24 educators from Tenn. to strengthen early literacy, build home libraries

SPECIAL TO THE STATE GAZETTE

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) announced its 2024-2025 Educator Advisory Council, 24 educators from rural, urban, and suburban communities across Tennessee who will help GELF determine the resources to best meet the literacy needs of students statewide.

With only 35% of Tennessee third graders able to read proficiently, GELF’s Educator Advisory Council serves as a consulting body for the Foundation’s early literacy initiatives, including its statewide K-3 Home Library program that has placed more than 4.4 million books in the homes of more than 739,000 elementary school students and teachers over the program’s history.

Twenty-four Tennessee educators were selected to serve on the 2024-2025 Educator Advisory Council, representing all three regions of the state. GELF launched the Educator Advisory Council (EAC) in 2021 to strengthen its early literacy initiatives by gaining the insight and perspectives of educators statewide.

“Educators are the cornerstone of every child’s growth, sparking imaginations and guiding their futures,” said James Pond, GELF President. “Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation is honored to collaborate with them, helping to support their needs and to draw from their wisdom to ensure that every student and family receives the tools they need to thrive. Together we will continue to strengthen early literacy and build lifelong learners and leaders in Tennessee.”

Led by an Executive Team, the primary responsibility of the EAC is to select the books and curate the literacy resources that students and teachers statewide will be mailed through GELF’s K-3 Home Library program in the summer and fall of 2025. Through its K-3 Home Library program, GELF collaborates with Scholastic to mail high-quality, age-appropriate books to kindergarten through third-grade students and teachers over the summer to combat learning loss and support student learning in the home.

Third grade reading proficiency is the benchmark where children transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” and is a key indicator for a child’s future educational success and workforce readiness.

A two-decade-long study found that the presence of a home library increases children’s academic success, vocabulary development, attention, and job attainment. Research from Statewide surveys conducted by GELF reveals 33% of participating students have 100+ books in their homes as a result of the K-3 Home Library program. Additionally, 97% of parents reported that their children were excited to receive the books and 96% reported the books were valuable to their family.

In the summer of 2024, GELF’s K-3 Home Library program mailed 1.3 million books to the homes of 230,000 rising 1st,2nd, and 3rd grade students and teachers across Tennessee. In Fall 2024, GELF will mail 102,000 books to the homes of 17,000 rising kindergartners in 41 pilot school districts across the state, bridging the gap between its Birth-5 Book Delivery program in partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. In Fall 2025, GELF plans to expand this program to serve rising kindergarten students statewide. This expansion will give Tennessee children the opportunity to receive books at no cost from birth to third grade.

The EAC helps direct GELF’s K-3 programming decisions aimed at meeting students and families where they are with the resources they need to strengthen early literacy and combat learning loss statewide.

“The single most important activity for building knowledge in reading is reading aloud to children,” said Jenni Mason, EAC Member. “I am thrilled to be part of the EAC for a third term. It is an honor to collaborate with educators across the state to provide literature packs to our budding Tennessee readers!”

“There is nothing they [students] will want to do or be as fully realized and contributing members of society where they won't need to be able to read,” said Catina Jennings, EAC Kindergarten Focus Group Leader. “I believe the mission of the Governor's Early Literacy Foundation to provide children with the resources, guidance, and books they need to become lifelong learners is another part of the puzzle.

This organization has begun to build the home libraries of many children in Tennessee who might not have had the opportunity to receive new books that were so thoughtfully chosen for their age groups. I know the work we are doing is going to impact the recipients for years to come.”

See below for a full list of the selected 2024-2025 GELF Educator Advisory Council members.

Executive Council

• Melisha Simmons, Chair, First Grade Teacher, Eastside Elementary School, Warren County Schools

• Chris Dickerson, Caregiver/Student Focus Group Leader, Kindergarten Teacher, Norman Binkley Elementary, Metro Nashville Public Schools

• Catina Jennings, Kindergarten Focus Group Leader, Intervention Specialist, Journey Coleman, Journey Community Schools, Shelby County

• Angie Sybert, Rising First Grade Leader, Second Grade Teacher, Ketron Elementary, Sullivan County Schools

• Christie Wimberley, Rising Second Grade Leader, Second Grade Teacher, Lakewood School, Henry County Schools

• Meredith McMackins, Rising Third Grade Leader, Second Grade Teacher, Fifth Consolidated Elementary, Dyer County Schools

EAC Members

• Lee Ann Butts, District ELA Curriculum and Instruction Team Member, Bedford County Schools

• Tara Comerford, Title 1 Reading Teacher, Athens City Intermediate School, Athens City Schools

• Diana Cook, Assistant Principal, Burks Elementary School, Putnam County Schools

• Jessica Drinnon, Special Education Teacher K-5, Mooresburg Elementary, Hawkins County Schools

• De’Shadrian Henson, Second Grade Science/Social Studies, Rose Hill Elementary, Jackson/Madison County Schools

• Angie Manor, District Supervisor, Hickman County Schools

• Jenni Mason, Reading Specialist, Sam Houston Elementary, Lebanon Special School District

• Tracy McAbee, Superintendent, Lewis County Schools

• Misty Mercer, District Literacy Specialist, Greene County Schools

• Shanna Pierpoint, Second Grade Teacher, Lakewood Elementary, Henry County Schools

• Regina Radencic, ELA Teacher, Hilham Elementary, Overton School District

• Mary Raines, Library Media Specialist, Trousdale County Elementary, Trousdale County Schools

• Michael Ramsey, Instructional Coach, Joppa Elementary, Grainger County Schools

• Monica Robbins, Third Grade Teacher, Holice Powell School, Dyer County Schools

• Carrie Smith, Fourth Grade Teacher, Woodland Elementary School, Johnson City Schools

• Katie Spears, School Librarian (PK-8), Morrison Elementary, Warren County Schools

• Laura Tipton, Reading Interventionist, Mt. Carmel Elementary, Hawkins County Schools

• Tristan Towns, Online Reading Teacher and Author, Shelby County

The EAC application will next open in Spring 2025 with announcements made in summer. Members are asked to serve for a minimum of two years.

For more information on GELF and the Educator Advisory Council, visit governorsfoundation.org.