(Minneapolis, MN) — Sept. 12, 2022 — In the wake of devastating recent news about the nation’s reading test scores, Minnesota-based Winsor Learning, the nation’s leading expert and provider of science-based reading instruction and teacher training, announced the release of a new and entirely free professional development resource for administrators and teachers. The 90-minute Science of Reading-based training is now available for download at no cost to teachers, administrators, tutors, and other teachers of reading.
To download the resource, go to: https://members.winsorlearning.com/5-strategies-for-teachers/
The most recent results of National Association of Education Progress (NAEP) testing indicate performance levels of 9-year-olds in math and reading dropping to levels not seen in more than two decades. The declines include nearly all races and income levels and are the most steep for at-risk and already lower-performing students.
“We cannot afford to lose a generation of proficient readers. As a company, we are working to do all we can to support teachers, parents, and schools as the nation seeks to recover from the devastating impacts of the COVID crisis. Reading is the gateway to all else, and our mission — first and foremost — is to make sure every student becomes a successful reader. As we surveyed the landscape and assessed the resources we could deliver to support our nation’s educators, we knew our world-class training could make a difference,” said Amanda Burnette, President and CEO of Winsor Learning, a former public school administrator and internationally recognized expert on reading instruction.
This is not the first time Winsor Learning has provided its resources at no cost in response to COVID. In March 2020, as the pandemic began to unfold, Winsor Learning released free online professional development opportunities for teachers. More than 10,000 educators participated in the training over the course of four weeks, with registrations from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Canada.
Winsor Learning provides Orton-Gillingham, science-based reading, teaching materials, and professional development using its best-in-class Sonday System® programs and training. Educational experts at industry-leading organizations such as the National Center for Learning Disabilities and the International Dyslexia Association have deemed the Sonday System® a program that is based on the Science of Reading and contains the required elements for teaching reading identified by the Nation Reading Panel. Winsor Learning, the publisher of the Sonday System, believes in giving children their best chance to succeed in school. Sonday System is a simple, cost-effective tool for K-12 educators to identify and quickly intervene with struggling readers, as well as teach reading to all children using proven science-based multi-sensory strategies.