Trainings & Events
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Mastering Literacy Foundations Course
Monday, Jun 1, 2026 @ 2:00 am
2-Day professional learning course for literacy program leaders, educators, tutors, and staff. Oakland Tech High School4351 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94611 SPONSORED BY: The Oakland Literacy Coalition’s Mastering Literacy Foundations is a dynamic two-day learning experience designed for literacy program leaders, educators, tutors, and staff. Join us to deepen your understanding of the Science of Reading […]
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Webinar: Beyond A, E, I, O, and U The Essential Role of the Schwa /ə/
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2026 @ 8:30 am
Reading Specialist Celestina Lee returns to explore why vowels are the MVPs of decoding– this time with a focus on English’s most common vowel sound, the schwa! This unstressed vowel sound is the sneaky reason words like ‘banana’ can be tricky to read and spell! You’ll leave with practical strategies to help your students unlock […]
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OLC Member Meeting
Wednesday, Jan 21, 2026 @ 1:30 am
Wednesday, January 21, 2026, 9:30 am Our January 2026 member network meeting will feature special guests Katy Reese and Jeanne Bruland to share about supporting older struggling readers. Open to staff and leaders of OLC member organizations. For location and to RSVP, contact Jennifer (at) oaklandliteracycoalition.org.
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Making Data Matter: Literacy Learning Walk and Public Forum
Monday, Dec 8, 2025 @ 4:00 pm
Join us for a public panel where we will bring together OUSD educators, district leaders, and other community stakeholders to reflect on how assessment data can be used as a tool for equity and coherence in literacy instruction. Together, we’ll discuss what supports and conditions are needed at the classroom and system level to ensure […]
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Chapters of Change
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025 @ 11:00 am
Join us for Chapters of Change on September 17th! Enjoy an evening filled with community, inspiration, and the joy of giving back. Sponsorship Opportunities | Purchase Tickets | Donate
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Spring Literacy Institute
The Oakland Literacy Coalition’s Spring Literacy Institute is a dynamic two-day learning experience designed for literacy program leaders, educators, tutors, and staff. Join us to deepen your understanding of the Science of Reading and evidence-based reading practices. By the end of this engaging, hands-on two-day in-person Institute, participants will: 🎯 Develop knowledge and strategies to support fluency, stamina, […]
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OLC Holiday Happy Hour
Join us for at our Holiday Happy Hour as we toast to a wonderful year and celebrate our incredible Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director! This special gathering is a chance to connect and share the joy of the season with our amazing community. Don’t miss this warm and cheerful evening—we can’t wait to celebrate with you […]
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Quarterly Member Meeting: Early Language and the Growing Brain
Tandem, Partners in Early Learning will be presenting on Early Language and the Growing Brain! This is a member network meeting. To learn more about becoming a member, click here.
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A, E, I, O, and YOU!: Building Vowel Power for Stronger Phonics Instruction
A, E, I, O, and YOU!: Building Vowel Power for Stronger Phonics Instruction When we think of vowels, we often picture just five little letters—but the English language actually contains over a dozen distinct vowel sounds, and many of them can be spelled in ten or more different ways! No wonder they’re one of the biggest challenges […]
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Unlocking the Power of Screener Data for Early Literacy Success
RSVP Here Gain deeper insight into universal screener data and the essential early literacy skills it reflects. We’ll explore the progression of fluency, common response patterns, and key factors to consider when interpreting results. Learn how benchmark scores can predict future outcomes, and examine the broad impact screener data can have, both for individual students […]
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Back to School for the Whole Family: Build Your Reading Toolbelt
RSVP Here | Access the Zoom Workshop Here We’re kicking off the new school year with an interactive workshop designed to help families support their children’s reading journey, whether they’re just starting to decode or building stronger comprehension skills. GO Public Schools is partnering with the Oakland Literacy Coalition (OLC) to provide a walkthrough of Oakland Reads, their multilingual website full […]
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Building Blocks of Literacy Fun & Flexible Morphology Activities with Words in the Wild
Building Blocks of Literacy Fun & Flexible Morphology Activities with Words in the Wild Discover how teaching morphology supports reading and vocabulary by helping students understand word parts like prefixes, suffixes, and roots. Through fun, hands-on activities, kids build decoding skills, deepen word knowledge, and grow into confident readers and writers. An interactive workshop featuring: […]
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Symposium
Join us on March 7-8, 2025 in downtown Oakland, for the Literacy and Justice for All Symposium, a transformative conference where literacy, equity, and social justice take center stage. This year’s lineup features two dynamic keynote speakers: As well as a broad range of engaging breakout sessions (including panels and case studies) tailored for practitioners […]
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Member Network Meeting
Join us for our first in-person Member Network meeting of the year, hosted at Girls Inc.’s office! This event will strengthen connections within our member community, celebrate progress and successes from the fall, leverage our collective expertise, share resources, and provide insights into the California education p olicy landscape with guest speakers from EdVoice. Contact membership@oaklandliteracycoalition.org to […]
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Collaborative Inquiry & Literacy Leadership
Lead By Learning joined us to talk about the intersection of collaborative inquiry and literacy leadership. Librarian educator John Evans of Helms Middle School in West Contra Costa Unified School District shared his inquiry into supporting teachers to support students to be independent readers.
