The Reading Recovery Advocacy Award is named in honor of Dr. Gloria Talley because our Reading Recovery Program in Lexington School District One has the strong foundation as one option within the elementary intervention model due to her early support when she served in the role of Chief Academic Officer.

The criteria for this Advocacy Award is based upon the Reading Recovery Standards and Guidelines from the Reading Recovery Council of North America. This award is given out each school year to honor the work of an educator or community member who has demonstrated ongoing and consistent support for Reading Recovery implementation, teachers, students and their families at the school level as well as the district level. This year, we received nominations from our current Reading Recovery teachers. It was exciting to review these nominations and really see the impact that so many of our teachers and school leaders have had on the growth of students within this program.

The teachers who nominated this year’s award recipient  gave ample evidence for her advocacy of Reading Recovery in her school, such as her commitment to protect time for teaching and planning, ensuring they have more than enough supplies and texts for their students, working to build a behind-the-glass space in her building, and promoting the program with teachers and families.