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Southeast School Readiness

The Southeast School Readiness Partnership seeks to build the capacity of preschool teachers and administrators across the six states in the region to use evidence-based emergent literacy instruction to support three- to five-year old children’s language and literacy learning and to help policymakers understand the factors that influence access to high-quality childcare and preschool programs.

The Partnership is supported through three strands of work. The Emergent Literacy Professional Learning Community strand is focused on developing and providing a collaborative learning experience for early childhood educators and leaders across all six states to expand their knowledge of evidence-based emergent literacy content and instructional strategies. The Preschool Language and Vocabulary Coaching Model strand is focused on building the capacity of coaches at early education sites in Mississippi and Florida to train and coach teachers to use evidence-based language strategies with three- and four-year-olds. The Influences on Early Childhood Education strand is focused on an analysis and report of neighborhood characteristics that influence the quality of childcare centers/preschools in North Carolina.

Members
  • Barbara Cooper
    Secretary of Early Childhood Education
    Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education
  • Pamela Truelove Walker
    Senior Director
    Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education
  • Tara Skiles
    Professional Development Manager
    Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education
  • Jean Allen
    Innovative Projects and Assessment Administrator
    Alabama Office of School Readiness
  • Cassandra Jackson
    Educational Policy Consultant
    Florida Department of Education Office of Early Learning
  • Melinda Webster
    Manager, VPK Education Program, Policy and Accountability
    Florida Department of Education Office of Early Learning
  • Hope Colle
    Government Operations Consultant, VPK Education Program
    Florida Department of Education Office of Early Learning
  • Cari Miller
    Vice Chancellor for Literacy Achievement
    Florida Department of Education Office of Early Learning
  • Julie Morrill
    Literacy Program Manager
    Striving Readers GA DOE
  • Lisa Albert
    L4GA Program Specialist
    L4GA
  • Caitlin Dooley, Ph.D.
    Deputy Superintendent
    Georgia Department of Education
  • Faith Duncan
    Director of Field Operations
    Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL)
  • Jill Dent, Ph.D.
    Early Childhood Director
    Office of Elementary Education and Reading, MS DOE
  • Tenette Smith
    Director of Elementary Education and Reading
    Mississippi Department of Education
  • Kristen Wells-Wynn
    State Literacy Director
    Mississippi Department of Education
  • Amy Rhyne
    Director, Office of Early Learning
    NC Department of Public Instruction
  • Tonia Parrish
    Read to Achieve Section Chief
    NC Department of Public Instruction
  • David Mathis
    Deputy Superintendent, Division of College and Career Readiness
    South Carolina Department of Education
  • Wendy Burgess
    Team Leader, Office of Early Learning and Literacy College and Career Ready Division
    South Carolina Department of Education
  • Lynn Kuykendall
    Education Associate Early Learning
    South Carolina Department of Education
  • Angela Compton
    Education Associate Early Learning
    South Carolina Department of Education

Contact

Sarah HughesSarah Hughes

Sarah Hughes is the Southeast School Readiness Partnership Manager for REL Southeast and a Senior Research Associate at RMC Research Corporation. Her work has ranged from providing capacity-building technical assistance and support to state leaders to developing practical, hands-on materials related to early childhood education, early language and literacy, prekindergarten – 3rd grade approaches, school readiness and kindergarten transition, and standards alignment and implementation. She works with REL Southeast project leads from Florida State University, Marcia Kosanovich, Beth Phillips, and, Karli Willis, to support the Partnership.