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Over eight hundred educators gathered at the Peabody Hotel and Resort in Orlando, Florida for the 2011 READ 180 National Summer Institute. Classroom educators and district administrators arrived on July 25, 2011 to kick off the Institute to engage in four days of intensive professional development and the opportunity to network with colleagues and share successful implementation strategies.
“This is the best summer workshop experience I have ever had,” reported one attendee. “I am so excited to get back to school and put into practice all the valuable information I have learned this year.”
Attendees were joined by READ 180 and System 44 authors, Dr. Kate Kinsella; Dr. Kevin Feldman; Dr. Ted Hasselbring; Dr. Julie Washington; as well as Tonya Ward Singer and Laura Goin. The Institute also featured inspirational keynote presentations from Dr. Robert Brooks, clinical psychologist and faculty, Harvard Medical School; Pam Muñoz Ryan, award-winning author; and Goldie Hawn, Founder of the Hawn Foundation.
“From the Elective Workshops I gained a lot of practical information and procedures for implementing READ 180 and System 44,” noted one educator. “The positive energy was a great motivation to get back and start the school year.”
The Institute offered educators the opportunity to customize their professional development experience by attending Elective Workshops of their choice. With over 90 Elective Workshops to choose from, educators were able to expand on their understanding with READ 180, System 44, or Expert 21 programs. Building Connections, a networking session, provided an opportunity for educators to network with each other; one attendee says, “It was a great opportunity to discus program implementation with colleagues who have been working with the program in other parts of the country. It was a nice way to pick up new ideas.
Each morning Mary Mitchell, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Scholastic Inc., recognized the 2011 Scholastic All-Star Award winners for their achievements in overcoming their reading challenges to success in school. On the final day of the Institute, Marilyn Clark, Carol Hoffman, Ida Shepherd, and Daniel Roberts were honored for their commitment to raising reading achievement and turning lives around as the Scholastic Outstanding Educators winners.
“I left Orlando feeling inspired, appreciated, and blessed to have the career in teaching that I have. I love the READ 180 program and the opportunity it provides me to bring a love of reading to ALL students,” states one attendee.
Thank you to those who joined us and helped to make the 2011 READ 180 National Summer Institute a tremendous success. We are truly grateful for your dedication to your own professional development and to improving your student’s lives.