Mitchell Brookins
Mitchell Brookins, M.A., has taught on the Southside of Chicago, been a district leader of RtI and literacy in Chicago Public Schools, and served as a school administrator in Chicago Public Schools and New Orleans for the past seven years. His instructional leadership as a school administrator has yielded the following results: 19-point growth in the School Performance Score, which moved ReNEW Cultural Arts Academy from a “D” to a “C” in one year, an average of 16% growth in Reading over two years at ARISE Academy, and finally, Dwight Eisenhower’s School Performance Score increased by 12 points which resulted in the school’s letter grade moving from a “D” to a “C” in one year. Mitchell has a B.A. in Elementary Education, an M.A. in Teacher Leadership, and is currently working on his dissertation to attain a Ph.D. in Educational Administration at the University of New Orleans.
Concurrent Session Description
Beyond Retelling: Unlocking Meaning of Grade-Level, Complex Texts
Mitchell Brookins
(Components of Literacy Instruction)
For over the past decade, literacy teachers have been charged with supporting students in honing their skills to navigate increasingly grade-level, complex texts. However, complex text instruction requires a shift in mindset, planning, and practice. In this session, participants will learn instructional routines related to fluency, vocabulary, syntax, and verbal reasoning that scaffold students in tackling text complexities. The aim will be to develop students’ capacity to go beyond retelling toward distilling the essential content and enduring understandings of texts.
Target Audience(s): Elementary, Middle/Jr. High
Education Track(s): New to the Science of Reading