Waynesburg University’s Department of Education, in conjunction with Scholastic Education and Laurel Highlands School District, recently hosted an Early Literary Summit for pre-K and kindergarten teachers, administrators, directors and Waynesburg education students.
“We are always looking for various partnerships with school districts so students can learn about current practices in the field,” said Yvonne Beverina Weaver, instructor of education and chair of the Education Department. “Our students had the opportunity to hear how teachers implement whole-group independent reading strategies, small group instruction and the use of learning centers. They also learned about the importance of family and community engagement.”
The event featured three speakers: Jenni Brasington, senior director of Consultative Services for Scholastic Education and a founding partner of the Center for Active Family Engagement, Kerry Walters, national training and development specialist for Scholastic Education and Cathy Yount, director of early learning at Scholastic Education.
Participants earned professional development credit through The Intermediate Unit 1, and Waynesburg education students were provided an opportunity to engage with active professionals in the field, in addition to the experts from Scholastic Education.
Brasington has more than 25 years of experience working with pre-K through 12th-grade schools as an administrator, early childhood coordinator and school counselor. Most recently, she served as the director of Family and Community Engagement for Acelero Learning.
She is the author of “Family Friendly Walk-Through” and the co-author of the “Family Engagement Assessment,” a tool that measures a school’s capacity for developing effective partnerships with families.
Brasington holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in school counseling.
Walters has teaching experience at the pre-K and elementary school level, and has served as an educational consultant leading professional development sessions and curriculum training for teachers throughout the country.
Walters holds a degree in elementary education from York College.
Yount served 22 years as a public and private school teacher in Hillsborough County, Florida. She taught language arts and reading from pre-K through 11th-grade, in addition to serving as an instructional coach and new teacher trainer for the sixth largest school district in the county.
She has authored early literacy curriculum and served on numerous state education committees building early learning standards and guiding state adoption processes.
Yount holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Central Michigan University and a master’s degree from Wayne State University.
For more information about Waynesburg’s Education Department, visit waynesburg.edu/education.
Founded in 1849 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Waynesburg University is located on a traditional campus in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, with three additional sites located in the Pittsburgh region. The University is one of only 21 Bonner Scholar schools in the country, offering local, regional and international opportunities to touch the lives of others through service.
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Ashley Wise, Director of University Relations
724-852-7675 or awise@waynesburg.edu
