Washington, DC – November 16, 2022 - Learning Without Tears, a leading early childhood education company, is showcasing its successful literacy solution at the National Association for the Education of Young Children – NAEYC – Annual Conference. Taking place November 16-19 at the Washington, DC Walter E. Washington Convention Center, the conference comes as educators across the country are focused on turning around declining student reading scores, first reported by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, due to pandemic school closures.
“Alarm bells are ringing in school systems across the country and around the world,” said Learning Without Tears CEO Terry Nealon. “Students across all demographics and geographies lost vital literacy skills during the pandemic. The decline in reading performance has the potential to derail a lifetime of successful learning, leaving millions of kids behind. It is crucial that schools and families invest in reversing this learning loss.”
CEO Nealon continued, “Learning Without Tears has been at the forefront of early childhood literacy for more than 40 years, and we bring that experience to bear with easy to adopt and deploy effective learning solutions and professional development that are research-based, outcomes-driven, and use all formats, technology, print, manipulatives and services to ensure teachers are best equipped to meet the needs of their students.”
Breakthrough Integration of Speech Technology and Literacy Instruction
Educators at NAEYC will see Learning Without Tears’ instructional continuum, which includes kindergarten-readiness, foundational reading instruction with a focus on phonics, and handwriting development.
The company will be showcasing Phonics, Reading, and Me™—a new, K-3 supplemental phonics program designed to help children learn the skills they need to become proficient readers. This breakthrough literacy program provides an integrated print and digital instruction model, combining technology, assessment, and embedded professional learning for teachers.
Through a partnership with Dublin-based SoapBox Labs, Phonics, Reading, and Me will leverage speech-recognition technology to provide first-of-its-kind digital assessments, making it easier for teachers to identify gaps in reading proficiency and provide personalized learning paths for each student. The conference will also be an introduction for many educators to the new A–Z for Mat Man® and Me early reading program, a new assessment platform for Pre-K in Get Set for School®, and new digital testing modules for Keyboarding Without Tears®. Each of these programs is supported by best-in-class Professional Learning and Development.
Educators at Jasper City Schools in Alabama used Phonics, Reading, and Me over the summer to strengthen foundational reading skills for a select group of at-risk readers. Students built their reading confidence and comprehension through engaging texts that expanded their phonemic awareness and decoding skills.
"Teachers are always grappling with how much time they have. But Phonics, Reading, and Me put everything our teachers needed right there. It included helpful tools that teachers need," said Angela Harbin, a reading specialist at Jasper City Schools.
Learning Without Tears will be exhibiting in booth #2229 in the Washington, DC Convention Center. In addition to product demonstrations, company and industry education experts will discuss important aspects of reading instruction and ways that technology allows teachers to personalize instruction for more students than ever before.
The NAEYC Annual Conference runs November 16–19, 2022.
About Learning Without Tears
Learning Without Tears is a leading early education company offering a proven and unique approach to teaching and learning, from crucial readiness skills in Pre-K to foundational writing and typing skills, including handwriting, keyboarding and cursive. The elementary school-level programs benefit all learners with multisensory, developmentally appropriate, proven practices, and are used by millions of students around the world. Learning Without Tears professional development programs deliver early education expertise to thousands of teachers, tutors, and occupational therapists in the US and across the globe. For more information, please see www.lwtears.com.