Division of Early Literacy Spotlight: Alison Gregory
Alison Gregory is excited to take on a new role in the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Division of Early Literacy as a state regional literacy director.
In her new role, Gregory will be leading the work of the state literacy coaching specialists (SLCS) in the western region of the state. SLCS will be implementing a statewide literacy coaching model designed to provide targeted support to both administrators and teachers across the state.
 Gregory most recently served as a leadership development specialist at KDE with the Principal Partnership Project (P3) team located in the Office of Educator Licensure and Effectiveness. In this role, she and her team designed learning opportunities for school leaders statewide and provided support needed to design, implement and facilitate adaptive changes in their schools.
This past year, she participated in the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) Training for administrators. Having served as a building level leader for more than 13 years, Gregory understood the opportunity LETRS training would have on teachers and administrators across the state. Yet, as she participated in the first full day of training, she quickly realized the immense pressure that would come with the realization many leaders, like herself, would have as they learned a more structured approach to literacy. Gregory believed that leaders across the state could benefit from a safe space to meet with other administrators to discuss the shifts in mindsets, changes in practices and structures necessary to implement a more structured approach to literacy.
“I always told my teachers that when we know better, we do better,” said Gregory, “and I think that is how many principals, including myself, felt sitting through the first day of LETRS training for administrators. We realized we could do better.”
She knew that systemwide changes would need to occur and that they would not be easy. So the P3 Cohort for Administrators participating in the LETRS training was created.
“It was through my work with this cohort that I realized I could make a difference with leaders and utilize my love of curriculum and instruction as we tackled the startling reality that less than half of the 3rd-grade students in Kentucky are reading at proficient levels,” Gregory said.
Gregory believes it will take all Kentuckians working together to improve literacy outcomes for our students. She understands literacy is the gateway to success and has seen firsthand its importance at all grade levels. She is excited to work with leaders and teachers as they take on this revolutionary work.
Gregory has a bachelor’s degree in family consumer science education, a master’s in school counseling, and a Rank I in educational leadership from Western Kentucky University. She also has an endorsement for gifted and talented education and a superintendent certificate. She has served as a high school teacher; curriculum, instruction, and assessment specialist; assistant principal and principal at the elementary and high school levels.
Gregory is married to Lance Gregory, administrator and coach at Graves County High School, and together they have two children.
 Kentucky Reads to Succeed Summer Conference Date Announced
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) Division of Early Literacy invites you to the first annual Kentucky Reads to Succeed Summer Conference on June 20 at the Central Bank Center, formerly the Lexington Convention Center.
Keynote speaker and educational journalist Emily Hanford, host of the Sold a Story podcast – the second-most-shared show on Apple Podcasts in 2023 and one of Time magazine’s top three podcasts of the year – has been covering education for American Public Media since 2008. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the EWA Public Service Award in 2019 for Hard Words and the 2017 Excellence in Media Reporting on Education Research Award from the American Educational Research Association.
The conference will require registration, but is free to Kentucky K-12 public educators. It will offer focused learning paths to meet the needs of teachers and administrators. Attendees will learn from KDE OTL consultants and partners about:
- Evidence-based instructional shifts for literacy;
- The benefits of structured literacy;
- Why high-quality instructional resources matter; and
- Available resources for implementing the Read to Succeed Act.
Mark your calendar for this June 20 event. Registration information will be coming soon.
 ICYMI: HQIR Adoption Support Webinar Recording and PowerPoint Available
Per amendments to KRS 158.305 as part of Senate Bill 156 (2023), by July 1, 2024, “each superintendent … shall adopt a common comprehensive reading program that is determined by the department to be reliable, valid and aligned to reading and writing standards … for kindergarten through grade three (3) for all schools or a subset of schools, with consultation of all affected elementary school councils.”
To assist districts in effectively selecting an approved Tier 1 comprehensive reading program so that the resource adopted ultimately leads to high-quality instruction and improved student outcomes, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) offered a one-hour High-Quality Adoption Support webinar on Nov. 20, 2023, a recording of which is available, along with the accompanying PowerPoint.
The webinar highlighted key tools to support local adoption of a high-quality instructional resource (HQIR), including:
- Developing an instructional vision to help drive the selection process;
- Utilizing a four-step process to support identifying, evaluating and selecting an HQIR;
- Providing an overview of how to navigate EdReports; and
- Intentionally engaging stakeholders throughout the process.
 HQIR Pilot Story: Barbourville Independent School District Shares Experience Adopting High-Quality Instructional Resources
Josh DeBorde, chief academic officer at Barbourville Independent School District, recently shared the district’s work as part of the Kentucky Department of Education-sponsored Reading and Writing High-Quality Instructional Resources (HQIR) Pilot during a Rivet Education webinar focused on implementing HQIRs.
After experiencing a turnover in leadership, the district took the opportunity to focus on improving English language arts instruction. The first step was selecting a new HQIR.
“We needed something that would allow every single student in our district, especially coming off the COVID years, to succeed at a high level,” DeBorde said.
Once the district had chosen which HQIR to purchase, their attention turned to how to successfully implement it. Check out the webinar to learn more about how Barbourville Independent leveraged existing structures – like professional learning communities – and new practices – like vertical alignment – to help their teachers feel like they could help every student succeed at a high level using their new HQIR.
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