Events sponsored by Decoding Dyslexia CA (DDCA) are indicated on the events calendar. Local events held by other organizations may also be listed that may be of interest to our members. DDCA does not endorse any specific program or company.
Strong reading skills are the foundation of all academic success, yet African American students as a group score lower on most standardized tests than white students. In spite of the 2000 National Reading Panel’s conclusions that students need direct, explicit instruction that teaches phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, educational institutions are failing to implement the Reading Panel’s findings. University training has been inadequate, forcing K-12 systems to fill classrooms with under-prepared teachers who then receive little support, training, or aligned materials.
African American students suffer disproportionately when not taught to read using evidence-based practices that leverage research. During this provocative hour-long webinar, Kareem Weaver, Member of the NAACP Oakland Branch’s Education Committee, will discuss how:
- The debate over reading philosophy has left key pillars of reading acquisition, especially critical for African-Americans, untaught
- Expectations of African American students impact the timing and tenor of interventions that could prevent reading problems
- Perceptions of intellectual capacity create a lens through which learning differences are interpreted by educator
- Racism and bias within school systems influence policy and practices and create a tolerance for failure
It is critical that schools provide African American children the same opportunities to achieve academic success as other children. This webinar will provide insights into how to address the persistent issues that create the achievement gap, particularly the lack of quality, evidence-based reading instruction.
Can’t make the live webinar? No problem! Go ahead and register and we’ll send you an email the day after the webinar with a link to the recording.
Learn how educators around the world use inquiry into English spelling as a means of enriching vocabulary, reading and spelling — and to leverage learning in any subject area. Bowers brought SWI to the Bay Area and the world. He was a visiting scholar at the Nueva School (2015-2016). His research has been published in prestigious journals and his
workshops are highly sought after around the world.
What is Structured Word Inquiry (SWI)?
“Structured word inquiry” Bowers and Kirby (2010) is word- level literacy instruction that engages learners of all ages and abilities by making sense of our surprisingly logical spelling system through scientific word investigation.
See an interview with Dr. Bowers on SWI HERE.
Workshop Information
Options:
- Full day workshop Sat. Feb. 29 ($200) 9:30 am – 3:30 pm
- Full day workshop Feb. 29 plus the Fri. Feb 28 in-school workshop (8:30 am – 3:30 pm).
The Friday session includes 3 model lessons in classrooms followed by debriefing sessions with teachers.(Total for 2 days $375)
Limited space for In-school sessions
• Feb 28 in-school session only open to those who also attend the Feb 29 full day workshop.
• Feb 29 Saturday workshop open to all.
Location: Presidio Knolls School
• 250 10th St, San Francisco, CA 94103 (Map HERE) • Tel: (415) 202-0770
PRESENTS
Making Math Real: The Clinically Prescriptive Methodology for Students with Math LD — A Workshop for Educators & Parents
Research over the last 40 years has repeatedly indicated all students benefit most from direct and explicit instruction, especially those with math LD. Now, more than ever before, with the profusion of discovery methods in public and private school math classrooms, students with math-LD need and deserve direct and explicit simultaneous multisensory structured teaching to provide them with the math development they require now and into their futures. This 1-day seminar will provide the research basis from neurobiology and cognitive science and the foundational developmental structures, content, and methods that empower educators to be clinically prescriptive for all students with math LD.
Presentation by David Berg, E.T.
Creator of the Making Math Real Simultaneous Multisensory Structured Methods; Founder & Director of the Making Math Real Institute
Sponsored by the Northern California Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (NCBIDA)
Hosted by North Bridge Academy
Workshop: 8:30am – 4:00pm
Q&A: 4:00pm – 4:30pm
Supporting Students under a Section 504 plan:
Learn about Section 504 and the 504 plan. A 504 plan is a blueprint for how the school will support a student with a disability and remove barriers to learning.
The goal is to give the student equal access at school.
Speaker: Marci Schwartz, LCSW, Ph.D.
Explore the necessary skills for college readiness: Self Advocacy, Social, Independent living skills, Self Determination… and what parents can do to foster the development of these skills. You will understand the important differences between High School and College structure and support.
High school students welcomed.
Dr. Marci Schwartz is the founder of Thrive College Counseling in Los Gatos where she works with students with unique learning profiles. Students have the opportunity to learn the skills necessary for independence and provide support in locating the best college fit to meet their educational and social/emotional needs. She is also an Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Speaker: Susana Navarro
Learn about the process to consider Assistive Technology for your child and discover tools that may benefit students with learning disabilities.
Susana Navarro has over 12 years of experience in the disability community and is a certified assistive technology specialist. She is a bilingual English/Spanish education specialist and has worked training and advocating for special education rights at Parents Helping Parents for 10 years. She is also a parent of a teen with Autism.
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Special Education Basics
Would you like to improve your skills and knowledge to become active partners in developing your child’s educational program? This 1.5 hr. online training will help you understand the special education process; it is an overview of the ins and outs of the IEP. The goal is to help you understand your rights, recognize the value of your parenting expertise, and improve your communication and problem-solving skills. Whether the IEP team is meeting virtually or in-person, your participation is essential!
Speaker – Jan Tuber
Learn from a family’s journey. Listen to how they navigated each new hurdle.
- Typical and not-so-typical signs of LD
- What would we do differently next time?
- Advocacy successes and pitfalls
- Accommodations – What is worthwhile/worthless
- Bring your questions and get answers
Are you a parent or professional who want to help children who struggle with focus and attention, including those with ADHD?
Join this lunchtime webinar featuring Dr. John Brentar, Ph.D. and Executive Director at Morrissey Compton Educational Center, a non-profit in Redwood City that provides diagnostic, intervention, and treatment services for those with learning, behavioral, and social-emotional challenges. Morrissey Compton also offers scholarship opportunities for families in need.
Dr. Brentar will discuss how to support individuals in the area of focus and attention and cover the following questions:
- What is the difference between focus (concentration) and attention?
- How do these areas relate to ADHD?
- How do these areas affect academic performance and interpersonal relationships?
- How can parents, teachers, and others in the community who work with kids, help build related skills and resilience?
Click the Get Seats button to register for this event on Zoom. Please know that the registration questions asked are required by grants the U.S. Dept of Education that fund our education specialists.
About John Brentar, Ph.D., Executive Director at Morrissey Compton Educational Center
Dr. Brentar is a licensed psychologist who received his undergraduate degree at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Ohio University. He completed his predoctoral internship at the Albany Medical College in New York. Following his internship, Dr. Brentar was a postdoctoral fellow at the Children’s Health Council. He remained at the Children’s Health Council for 13 years, serving as a staff psychologist, Clinical Director, and Clinical Training Director. In 1991, he joined the staff of Morrissey-Compton Educational Center on a part-time basis, and in 2006, Morrissey-Compton was excited to welcome him as its Executive Director. In addition to his role as Director, Dr. Brentar conducts evaluations and provides therapy to children and adults. He also consults with the Behavioral Pediatrics Department at the Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford and is an Adjunct Clinical Instructor at the Stanford University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Brentar’s professional interests focus on learning disabilities, executive functioning, Attention/Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, Anxiety, Depression, Asperger’s Disorder, and other developmental disorders.