturally Responsive Teaching in the K-6 Classroom,Ìęcentered on confronting the many challenges educators face on the way to learning what it truly means to engage in education as a practice of liberation to move literacy work toward culturally responsive teaching.

This workshop supported educators in critiquing and revising literacy practices, including reading and writing lessons, conferring, and designingÌęformative assessments. Participants had the opportunity to study shifts, big and small, for more inclusive practices and curriculum. They were also challenged to look at their areas of privilege or power and to support their on-going journey of self-examination with the purpose of being a more aware and critically conscious educator.

Alicia Jackson, an alumna mentor at Farragut Elementary School, attended the workshop because “I wanted to learn about culturally responsive teaching practices and experience this learning with colleagues from my school district. The issues discussed in this workshop are important to the field of education and our nation. In order to heal our historical wounds from racism, and to build a nation based on growth and equality for all, we must learn the names, faces, and backgrounds of ALL our students, and share and honor their experiences.”

Educators left the workshop feeling challenged and uplifted, full of practical strategies and key ideas to bring back to their schools. Annette Stankovich, an alumna and returning mentor from Heideman Elementary School, commented, “It takes effort to be aware of your own bias. I’ve learned to look at children’s literature through different lenses. I never thought about how important it is to consider the author’s background, race, or heritage and how this knowledge helps us to be more aware of the diversity around us. Diversity is more than the color of our skin.”

The żì»îÁÖapp is honored to have prominent speakers, like Chris and Julia, lead our professional development workshops and conferences. More workshops and study networks will be offered in the near future as the 2019-2020 school year kicks off this month.

Chris LehmanÌęis the Founder of Educator Collaborative and author of: Falling In Love With Close ReadingÌęwith Kate Roberts; Energize Research Reading and Writing; Pathways to the Common CoreÌęwith Lucy Calkins and Mary Ehrenworth; and A Quick Guide to Reviving Disengaged Writers.

Julia Torresis The Educator Collaborative Book Ambassador and a teacher librarian for five schools. She facilitates workshops pertaining to best practices in reading and writing instruction, culturally sustaining pedagogies in language arts, as well as digital literacy and librarianship.

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