Grant Supports Teacher’s Passion for Reading Instruction

Roosevelt School Special Education Teacher Janelle DeMerchant is passionate about reading instruction. “Reading is the key for students to be successful across the curriculum and I truly believe all students can read if given the proper supports. As a special education teacher, I want to always be learning and adding to my toolbox to make sure I can deliver these supports to students effectively.” With this in mind, Ms. DeMerchant applied for and was awarded a Professional Development Grant from the Melrose Ed Foundation. The grant funded a 2-day training providing Janelle with explicit strategies to help students develop phonological awareness, orthographic mapping, and phonemic awareness.

Asked about the impact of her grant, Ms. DeMerchant shared this: “The training was amazing. I learned so much about phonological awareness and it's impact on learning to read. The knowledge I gained is being put to good use this year. One of the books we referenced a lot in the training is Equipped for Reading Success by David Kilpatrick. I have incorporated his minute drills into all of my reading sessions this year and have seen lots of progress with students’ phonological awareness skills. I have also been able to share some of the strategies I learned over the summer with other colleagues through the district’s dyslexia training.’

The Melrose Education Foundation provides professional development grants to educators to deepen knowledge in their field, develop new skills, or explore opportunities that will enhance teaching and learning in the classroom. Grant recipients also have a commitment to share professional learning with other educators in their building or practice/content area across the district. The Foundation is proud to support the continuous learning and professional development of Ms. DeMerchant and other teachers like her.