The Reading League
Sharing Knowledge, Inspiring Change
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Educator Professional Development
Provide educators access to professional development based on evidence aligned practices for reading instruction.
The Reading League has ongoing professional development through school-based partnerships with over sixty school districts. We work with schools to design learning plans that suit their needs, calendars, and budgets. Formats may include face-to-face and virtual professional development sessions, book club facilitation, virtual coaching, and regular strategic meetings with instructional leaders.
The Reading League also offers Online Academy. which provides online classes, called Knowledge Blocks, allow educators to select their own learning paths about evidence-aligned literacy instruction. Knowledge Blocks are 2.5-hour interactive learning sessions in an intimate virtual setting, each with a maximum of 25 participants. These classes provide a unique opportunity to interact with our expert instructors and network with other participants.
The Reading League's Reading Buddies TM
The Reading League’s Reading Buddies is an engaging foundational television series, based on the science of reading, that cleverly teaches underlying components of skillful word reading such as phonological awareness, letter names, letter sounds, and blending sounds to decode words.
The show features a hilarious talking dog named Dusty who, with the help of his best human friend Dott, is learning a new trick – how to read! They are joined by a kazoo-talking, robot assistant named Alphabott, and an adorable cast of human Alphabotteers. Together, they form an after-school reading club where Dusty explores letters and their sounds, social-emotional learning, and whatever else sparks his curiosity or desire for snacks! Each episode features a new “Alphabadge” for Dusty to earn, marking the progress of his reading journey. Together, along with the viewers, they are the “Reading Buddies!”
The Reading League's Events
The Reading League's Annual Conference is the largest event. Our multi-day conference aims to provide educators, researchers, and other stakeholders with a deeper understanding of the science of reading and its implications for teaching and learning. The 2023 conference features over 40 breakout sessions, two keynote speakers, Emily Hanford and Kareem Weaver, and more than 30 vendors. The 2021 and 2020 conferences are available virtually
The Reading League hosted its first-ever Summit in March 2023. Summits bring together specialists, researchers, practitioners, and neuroscientists for audiences to hear panel discussions on concentrated concepts like English Learners/Emergent Bilinguals.
Where we work
External reviews

Videos
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, It is hard to come up with good questions to ask people
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
The Reading League
Board of directorsas of 08/22/2023
Ms. Joreen Finn
West Genesee School District
Christine Castiglia
Consultant
Jill Ryan
Ryan & Ryan, CPAs
Eiman Abdulrahman
Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Children's National Health System
Mitchell Brookins
Leading Educators
Antonio Fierro
95 Percent Group
Maria Mastriano
Pillinger, Miller, Tarallo, LLP
Linda Milosky
Syracuse University
Justin Morcelle
The Adcom Group
Patrick Radel
Getnick, Livingston, Atkinson & Priore, LLP
Larry Salamino
Dental Arts Group
Amy Siracusano
National Literacy Consultant
Michelle Storie
SUNY Oswego
Deborah Stuck
Westfall Associates
Desmond Williams
Nylinka School Solutions
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 08/22/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.