WestEd News
Reading Apprenticeship: Celebrating 25 Years of Excellence
This year marks the 25th anniversary of WestEd’s Reading Apprenticeship, a professional learning model that is rated “Strong” in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) evidence rating system. Reading Apprenticeship, designated by CASEL as a SELelect Program, supports content area knowledge development as well as the social and emotional elements of learning that make rigorous disciplinary literacy possible.
Developed in the 1990s, the Reading Apprenticeship framework brings together research and practice to improve teaching and learning at the middle school, high school, and college levels. Over the past 25 years, educators across the nation have experienced the positive benefits of the program’s professional learning.
“Reading Apprenticeship remains relevant and effective because of its dedication to research, development, and practice — and its expansion to deliver options that meet the needs of today’s educators and students,” says WestEd CEO Glen Harvey.
The program serves as a vibrant community of practice for content area teachers. “Reading Apprenticeship works because it is created, and continuously improved, by teachers and researchers working together to meet the needs of today’s students, standards, and learning environments,” says WestEd Director of Literacy Linda Friedrich. “We are thrilled to celebrate our legacy of statistically significant impact, while also remaining committed to delivering effective, new approaches for improving teacher practice and student learning in multiple contexts.”
The anniversary celebration kicks off with the launch of the new Reading Apprenticeship website.
“As educators continue to respond to the challenges of a global pandemic, the need to understand and do what works in education has never been more urgent. I am pleased the new ReadingApprenticeship.org is now live to support educators with resources that demonstrate the program’s 25-year timeline of enduring impact on student literacy and success,” says Harvey.
Reading Apprenticeship will host a literacy webinar as part of WestEd’s Thought Leader Conversation Series in April. Stay tuned for details.
Are you a Reading Apprenticeship alumnus? We’d love to hear how the approach has made a positive difference in your classroom practice. Share your experience with us on WestEd and Reading Apprenticeship’s Facebook pages. Remember to tag us at @WestEd and @ReadApprentice.
Posted on March 4, 2021