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Libraries at the Center: an Inquiry-Based Approach to Literacy Leadership
Join our Dec. 3 learning session to learn how librarians are literacy leaders and community connectors. Featuring insights from Sarah Sugarman & Charley Brooks of @leadbylearning_ and @WCCUSD Librarian John Evans. 12/3 from 9:30-11:30 on Zoom: bit.ly/leadbylearning
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Bridging Literacy: From Knowledge to Practice in Reading Instruction
In partnership with the National Center on Improving Literacy, the OLC Presents: “Bridging Literacy: From Knowledge to Practice in Reading Instruction.” In this webinar, participants will see the integration of theory and practice resulting in a better understanding of how the critical concepts of the Science of Reading (SoR) namely, direct, explicit, systematic, and cumulative […]
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Understanding Outcomes from the ‘Right to Read’ Settlement
In early December, researchers at Stanford University released a working paper titled The Achievement Effects of Scaling Early Literacy Reforms, co-authored by Sarah Novicoff and Thomas S. Dee. The researchers found that, as part of a $53 million settlement, targeted literacy programs in CA’s 75 lowest-performing schools helped raise reading scores. Join us for this […]
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Pours and Prose
Bring your favorite book and support the OLC over a beverage at Roses’ Taproom. You can choose to chat about your favorite read or immerse yourself quietly in prose. Roses’ Taproom will be generously donating 10 percent of all purchases during the event to the OLC. RSVP: bit.ly/PoursAndProse
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Chapters of Change
Join us for Chapters of Change, a celebration of the change we create and the future we shape through the transformative power of literacy. Enjoy delicious cocktails & hours d’oeuvres See live entertainment Hear inspiring stories of how the Oakland Literacy Coalition is making a difference We look forward to you joining us in creating […]
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Implementing Reading Instruction Aligned to the Science of ReadingMay 2024
Agenda Highlights On May 6, 2024, the Oakland Literacy Coalition and National Center on Improving Literacy hosted a virtual session presented by Judith L. Fontana, Ph.D. The session provided tools for participants to improve their ability to translate their knowledge of research grounded in the Science of Reading into evidence-based instructional practices.Agenda Watch Session Here! […]
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Understanding Outcomes of the “Right to Read” Settlement
Agenda Highlights Our January 17, 2024 virtual forum featured Sarah Novicoff, lead author of the working paper The Achievement Effects of Scaling Early Literacy Reforms. She and her co-researcher looked at the 75 schools receiving the Early Literacy Support Block Grant (ELSBG), which provided teacher professional development, new funding (about $1000 per student), spending flexibility […]
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Sunday Funday
Join the Oakland Literacy Coalition for a Sunday Fund-ay of bowling, football, food & drinks, and chances to win prize giveaways!
