Reading is such an awesome pastime, but how do we keep children turning the pages? Host a family literacy night! Learning Ally held its first virtual Family Literacy Advocacy Night with a large school district in the northeast. It was such a wonderful success that we wanted to share the takeaways with you.  “I Promise” by LeBron James Our family literacy event brought teachers, parents, and children together to hear a story read aloud by Michael Burgess, a Learning Ally professional narrator, who read LeBron James’ book, “I Promise.” Michael narrated the story with incredible expression a ..read more

Is your child struggling to read? Reading is the key to learning success, but many children struggle to learn how to read during their younger years. Printed text can create obstacles for children with learning differences, like dyslexia, who find it challenging to learn how to decode words and comprehend meaning. This leads to falling behind in class, and a cycle of academic failure at a very young age. Today 30 million students struggle to read, and one in five students has a learning disability. These children are often persistently slow in their rate of response to instruction, and struggl ..read more

Susan B. (Brownell) Anthony was an American social reformer and activist for women's rights. She was a champion of temperance, abolition, the rights of labor, and equal pay for equal work. She became one of the most visible leaders of the women's suffrage movement. At the age of 17, she was committed to social equality, and collected anti-slavery petitions.  Along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony traveled around the country delivering speeches in favor of women's suffrage. In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Women's Right to Vote passed t ..read more

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a remarkable, inspiring minister and leader who positively changed the course of history in our nation. In the second half of the 20th century, racial tensions rose in the United States as African Americans began to challenge unjust laws that supported discrimination and segregation. Under Dr. King's leadership and activism, he led a nonviolent movement that resulted in the expansion of social justice in our nation. His teachings have had a lasting impact on people around the world to embrace citizenship and acts of service to improve our communities ..read more

January 9th is National Fourth Graders Day in America.  Why do we celebrate fourth graders? Because these kiddos are about to embark on a very different learning journey. A school day filled with practicum in math, reading, writing, social studies, science, art, music, language, and fitness. That’s a lot of information to absorb. There are new schedules to follow, various teachers to work with, and new friends, foes, and activities.  Fourth grade is a critical junction for early learners, especially for those who have been identified with learning disabilities, like dyslexia. St ..read more

By: Guest Author: Andrea Gibbs Reading fluency is essential for learning. Fluency in reading allows children to approach text with open minds and understand what they are reading. For some children, learning to read fluently will take the form of being able to read quietly on their own. For others, reading fluency must be developed using various tools and interventions. To boost your child's reading fluency, here are a few strategies that can engage your child in a variety of activities. Model Good Fluency In Reading Show them how to read with fluency. Set aside time each day to practice ..read more

Learning isn't just for the classroom.  For many kids, after the summer bell rings, learning doesn’t happen at all.  Summer reading loss is steep -- especially for marginalized children and adolescents. Studies show that children lose significant knowledge in reading and math during summer break — approximately two months of reading skills and 2.6 months of math computational skills — which tends to have a snowball effect as they experience subsequent skill loss each year, leading to decreased reading and math proficiency.  Teachers also lose precious instruction time reteaching ..read more

  On Sunday, May 15 and Monday, May 16, a lunar eclipse will occur. This astronomical phenomenon occurs when the sun, Earth, and moon line up properly for the moon to pass into the Earth's shadow. Roughly three times a year, the moon passes through at least part of the Earth's shadow.  Because our moon's orbit is tilted, lunar eclipses do not occur every time the moon makes its monthly trek around our planet. It can only happen during a full moon, so we are likely to experience it just twice a year.  To catch a glimpse of the lunar eclipse and "blood moon," y ..read more

In honor of Chinese New Year, we have selected some engaging audiobooks from our diverse libraries in support of the Asian American experience.. Suggest these titles to your children and then engage them in conversation regarding what they learned and liked about the books they read. Queen Of Physics : How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock The Secrets Of The Atom by Teresa Robeson Elementary: Grades 0-3  This engaging biography follows Wu Chien Shiung as she battles sexism and racism to become what Newsweek magazine called the "Queen of Physics" for her work on beta decay. Along the w ..read more

Through years of struggle, strife and resilience Black Americans have been at the forefront of changing laws, policies, and perspectives relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Check out our Learning Ally blog including a list of good reads.. This is a great opportunity to sit with your child, get immersed in American history and facilitate family conversations regarding past and current civil rights issues. Alvin Ailey by Andrea Davis Pinkney Elementary School: Grades 0-3  A portrait of the great African-American dancer and choreographer describes Alvin Ailey's early life ..read more