Dr. Beth McMichael, BCSS Literacy Content Specialist, was invited to present at the 2024 Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) Federal Programs Conference on June 11-13.

The BCSS team presented two breakout sessions at the 2024 Georgia Department of Education Federal Programs Conference, District and School Leaders Improving Outcomes for Georgia's Students. Over 1,700 district administrators, school administrators, and teachers attended the conference at the Georgia International Convention Center.

McMichael was invited by Dr. David Beeland, Education Program Specialist in the Office of Federal Programs/Title I at the Georgia Department of Education, to present a session about the work the Barrow County School System has been doing to improve literacy outcomes at the elementary level.  The session, Embracing our Structured Literacy Era in Title 1 Schools: Designing Differentiated Small Group Reading Lessons Using a Structured Literacy Approach, was co-facilitated with Mrs. Mindy Reid, the principal of Bethlehem Elementary School and Mrs. Katie Edwards, the instructional coach at Bethlehem Elementary School.  

Julie Morrill, L4GA Program Manager at the Georgia Department of Education, also invited Dr. Beth McMichael to showcase the work that BCSS' Literacy for Learning, Living and Leading (L4GA) grant-funded middle schools have been doing to improve literacy outcomes for their students. Mrs. Meridith Wages-Peck, principal at Russell Middle School, Mrs. Kathleen Harrison, the instructional coach at Russell Middle School, and Dr. Beth McMichael co-facilitated the presentation, Embracing Literacy Practices in Middle and High Schools: Insights from L4GA Districts, with another L4GA grant-funded school district.  Our portion of the presentation, Keys to Success in an L4GA Middle School: Culture, Consistency and Collaboration, provided participants with an overview of the instructional practices Russell Middle School has adopted that have led to measurable gains in literacy achievement.