Meeting colors

OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Prince George's County Literacy Commission Meeting - July 15, 2026

County Council & Boards — Wednesday, July 15, 2026

BodyPrince Georges County, Maryland

SessionCounty Council & Boards

DateWednesday, July 15, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 56:07

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

Awesome.

0:01

Thank you.

0:03

The agenda for today will do the okay.

0:07

Can we can we um do the vote again?

0:09

Thank you for the for the recording.

0:11

Apologies for that.

0:12

Uh a move to accept the minutes.

0:16

Previous meeting.

0:20

Do we have a second?

0:23

Second.

0:24

All in favor.

0:25

Thanks so much.

0:27

All in favor.

0:30

Thank you.

0:31

All right.

0:33

The emotion has been moved and seconded.

0:36

All right.

0:36

So we'll start with roll call.

0:38

Uh, then we'll discuss some of the follow-up items.

0:42

So last meeting, many requests were made for follow-up information and some data requests, and we want to honor that and talk about some of those some of those items.

0:52

We'll also get into some partner presentations on priorities, priority literacy challenges and solutions.

1:00

And we'll also discuss the literacy summit.

1:02

I'm sorry for that.

1:03

Uh the correction, not the title of that conference summit.

1:07

I will talk about that.

1:09

And then our next steps from the meeting.

1:14

So we did last time, I believe uh Miss O'Neil and Mr.

1:20

Crawford, Pastor Crawford.

1:22

I believe you did not get a chance to share some of the information.

1:27

So not to put you on the spot, you know, if you're not um, you know, if we're not prepared to do that, but I just did want to give you an opportunity at a high level.

1:34

And please correct me if I'm wrong, I don't think you got a chance to share on these topics.

1:40

Um that's correct.

1:42

Okay.

1:42

Um and Miss O'Neill, since I see you first, did you want to just talk uh briefly about about these items, high level overview of your organization, uh the organization's broad impact as it relates to literacy, and then how you know you believe that uh your organization can most meaningfully uh contribute to the work of the literacy commission.

2:00

Sure.

2:01

Yeah.

2:01

Um I did send something in.

2:03

I don't see it here, but that's okay.

2:05

I can just talk off the top of my head.

2:07

Um I'm delighted to be here.

2:09

My name is Ellen O'Neill.

2:10

I'm the executive director of the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center, now headquartered in Hyattville, Maryland.

2:18

Um, I'm a resident of Prince George's County.

2:20

My three sons attended schools here in Prince George's County.

2:24

I'm a founding board member of the Reading League Maryland and Maryland Reeds.

2:29

Um, and I am proud to say that our organization is nationally accredited and we've been training educators throughout Maryland for 25 years, um, as well as now all over the world uh through the um beauty of Zoom and things like this.

2:46

We can train people as we are now all over the world.

2:50

Um I'd have to say though that some of the most fulfilling work we've done has been locally.

2:55

Uh over the past eight years, we've trained 280 reading specialists in Frederick County public schools, including uh members of their central administration.

3:07

And that is critical because that and um enables them to sustain their continuous improvement because those administrators then go on and continue that training, expand that, and also do some of the supervision and coaching.

3:22

Um I'd say that we've contributed to the success in Frederick County for achieving 63% ELA proficiency, and that continues to grow a little closer to home.

3:34

Um we have raised about over a hundred thousand dollars to support training teachers at uh uh K-12 Title One.

3:43

I'm sorry, K2 Title I school in Langley Park.

3:47

Um, these are mostly uh what we used to call new arrivals, um, still uh threatened by so many things.

3:56

Uh and I'll give you an update on that, but we've trained their teachers, educator, and now parents in structured literacy um and early intervention.

4:08

Um we have uh seen such success that the students who tested or were screened in Divbles in the red have all gone to the green, and this includes those with IEPs.

4:21

This summer we are funding um through private donors and a grant, a program for first and second graders to extend their learning.

4:30

They otherwise wouldn't have had this program.

4:33

And it's important because sadly, two weeks ago, two of our students um uh had their fathers detained by ICE.

4:43

They remained there, uh, and these fathers had actively participated in our after school literacy and learning program.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Literacy Programs██████████████████████████████████34%

Youth Programs█████████████████████████████████33%

Community Engagement██████████████████18%

Data Management███████7%

Procedural██████6%

Arts And Culture██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Prince George's County Literacy Commission Meeting - July 15, 2026

The Prince George's County Literacy Commission held a meeting on July 15, 2026, from approximately 12:15 PM to 1:15 PM. The meeting covered follow-up data requests from the previous meeting, partner presentations on literacy challenges and solutions, and an update on the upcoming Literacy Summit. Key data on student proficiency, teacher training, and screening were presented, along with organizational presentations from multiple partners.

Consent Calendar

The minutes from the previous meeting were approved by unanimous consent following a motion and second.

