This October, eleven teachers, administrators, and professors from St. Adalbert, Holy Cross Grade School, St. Joseph Grade School, and Holy Cross College traveled to Chicago for the 9th Annual Reading League Conference earlier this month, marking another milestone in a transformative literacy initiative that has been reshaping reading instruction in local schools since 2023.
The professional development opportunity was made possible through the Holy Cross Elementary Education Program’s half-million-dollar Lilly Endowment grant, which supports the implementation of the science of reading across partner schools in the region.
Exploring Best Practices in Literacy
Over three days, the team attended sessions led by nationally recognized experts in reading — including Jan Hasbrouck, Anita Archer, Matt Burns, and Manju Joshi — covering the full spectrum of literacy development from foundational phonics to advanced comprehension.
Participants returned with evidence-based tools to use in their classrooms, including structured literacy routines, intervention strategies, and methods for engaging families in literacy development. The conference emphasized explicit, systematic instruction grounded in cognitive science and student success.
“Teachers in the grant have already taken what they have learned at the Reading League, shared it with their colleagues, and considered next steps toward implementation,” said Dr. Ann Bingham, assistant professor and academic director of the Elementary Education Program at Holy Cross College. “An opportunity such as this would typically be out of reach for local teachers, due to cost. However, because of Lilly’s generosity we are able to connect our educators with world-class literacy experts and empower them to inspire readers and writers in the classroom.”
Strengthening Literacy Through Collaboration
Conference attendance represents one part of a comprehensive literacy initiative supported by the Lilly grant. The program provides participating schools with individualized literacy coaching from Holy Cross and Notre Dame professors, new classroom library resources, and additional professional development opportunities throughout the year.
The grant also funds free summer workshops open to all educators in the South Bend community, extending the impact of the science of reading beyond partner schools.
Living the Holy Cross Mission
This initiative exemplifies the College’s mission to form educators with “the competence to see and the courage to act.” By equipping local teachers with research-based literacy practices, Holy Cross College continues to strengthen education across the region — and empower the next generation of readers to thrive.