Loyola University Maryland’s School of Education will host its Literacy Leadership Awards celebration on Wednesday, March 30, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. in the Ridley Auditorium of the Loyola/Notre Dame Library. The evening will feature a keynote address, followed by the presentation of the 2011 Literacy Leader Award and the 2011 Literacy Educator of the Year Award.
Patricia Paugh, Ph.D., associate professor in the curriculum and instruction department at the University of Massachusetts Boston, will present the keynote, “Genre Pedagogy: Developing Academic Literacy in an Urban Classroom.”
Paugh is the co-author of A Classroom Teacher’s Guide to Struggling Readers and A Classroom Teacher’s Guide to Struggling Writers, both with Curt Dudley-Marling. She has also published several articles and book chapters based on her collaborative research and teaching partnerships in urban public schools. Her address will explore literacy and language as socially negotiated practice and share her insights on fostering developing academic literacy in an urban classroom. Her research interests include school-university research partnerships, equitable access to academic literacy for students in linguistically and culturally diverse communities, critical literacy, and the value of practitioner research in teachers’ professional development.
Following Paugh’s address, the evening’s two awards will be presented.
The Literacy Leader Award will recognize a graduate of Loyola’s master’s in education program, specializing in reading/literacy, who promotes literacy, demonstrates innovation in practice, exhibits principled leadership within the school or community, and models lifelong learning as a member of the professional literacy community.
The Literacy Educator of the Year Award will recognize a current Maryland public or private school educator who demonstrates accomplished practice and innovation in the area of literacy teaching and learning; fosters a literacy-rich and welcoming classroom community; models lifelong learning as a member of the school community; enhances the literacy development of all students; collaborates and shares best practices with colleagues; and exhibits principled practice in the classroom, school, and/or community.
“Teacher leaders play a crucial role in our education system,” said Afra Hersi, Ph.D., assistant professor in literacy education in Loyola’s teacher education department, and one of the event’s key organizers. “They provide inspired and engaging instruction for their students, mentor and support other teachers, and assist principals in the overall school mission, all of which combine to lead to improvements in teaching and learning. The literacy program in Loyola University Maryland’s School of Education is pleased to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of these outstanding educators and their impact on their students, schools, and communities.”
The Literacy Leadership Award event is open to the public. For more information, visit www.loyola.edu/literacyleader, or contact Antoinette Lobdell at 410-617-5310 or at atlobdell@loyola.edu.
For more information or questions regarding this story, contact Media Relations Manager Nick Alexopulos at nalexopulos@loyola.edu or 410-617-5025.