Sarasota Schools administrator selected for Reading Recovery board

Sarasota County Schools' Assistant Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer Laura Kingsley will soon take on an additional role. 

Kingsley was selected to be a member of the Reading Recovery Council of North America’s board of directors, where she will serve as a site coordinator representative for a three-year term.

The RRCNA is a nonprofit association of Reading Recovery professionals, advocates and partners. Reading Recovery is a short-term intervention program for low-achieving first grade students. 

“I am thrilled to join the Board of Directors for the Reading Recovery Council of North America,” Kingsley said in a release. “The RRCNA’s mission aligns beautifully with the heart of our district’s purpose as well as the hearts of many community supporters." 

Membership in the RRCNA, which provides a variety of programs and services, is open to anyone interested in Reading Recovery and early literacy.  

With the help of community partners such as the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Keith and Linda Monda, the Sarasota school district was able to adopt Reading Recovery.

All Sarasota elementary schools have at least one Reading Recovery teacher who spent a year participating in six graduate level courses and teaching first graders one on one. Additionally, Sarasota Schools trained eight Literacy Lesson Reading Recovery teachers who work with students in the Exceptional Student Education program and English as a Second Language program. 

"Sarasota County Schools is committed to dedicating time and resources toward meeting the literacy needs of our children, as well as building capacity in our educators to cultivate these crucial skills," Kingsley said. "I look forward to engaging with national experts who share our passion for reaching every child, every day.”