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2024 Literacy and Justice for All Symposium
Literacy and Justice for All 2024 is a dynamic 2-day symposium in downtown Oakland focused on promoting effective practice in literacy and reading skills and mobilizing the field of learning professionals around literacy as a vehicle for social justice and transformational life outcomes. Stay tuned for early bird registration in August. Apply to present at […]
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June Virtual Literacy Round Table
Agenda Highlights On June 6, 2023, the Oakland Literacy Coalition hosted a virtual roundtable bringing in three different voices and perspectives in the Oakland literacy landscape. Romy Trigg-Smith, Director of Early Literacy PK-2 at Oakland Unified School District; Jasmin Tow Director of Early Literacy at Education for Change Public Schools; and Erin Cox, Early Learning […]
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Oakland Schools Literacy Roundtable
As the school year comes to an end, join us in a reflective discussion where we will explore the best literacy practices, create opportunities for connection and understanding, and align for the 2023-2024 school year. Sign up: bit.ly/mayliteracyroundtable
This is an opportunity to hear three different voices and perspectives in the Oakland literacy landscape. We will be joined by Romy Trigg-Smith, Director of Early Literacy PK-2 at Oakland Unified School District; Jasmin Tow Director of Early Literacy at Education for Change Public Schools and Erin Cox, Early Learning Program Manager at Aspire Public schools.
This forum is open to anyone who is interested in learning about what our schools and students experienced this past school year. We will take a reflective moment to uplift strong literacy practices, share successes, discuss the intersections between policy and practice and map out strategies for alignment and collective impact in the 2024-2025 school year. Register on zoom ahead of time. -
Write to Read! A Fundraiser for the Oakland Literacy Coalition
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The OLC is delighted to gather our community together in person, in the beautiful light- and art-filled Artthaus Studios for a conversation with three authors who have all used their voice and their stories to illuminate social justice issues:
<noscript><strong><a href="https://writetoread.eventbrite.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Read More and Buy Tickets</a></noscript></strong> -
March Open House
Join us for an early evening of wine, refreshments and community. Meet some of the great organizations and people who make up the OLC network. Connect with other leaders and changemakers elevating literacy for Oakland kids. Learn about the OLC’s next strategic plan in an evening of interactive and engaging demonstrations that will showcase our work to support […]
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Implementing New Literacy Curriculum and Strategies
Agenda Highlights On April 20, 2022, the Oakland Literacy Coalition hosted our Quarterly Forum where we were in conversation with Oakland Unified School District educators, literacy leaders and principals about their experience implementing new literacy curriculum and strategies for improving reading outcomes. Watch Panel Discussion Here! This 1.5 hour panel discussion featured Nikki Williams – […]
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Building Liberatory Learning Spaces
Agenda Highlights On February 16, 2022, the Oakland Literacy Coalition was pleased to have Dr. Sabrina “Bri” Moore led our first IN TRAINING session “Building Liberatory Learning Spaces.” This workshop expands on her previous OLC Symposium session ‘Intervention Is Racist’. This workshop is especially important for educators, community organizers and designers of learning spaces looking […]
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Black Minds and the History of Eductation
Agenda Highlights Earlier this month on January 19th, the Oakland Literacy Coalition was honored to have Tyson Amir lead a powerful presentation for our Winter Forum and our first In Conversation Series for 2022. In the seminar presentation, titled “Black Minds and the History of Education,”Tyson Amir explored the history of U.S education and its […]
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Different Communication Modes
Agenda Highlights. In our Spring Literacy Forum, we convened a parent/educator panel for a rich discussion of lesson learned from a year of remote schooling. Our panelists looked at what they want to bring forward and want they want to leave behind in virtual learning as we head back to classrooms. Our panelists highlighted the […]
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February 2021 SEL Trainings
Agenda Highlights Social emotional health is critical for young children as it is critical for us all. We know that for children to reach their academic goals, we need to attend to their social emotional needs first. In a two-part workshop series in February , we welcomed back our expert facilitator Aija Simmons to share […]
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OUSD’s New ELA Framework
Agenda Highlights Goals like reading success for all require transformational change and leadership. Our Winter Literacy Forum was an opportunity for educators, parents, programs, organizations, and other community members to hear and learn from each other. We highlighted OUSD’s new ELA framework, strategy, and curriculum pilot as a critical pathway and opportunity for change. In […]
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Social & Emotional Learning
Agenda Highlights Our Fall Quarterly meeting featured an interactive presentation about Social and Emotional Learning. We were thrilled to bring Aija Simmons (Program Manager in the department of Social and Emotional Learning at OUSD) to present to our community. Aija led our group through the basics of SEL and how OUSD approaches SEL, both in-person […]