Discussion Items

Follow-up Data Requests: Caleb Callender presented data on student catch-up rates. For third graders in 2022, about 5% were able to reach proficiency by 2025. For multilingual learners, proficiency ranged from 14–20% in grades 3–4 but dropped below 5% in grades 5–8, with the caveat that many students enter the system at middle school level. Data on the Ready to Read Act showed that in 2020–2021, approximately 8,200 kindergartners were screened, with 25% identified as at-risk. As of September 2025, 1,044 pre-K through third grade teachers had completed MSDE science of reading coursework, with an additional 50–100 projected to finish by September 2026. A review of the PGCPS data dashboard revealed ease of access but lack of clarity on special education data and gender inclusivity. A follow-up on remedial education is pending.
Partner Presentations:
- Ellen O'Neill (Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center): Reported training 280 reading specialists in Frederick County, contributing to 63% ELA proficiency. Raised over $100,000 to support training at a K-2 Title I school in Langley Park, where students previously scoring in the red on DIBELS all moved to green. Two students' fathers were recently detained by ICE, but the students remain in the summer program.
- Megan Sutherland (Prince George's County Memorial Library System): Highlighted programs for English language learners (Kids Achieve Club, Read to Rover), early literacy for expectant parents (Hatchlings), and adult literacy (Spanish literacy classes). Noted that library staff are not trained to teach reading and emphasized staff training and collaboration opportunities.
- Dr. Shanti (Prince George's Community College): Described adult education programs including free GED prep, National External Diploma Program, and ESL career pathways (child care, health care, culinary arts, construction). Noted flexible scheduling and Saturday food service programs where students practice skills.
- Ali Oliver Kruger (Interact Story Theater): Presented on arts-based literacy programs using theater to address socioeconomic disparities, multilingual learner needs, learning differences, and oral language gaps. Programs serve birth through 12th grade in schools, libraries, and community spaces, including family engagement and teacher training.
- Amy (Sarah Cosano): Shared her work providing voluntary evening professional learning sessions for PGCPS educators, with attendance often exceeding 200. Sessions cover reading, writing, data, and coaching, and have shown positive impact on student outcomes.
Literacy Summit Update: Pastor Crawford announced that the Literacy Summit will take place on Friday, July 17, 2026, from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Suitland High School. Registration closed with 400 reconfirmed attendees and 50–60 on a waiting list. The summit will focus on three work streams: parent engagement, outreach to leaders, and building an ecosystem of local organizations. The goal is to demonstrate real progress in literacy within a three-to-five-year window.

Key Outcomes

The commission will not meet in August; the next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 2:00 PM.
Members are asked to submit documentation of their remarks to the council staff.
Future meetings will focus on high-leverage strategies to boost literacy outcomes and close gaps, with a synthesis of recommendations and a vote planned for the fall.
The commission will continue to explore collaboration opportunities among partners.

Meeting Transcript

Awesome. Thank you. The agenda for today will do the okay. Can we can we um do the vote again? Thank you for the for the recording. Apologies for that. Uh a move to accept the minutes. Previous meeting. Do we have a second? Second. All in favor. Thanks so much. All in favor. Thank you. All right. The emotion has been moved and seconded. All right. So we'll start with roll call. Uh, then we'll discuss some of the follow-up items. So last meeting, many requests were made for follow-up information and some data requests, and we want to honor that and talk about some of those some of those items. We'll also get into some partner presentations on priorities, priority literacy challenges and solutions. And we'll also discuss the literacy summit. I'm sorry for that. Uh the correction, not the title of that conference summit. I will talk about that. And then our next steps from the meeting. So we did last time, I believe uh Miss O'Neil and Mr. Crawford, Pastor Crawford. I believe you did not get a chance to share some of the information. So not to put you on the spot, you know, if you're not um, you know, if we're not prepared to do that, but I just did want to give you an opportunity at a high level. And please correct me if I'm wrong, I don't think you got a chance to share on these topics. Um that's correct. Okay. Um and Miss O'Neill, since I see you first, did you want to just talk uh briefly about about these items, high level overview of your organization, uh the organization's broad impact as it relates to literacy, and then how you know you believe that uh your organization can most meaningfully uh contribute to the work of the literacy commission. Sure. Yeah. Um I did send something in. I don't see it here, but that's okay. I can just talk off the top of my head. Um I'm delighted to be here. My name is Ellen O'Neill. I'm the executive director of the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center, now headquartered in Hyattville, Maryland. Um, I'm a resident of Prince George's County. My three sons attended schools here in Prince George's County. I'm a founding board member of the Reading League Maryland and Maryland Reeds. Um, and I am proud to say that our organization is nationally accredited and we've been training educators throughout Maryland for 25 years, um, as well as now all over the world uh through the um beauty of Zoom and things like this. We can train people as we are now all over the world. Um I'd have to say though that some of the most fulfilling work we've done has been locally. Uh over the past eight years, we've trained 280 reading specialists in Frederick County public schools, including uh members of their central administration. And that is critical because that and um enables them to sustain their continuous improvement because those administrators then go on and continue that training, expand that, and also do some of the supervision and coaching.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com