Day 1 - August 18 and Day 2 - August 19, 2025 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Check-in/Coffee & Pastries 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Morning Session Block 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Lunch Break (Lunch Provided) 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Afternoon Session Block Morning Session Block (9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) Course 0104 - Reach Them to Teach Them Course 01 01 - Learning to Read/Reading to Learn Afternoon Session Block (1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Course 0103 - Evaluating Books Course 0102 - Understand Youth Resistance Course schedule assignments for both Day 1 and Day 2 will be provided when you check-in on August 18, 2025.

General topics include: An introduction to NdCAD’s culture-centered, research-based literacy model that has proven to increase reading outcomes and learning motivation among African/African American students Evaluating culturally-responsive children’s books and learning materials that help build cultural identity and intrinsic learning motivation Building strong literacy and cultural foundations in homes while deepening parent and community engagement Understanding and working with reluctant or resistant learners

Course No. 0101 – 3 In-Service Hours/CEUs LEARNING TO READ AND READING TO LEARN: INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES FOR MAKING MEANING Presenter: Kimberlee White, M.A., NdCAD Reading Tutor/Lead Instructor The journey of literacy skill development begins with teaching “The Big 5” (phonemic awareness, phonics/decoding, fluency, comprehension and vocabulary), all of which are foundational to current discourse around the science of reading and Minnesota’s new READ Act. Participants will have hands on experiences with NdCAD instructional strategies that have been proven to engage children in learning to read and reading to learn. This is important for parents, teachers, academic tutors and community educators, who want to provide relevant and meaningful reading instruction. This session will examine culture as a resource for inspiring reading achievement and intrinsic learning motivation. It is essential that children can make meaning from what they read. Thus, we will explore critical literacy as a means for not only teaching reading skills but applying these skills to form healthy identity. Course No. 0102 – 3 In-Service Hours/CEUs UNDERSTANDING YOUTH RELUCTANCE AND RESISTANCE TO LEARNING Presenter: Brian Lozenski, Ph.D. This session will focus on making sense of youth who are reluctant learners. Often young people who resist educational activities are pointing out opportunities for educational improvements. We will analyze what resistance looks like and how to develop pedagogical responses, helping students see themselves as active participants in their own education. This session will incorporate a constructivist lens towards creating alternative learning environments that are nurturing and expansive. Participants will discuss the importance of cultural relevance and relationship to teacher and student/learner identities. The ways in which classroom and school structures affect student resistance will also be discussed. Finally, we will generate possibilities for education that position youth as leaders in creating a more inclusive system of education. Course No. 0103 – 3 In-Service Hours/CEUs EVALUATING CULTURALLY AFFIRMING BOOKS AND LEARNING MATERIALS TO PROMOTE COOPERATIVE LEARNING & IDENTITY FORMATION Presenter: Anura Si-Asar, M.Ed. Helping students make critical connections between reading and identity formation is essential. Students must be supported in discovering their own “why” and purpose for learning to read. Representation matters as does the images and content of the books and learning materials to which they are exposed. This course provides an exciting hands-on opportunity to critique and evaluate culturally specific books and learning materials connected to key themes that build cultural identity, ignites reading engagement and increases learning confidence. We will explore how these materials can be incorporated into your work to support academic success. The session will contrast traditional approaches to teaching and learning with an engagement approach. Course participants will also be introduced to an innovative community and parent-led project that supports children and adults learning together, while building and applying reading and literacy skills to everyday life. Course No. 0104 – 3 In-Service Hours/CEUs REACH THEM TO TEACH THEM! Examining NdCAD’s Literacy & Education Model Presenter: Gevonee Ford, Founder & Executive Director, NdCAD Join us for a unique introduction to NdCAD’s principle-driven literacy model for improved reading achievement, parent engagement and family stabilization. Independent studies of the organization’s Sankofa Reading Program found the program to increase reading skills and levels as well as school attendance, among K-3rd grade African American students. Furthermore, Ramsey County Research and Evaluation found NdCAD’s complimentary parent engagement program increased economic and family stabilization measures among African American parents who participate in government MFIP or welfare to work programs. Our culturally-rooted, family literacy model, entitled Think Different – Do Different, is based on 7 key operating principles. These principles are at the heart of the organization’s programs. In this course, we will examine real-life examples of the principles in action and their self-determinizing impacts. Through hands-on experiences, course participants will explore how the principles can be operationalized in their own work. Together, we will broaden our thinking and build capacity to provide culturally responsive, principle-driven literacy instruction and family supports to reach and teach.