Overview
Heather Howlett is the director of Professional Learning for WestEd’s Literacy team, which has a proven track record of improving disciplinary literacy in middle school, high school, and college. In this capacity, she collaborates with leaders to assess their literacy needs and plan supports for Reading Apprenticeship teacher professional learning.
Howlett has authored several iterations of Reading Apprenticeship professional learning for over 15 years. She has directly facilitated Reading Apprenticeship professional learning for thousands of teachers across all content areas. Howlett oversees the national cadre of over 90 Reading Apprenticeship facilitators who deliver Reading Apprenticeship professional learning and coaching to many thousands of teachers across the country.
Before joining WestEd, Howlett was a teacher who implemented Reading Apprenticeship in her science classroom for 7 years. Howlett led Reading Apprenticeship work in her district, designing and facilitating a localized version of the professional learning for over 300 teachers in grades 4–12.
Education
- MA in teaching and learning, Nova Southeastern University
- BS in biology, Madonna University
Select Publications
Krishnan, J., Friedrich, L., Sailors, M., Cole, M., & Howlett, H. (2025). Meaning-based, code-based, and vocabulary-based instruction in middle and high school classrooms: The case for attention to all three. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 68(4), 400–407. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.1410
Friedrich, L., Brown, W., & Howlett, H. (2019). Bringing a literacy focus into the science classroom: How complex texts can help. American Educator, 43(4), 23–27. https://www.aft.org/ae/winter2019-2020/friedrich_brown_howlett
Katz, M.-L., Stump, M., Charney‐Sirott, I., & Howlett, H. (2019). Traveling with integrity: Translating face‐to‐face teacher professional learning to online and blended spaces. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 63(2), 217–223. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.976
Archer, J., Katz, M.-L., Charney-Sirott, I., Howlett, H., & Max, J. (2018). Implementing online professional learning communities. Mathematica Policy Research.
Schoenbach, R., Greenleaf, C., Brown, W., & Howlett, H. (2016). Supporting deep change with an immersive online course. In C. Dede, A. Eisenkraft, K. Frumin, & A. Hartley (Eds.), Teacher learning in the digital age: Online professional development in STEM education (pp. 69–72). Harvard Education Press.