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The Oakland Literacy Coalition is thrilled to welcome FULCRUM to our member network! A longtime OLC partner, FULCRUM brings people together to create the conditions needed for change. FULCRUM acts as a voice, contributing to expert panels, facilitating discussions, and serving as keynote speaker, and provides direct support to site and system leaders through coaching and events that demonstrate evidence-based practices in action and showcase examples of what is possible.

“Given the stakes, literacy advocates must call for a cease and desist of any form of politicization in the movement to improve reading instruction,” FULCRUM Executive Director Kareem Weaver has said. Creating a shared mission across demographic and political groups that puts literacy at the center of advocacy and implementation is essential for this movement to make sustained changes. Learn more about FULCRUM in the Q&A below, which is edited for length. 

Oakland Literacy Coalition (OLC): How does your organization support literacy in Oakland?

FULCRUM: ​​We take a multifaceted approach to facilitating progress:  

• • Direct Coaching:
    We coach site and system leaders to increase their Science of Reading knowledge and support the effective implementation of structured literacy practices. Skills such as providing quality instructional feedback to teachers are integral to increasing student access to evidence-aligned instruction and improving literacy learning outcomes.
  • Community of Practice (CoP):
    Last year, FULCRUM launched a CoP for literacy coaches and system leaders. Our CoP meets virtually every month, giving members a chance to consult and connect with peers in similar roles and attend professional learning events to hear from experts in the field. Bay Area members also have the opportunity to meet in person each quarter to build connections and increase collective impact.
  • Educator Preparation Program (EPP) Events:
    We drive alignment by hosting events tailored to EPPs that foster collaboration, promote resource-sharing, and increase support and shared accountability. Earlier this year, our first annual Bay Area EPP Convening focused on understanding new literacy standards, teacher performance assessments, and SB488 legislation.
  • Literacy Learning Walks: Seeing evidence-based practices in action is pivotal to driving change. FULCRUM co-hosts literacy learning walks throughout the year, showcasing successful models in real time. These experiences provide leaders with practical insights, tools, and inspiration for advancing structured literacy implementation.

OLC: What sets you apart from other organizations in your community? Or from other organizations with similar missions?

FULCRUM: FULCRUM is singularly focused on literacy. Our only objective is for all students to become proficient readers, which remains at the forefront of every action. While many areas overlap with this sector, we center our energy and resources solely on improving reading outcomes. 

We understand that illiteracy spans racial, ethnic, and economic circumstances—it is not isolated to a single group—so much of our work involves uniting people across communities to drive change. As a non-partisan organization, we remain open and collaborate with a range of value-aligned individuals and groups committed to dismantling barriers to literacy. FULCRUM works directly with educators, districts and networks, community-based organizations, educator preparation programs, departments of education, and more, employing a two-pillared approach: 1) Changing hearts and minds to shift long-held but ineffective beliefs and practices, building an understanding of the why and 2) Catalyzing action by providing the guidance and resources needed to support the how. Building the capacity of leaders to implement structured literacy practices creates sustained and lasting change.

OLC: What’s on the horizon? What community programming or events are coming up that your organization is most excited about and why?

FULCRUM: We have fantastic experts lined up for our 2025 CoP events, including Dr. Pam Kastner on January 23, 2025. Dr. Kastner’s session will focus on writing and explore the critical connection between transcription and composition, including the impact on comprehension, micro- and macrostructures, and strategies to enhance writing outcomes. 

We are also excited about our second annual Bay Area EPP Convening, which will once again provide a shared space for support and accountability for educator preparation programs to align pre-service literacy coursework with reading research and new literacy standards. This event will take place in early 2025—more details to come!

Finally, although The Right to Read is now available to the public and streaming on a number of platforms, the University of Redlands will be hosting a special screening in January. FULCRUM’s Executive Director, Kareem Weaver, is featured in the film and will be attending the event as a guest speaker. Ticketing information will be made available soon.

OLC: Is there anything that you wish more people knew about your organization or the issues you are trying to solve?

FULCRUM: As Executive Director Kareem Weaver has stated, “Given the stakes, literacy advocates must call for a cease and desist of any form of politicization in the movement to improve reading instruction.” Creating a shared mission across demographic and political groups that puts literacy at the center of advocacy and implementation is essential for this movement to make sustained changes.

At FULCRUM, we are actively working to unite people across communities and encourage stakeholder alignment, but behind the scenes, we are also following the research to identify best practices, providing advisory services to system and state leaders, and monitoring and reporting progress to further drive change.

OLC: What are you most looking forward to as a member of the Oakland Literacy Coalition?

FULCRUM: We are thrilled to connect with so many mission-aligned people and build partnerships to increase our collective impact in the Oakland community. We are excited to learn from like-minded organizations and to offer our support and expertise as a resource to other members.

OLC: Could you share an anecdote/experience about working with a student or teacher that really stood out for you?

FULCRUM: Our Director of Program, Devika Sood, shared this anecdote:

“While working with a particular principal and coach during the 2023–2024 school year, we determined that increasing student engagement in rich academic discourse was a key to unlocking meaning-making of text and we made this area a professional development focus. We created an arc of learning across a semester that included observing models of strong academic discourse and an in-service in meaning-making, which was key to helping teachers internalize the key practice and criteria for success. 

We completed several coaching cycles, and there was one teacher we worked with more closely to provide additional support. This year, that same teacher is a model of practice for academic discourse. She is now sharing her artifacts at professional development and opening her doors to peer observations to motivate teachers on what is possible.”

This is a prime example of the importance of developing teacher practices. Instructional leaders must create arcs of learning, consistently provide quality feedback, and celebrate successes to enrich students’ learning experiences.

OLC: The literacy crisis is real and impacts us all at the local, state and national level. With that said, what does Literacy & Justice for All mean to you?

FULCRUM: Literacy is the fundamental civil right of our time. If a fulcrum allows a scale to function, ensuring fair judgment without influence from pre-existing inequities, then literacy is the fulcrum of modern society. It provides access to information and promotes true empowerment—counterbalancing forces that limit access to rights, duties, and opportunities. 

In the Information Age, there can be no justice without full and complete literacy for all, especially those who have historically been denied consideration in key decision-making that would ensure free and appropriate public education.

Compelling every system—district, network, and state—to adopt and successfully implement evidence-based methods that are effective for the greatest number of students is the single most impactful thing we can do. 

Be sure to keep up with FULCRUM and follow them on social media to learn more about their work!

Website: fulcrumliteracy.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fulcrumliteracy/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fulcrumliteracy
Bluesky: fulcrumliteracy.bsky.social