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Oakland REACH & Springboard Collaborative
Agenda Highlights This quarter we examined virtual learning in Oakland. This past Spring, as COVID-19 began appearing in communities across the Bay Area and the rest of the country, schools and programs were forced to close their doors and pivot online. Within a few weeks, students and educators were suddenly learning and teaching over Zoom, […]
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Understanding Dyslexia
Agenda Highlights Our Spring Quarterly Meeting focused on Understanding Dyslexia. After spending the previous few months learning more about the science of reading and best practices in teaching reading, dyslexia began to stand out as a really important focus area for our community. Kristen Koeller is the Educator Outreach Co-Manager for Decoding Dyslexia CA, and […]
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Literacy Work & Goals
Agenda Highlights Our Winter Quarterly Meeting focused on literacy work and literacy goals in Oakland. After a whirlwind year of reading and discussing national coverage about reading instruction, and hearing directly from Oakland educators in the Fall at our previous Quarterly Meeting, we have come to understand some important things that continue to drive our […]
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Literacy Development & Instruction from Birth to Early Elementary
Agenda Highlights Our Fall Quarterly meeting centered around literacy development and instruction from birth to early elementary. The question of “what is the best way to teach reading?” has been discussed for ages among schools, educators, and researchers. 20 years ago the National Reading Panel convened and found that effective reading programs combined instruction in […]
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Reforming the Proposition 13 Corporate Loophole
Agenda Highlights For our Summer Quarterly meeting we focused primarily on learning more about reforming the Proposition 13 corporate loophole. We heard an engaging presentation from Ben Grieff with Evolve CA, and then broke out into small groups to discuss Prop 13 reform and ways that we can continue to support our schools and communities […]
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Special Education & Literacy
Agenda Highlights Our Spring Quarterly Meeting was energizing, engaging, and exciting. We were joined by Roilyn Graves from Envision Public Schools, who led a workshop for participants to help us understand Special Education and literacy, and how they intersect with our own work. You can find the powerpoint presentation here, and the participant note packet […]
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After School Programs & Literacy Education
Agenda Highlights On Wednesday, January 16, over 30 participants representing a wide variety of organizations throughout Oakland convened at Chapter 510 & the Department of Make-Believe for an exciting morning of learning and networking. This meeting focused around After School programs and literacy education. You can access the complete meeting packet here and the complete slideshow […]
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Fall Quarterly OLC Meeting Highlights
Agenda Highlights On Wednesday, October 17, over 35 community partners in 30 organizations met at the East Bay Community Foundation conference center for the Fall Quarterly OLC Meeting. You can access the complete meeting packet below. Here are some highlights! Partners & Community Schools Ali Metzler from OUSD presented about Community Schools in Oakland, and […]
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June 2018: Summery Quarterly OLC Meeting
Agenda Highlights On Wednesday, July 25, 2018, over 40 community partners representing over 30 organizations met at Chapter 510 and the Department of Make Believe for the Summer Quarterly OLC Meeting. Below are some highlights! Panel – Summer Learning: Three organizations show how they keep students engaged. Julie McCalmont of OUSD, Marián Gutiérrez of the […]
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Spring 2018: Spring Quarterly OLC Meeting
Agenda Highlights On Wednesday, May 23, 2018, over 50 community partners representing over 30 organizations met at Chapter 510 and the Department of Make Believe for the Spring Quarterly OLC Meeting. Below are some highlights! Advocacy Update on Measure A & the Oakland Children’s Initiative Three representatives from the campaigns presented compelling background and data […]
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Winter 2018: Winter Quarterly Meeting
Agenda Highlights On January 24, 2018, over 40 community partners joined the OLC for our Winter Quarterly Meeting. We were joined by OUSD Board President, Aimee Eng, who shared about the current budget, considerations, and process. We collected and shared feedback and concerns through group discussion and explored challenges and possibilities in the school year […]
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Early Education Landscape in Oakland
Agenda Highlights On April 19th, 40 network partners joined us for our April meeting focused on the early education landscape in Oakland. In addition to our knowledgable expert speakers, OLC members were invited to share and network over a delicious lunch from El Gusano. Thank you to all who joined us for another opportunity to […]
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Winter 2017
Agenda Highlights The focus of this meeting is geared towards educators, practitioners and providers looking to develop and utilize read alouds to support children, classrooms, and families. UPDATE & TRENDS FROM THE CAMPAIGN FOR GRADE-LEVEL READING Alicia Maldonado, California State Lead, Campaign for Grade-Level Reading USING READ ALOUDS TO BUILD VOCABULARY—A MINI SEEDS […]
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