School Administration
Principals, curriculum directors, superintendents, deans, you have a hard job! School administrators are expected to advocate for faculty, staff, and students, finding both the ways and means to facilitate measurable academic growth while supporting community objectives.
“Idealism and realism meet in the actual.”
– Mary Parker Follett
Engaging Learners professional development works with school and districts all over the country to support administrators. We provide the tools, research-based strategies, and boots-on-the-ground experience. You provide the passion and commitment. Let’s work together to meet the needs of diverse learners in your corner of the world.
Free Resource
The Science of Reading in Grades 4-12 Podcast: Join Dr. Katie McKnight and Dr. Jenny French for a podcast especially for 4th -12th grade teachers, literacy coaches, and school and district leaders who need information, tools, and resources to grow literacy achievement.
Keynote
Initiative Mastery: Prioritizing and Launching School Initiatives
Administrators (grades K-12)
Professional Development with Dr. Jennifer French
This session is designed exclusively for school administrators seeking to streamline their initiatives and ensure their success. Participants will learn how to conduct a district-wide initiative audit, to assess the effectiveness of past and current initiatives, prioritize upcoming and current initiatives based on impact and feasibility, and develop a strategic plan for implementation.
Format: Keynote, Keynote with follow up breakout sessions, Half Day session, or Full Day session
Workshops
Summer Success: Building a Middle School Reading Program
Administrators (grades 4-8)
Professional Development with Dr. Jennifer French
Dr. French’s Summer Success workshop is specifically tailored for school administrators who are responsible for creating or managing a summer reading program. Participants will focus on the planning, implementation, and evaluation stages of middle school reading programs, while also gaining valuable recommendations for resources and support systems. Whether your aim is to combat summer learning loss, foster a sense of community, or boost literacy skills, this workshop will equip you with practical tools and insights to create a successful and enriching summer reading experience for every student. Shareable resources are included.
Format: 60-90-120 minute presentation, Half Day session, or Full Day session
Science of Reading: District-level Strategies for Middle & Secondary Schools
Administrators (grades 4-12)
Professional Development with Dr. Jennifer French & Dr. Katie McKnight
Administrators start this session by more fully exploring the term Science of Reading and learning how to adapt the model’s principals on a district-wide basis. Discover how to go beyond K-4 foundational literacy by expanding fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension in middle and secondary schools. Join Dr. McKnight and Dr. French to explore tangible strategies for bridging the gap between your state and district policy language, and your teachers’ in-the-classroom work with students.
Format: 60-90-120 minute presentation, Half Day session, or Full Day session
What Created the Knowledge Gap (and what we can do about it)
Administrators (grades 4-12)
Professional Development with Dr. Katie McKnight
You know the reality. Over 65% of our students are not reading on level. This is a staggering statistic, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. What practices can educators leverage to close the gap? What does the research really indicate about grade-level text and differentiated reading? In this session, we will burrow into these questions, and you’ll emerge with some concrete answers and vision to create engaged and proficient readers in all disciplines.
Format: Keynote, 60-90 minute session
Building a Middle School Reading Intervention Program that Works
Administrators (grades 4-8)
Professional Development with Dr. Jennifer French
In this engaging and informative session, administrators will gain invaluable insights into the key components of building a successful reading intervention program tailored to the unique needs of middle school students. Dr. French will guide you through practical tools for identifying struggling readers, designing targeted interventions, and monitoring progress over time. Whether you're a seasoned administrator looking to enhance your existing program or a newcomer seeking guidance on where to begin, this workshop offers a wealth of resources and strategies to help you make a lasting impact on student literacy outcomes.
Format: Half Day session, Full Day session, or two Full Day sessions with coaching and practical application
A Plan for Success: Merging Literacy and Self-Regulation to Increase Achievement
Teachers and Administrators (grades K-12)
Professional Development with Dr. Katie McKnight & Dr. Richard Cash
Our students’ personal abilities to appropriately manage their affect, behaviors, and cognition (ABCs) are critical for college and career readiness. Self-regulation for learning is the ability to effectively balance the ABCs to pursue worthy academic goals. Join this session to learn a holistic approach to assisting all students (from special education to gifted education) in gaining greater social/emotional well-being, developing scholarly behaviors, and acquiring valuable thinking tools to be successful in school and beyond.
Format: 60-90-120 minute presentation, Half Day session, or Full Day session
Suggested Companion Book: Cash, R. M. (2016). Self-regulation in the classroom: Helping students learn how to learn. Free Spirit Publishing.
Collaborating with Dr. Jenny French
Dr. Katie McKnight’s Engaging Learners is pleased to collaborate with Dr. Jenny French on professional development for K-12 school administrators. Dr. French’s years of experience in all facets of education ensures that Engaging Learners recognizes the demands and layered complexity of district-wide and school-wide administration, and our PD reflects both ideal and realistic routes to success.
Dr. Jenny French is an educator and leader with a career spanning various facets of education, with her journey in literacy beginning as an elementary classroom teacher and middle school language arts teacher.
Dr. French held roles including secondary literacy coach, university associate professor, curriculum director, and assistant superintendent of schools. Each step of the journey marks a contribution to the field, shaping educational practices, curriculum development, and policy implementation. Her personal journey of having a son with dyslexia drove her participation as a previous board member for the International Dyslexia Association and grew a passion for helping students with dyslexia to find their college and career path.
Her expansive career also includes a notable publication, Help! My Students Write Like They Text: Teaching Code-Switching to Improve Writing, shedding light on contemporary communication challenges in the classroom. As a sought-after school improvement consultant, she continues to share her wealth of experience, culminating in the groundbreaking creation and development of ThinkCERCA's Foundational Reading & Linguistics program, which addresses the unique needs of struggling adolescent readers, transforming lives through enhanced reading and linguistic skills.
Want to bring Jenny to your school or conference? Send us a message! Dr. French is available for onsite and virtual PD. Check out the Booking Info page to learn more.
