About Us

Laura has taught in DC schools since 2004, most recently as the reading interventionist at Garrison Elementary School. She earned masters’ degrees from Bank Street College of Education and, most recently, from George Mason University in Literacy Leadership. Laura has also been lucky to serve as a mentor teacher at the DC Reading Clinic for the last several semesters, where she gets to work with teachers and students from around DCPS. In her free time, Laura loves reading (historical fiction, mysteries…really anything!), baking, coaching her kids’ sports teams, and traveling.

Dori is passionate about improving literacy outcomes for students and supporting teachers in their work. She supported teachers and leaders in DCPS with literacy assessment and data analysis for 7 years as an embedded literacy coach through Amplify Education, and supported the DC Reading Clinic in its inaugural semester. She currently coaches tutors leading Intervention groups through Amplify Tutoring and manages several partnerships with Tutoring programs around the country. She began her career as a classroom teacher in the upper elementary grades, and earned an M.Ed. in School Leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education. She loves to quilt, bike, read, and travel.

Dr. Claire Gunner is passionate about promoting equity in education through quality, research-based literacy instruction for all students. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia, a master’s in education from the University of Maryland College Park, and recently completed her Ed.D. in Education Policy and Leadership at American University as part of the early literacy intervention leaders cohort. Her research focus is the intersection between student-driven, culturally responsive instruction and structured literacy needs-based small groups.
Dr. Gunner has over a decade of experience teaching early literacy as an interventionist and classroom teacher in Washington, D.C. and abroad. She is a former Goyen Literacy Fellow, DC Reading Clinic mentor teacher, and author of decodable texts for DC Public Schools through the DCPS Readers Next Door Project. Currently, she is managing director of a private structured literacy tutoring practice she co-founded in Washington D.C., Reading Ready DMV. She also serves as a University Coach at American University, supporting teachers in the MAT program through their student teaching experiences.

Megan Tribble is an Atlanta native who originally left the south to earn her Master’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Pennsylvania. As a primary grade teacher, she developed a passion for literacy and earned a both an M.S.Ed. in Reading Curriculum & Instruction and an English Learner certificate from UVA. She is currently an English Acquisition teacher In DCPS and previously taught in NYC and Fairfax County. Megan enjoys hiking, yoga, and reading. She is looking forward to the community of The Reading League!

Miah Daughtery, Ed.D, is the Vice President of Academic Advocacy, Literacy for HMH/NWEA. A career educator, Miah was a middle and high school reading and ELA teacher, a district literacy specialist, the state coordinator of literacy for TN, the director of literacy for Achieve and the ED of professional learning for Odell Education. She is currently on the Board of 826National, a nonprofit dedicated to writing and K-12 student publishing. Born and raised in Detroit, she has called D.C. home since 2016, loves MahoganyBooks, Politics and Prose and ambling around Rock Creek Park.

Francesca Smith is an instructional coach and early literacy consultant based in Washington, D.C. Through nearly a decade of experience as a D.C. charter and public school teacher, she has developed expertise in foundational literacy, early childhood (PK-3), and multilingual learner instruction. As a daughter of Mexican immigrants who grew up in a Spanish-speaking household in Texas, she is also passionate about dual language education and working towards equitable access to the gift of bilingual learning. Francesca recently earned her Ed.D. with a special focus in early literacy at American University.

Emily has over a decade of teaching experience in DCPS and is currently serving as the reading intervention teacher at Whittier ES. She has a BA in Political Science and Spanish from St. Michael’s College, a Master’s Degree in Education from American University and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Emily is trained in Orton-Gillingham through IMSE and loves to find meaningful and engaging ways to put structured literacy research into practice with students. When she’s not teaching her students, she is probably reading with her own young kids, working on a craft project or enjoying the outdoors with family.

Laura is a passionate teacher, leader, trainer and advocate for research supported literacy instruction and currently serves as a district Literacy Specialist in Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland. She has a passion for reading research and developing and delivering professional development for educators through graduate courses at local universities, continuing education courses, and professional development sessions for district leaders, school leaders, and school teams. She has a Masters degree in the teaching of reading from JHU, has a graduate certificate in Dyslexia and is a district-certified LETRS trainer. Laura advocates and educates for early literacy instruction that reflects the SOR research and that is also sensitive and responsive to diverse populations, as a means toward a more equitable society.

Lizzie Levy is a dedicated learning specialist with a passion for empowering children who learn differently. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Middle Special Education from the University of Maryland and her Master’s in Reading and Dyslexia Education as a Fien Fellow at the University of Florida. Now in her fifth year as a Learning Disabilities Teacher for Fairfax County Public Schools and serving as Social Media Manager for Amore Learning, Lizzie blends creativity and evidence-based practice to support literacy success. Known for cultivating “all the good vibes” in and out of the classroom, she shares her teaching journey on Instagram @the.good.vibes.teacher.

Deena is a former ML teacher and Director of Multilingual Learning at E.L. Haynes Public Charter School. She is proud to have served multilingual students and families for 17 years in Washington D.C. She currently works at an ML Coach with SupportEd, and she also delivers professional learning sessions for SchoolKit, Amplify, and The Center for Applied Linguistics. Deena is very passionate about teaching students to read and write, especially those with diverse learning needs. In her downtime, she loves spending time with her family, traveling, and you can always catch her singing and dancing to music!

Susanne has spent her career working to empower educators and students with research, structures, and tools for meaningful and effective learning. After a 20+-year career as a middle and high school English teacher and administrator, she now leads all things pedagogical and teacher-focused at the nonprofit ReadWorks, bringing research-backed free ELA resources to hundreds of thousands of educators every year. Susanne is also an instructional coach for career-changers and has been an adjunct instructor with Relay Graduate School of Education. Her Ph.D. research focused on creating effective digital communities of practice.