Meet Jenelle Bryant, M.Ed.
Meet Jenelle Bryant, M.Ed.
Meet Jenelle Bryant, M.Ed.
Co-founder & Managing Director
Jenelle is an exemplary educator who has worked in the nation's capital. Originally from the suburbs of Philadelphia, she holds a Bachelor's of Science in Human Development and a Master's of Teaching in Early Childhood Education from Howard University.
Jenelle has spent her career as a literacy coach, a reading interventionist, a mentor teacher for current, new, and aspiring educators, and a family engagement teacher-trainer.
With over a decade of experience, Jenelle has held several leadership and advisory roles within many organizations such as the Flamboyan Foundation, DCPS Family Engagement Collaborative, Moreland University, and the DC Reading Clinic. She specializes in one-on-one and small group phonics instruction.
Rated as a highly effective teacher, Jenelle uses her creative talents to educate the city's youth while helping fellow teachers craft their pedagogy in literacy, simultaneously infusing equity & family engagement. Viewed as a literacy expert, Jenelle has spoken at various conferences, events, and universities about the Science of Reading and evidence-aligned methods of reading instruction for teachers and leaders across the district.
More recently, Jenelle volunteers as an Educational Surrogate Parent with OSSE (the Office of the State Superintendent of Education) and as a Volunteer Lead with Heart of America to serve marginalized students and communities. As an educational consultant, Jenelle works at CORE Learning as a Language and Literacy Facilitator to support asynchronous online courses specifically tailored for educators in language-diverse classrooms. She is completing her LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) for Administrators training to help educators sustain high-quality literacy instruction.
In 2021, Jenelle was recognized as the DC Milken Educator, dubbed the “Oscars of Teaching.” The award honored her continuous positive impact on the lives of students and her commitment to seek opportunities for parents and educators.
You can read more about her experiences in education here:
https://www.milkeneducatorawards.org/educators/view/jenelle-bryant
Favorite quote: "The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea spark another." -Marva Collins
Hobbies: Aerial yoga, spending time with family and my puppy, traveling
Meet Claire Gunner, Ed.D.
Meet Jenelle Bryant, M.Ed.
Meet Jenelle Bryant, M.Ed.
Co-founder & Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Claire has over a decade of experience as an early literacy educator. She holds a doctorate in Education Policy and Leadership with a focus in early literacy interventions from American University. Her research focus is in culturally responsive, student-centered literacy interventions aligned to the science of reading.
Originally from Southwest Virginia, Claire has lived and worked both in Washington, D.C. and abroad in South Korea as an English-Language Arts teacher. She has a Bachelor's of Arts in History from the University of Virginia and a Master's of Education in Human Development from the University of Maryland where she wrote her thesis on the role of self-efficacy beliefs in early literacy interventions.
Claire currently works as an early literacy coach and as an instructional designer for professional development around the science of reading.
Claire is certified in Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS), which is endorsed by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA). She holds a certification in the Knowledge and Practice Examination for Effective Reading Instruction (KPEERI) as a structured literacy instructor.
Claire is an adjunct faculty member at American University's School of Education and serves as a founding member on the board of The Reading League of Washington, DC.
Rated as a highly effective teacher, Claire lives to see her students light up with confidence when they finally get the literacy instruction that meets their individual needs.
Favorite quote: “The teacher is of course an artist, but being an artist does not mean that she can shape the students. What the educator does in teaching is to make it possible for the students to become themselves.” -Paolo Friere
Hobbies: Learning new languages, reading, growing a garden!
Meet Lynne Miller, M.Ed.
Meet Jenelle Bryant, M.Ed.
Meet Rashaa Langston, M.Ed.
Lead Literacy Tutor & Brand Ambassador
Lynne is a compassionate, dedicated educator who is eager to share her 20+ years in the field with students. Holding a bachelor’s degree in elementary and early childhood education from Millersville University, a master’s degree in reading from McDaniel College, and a K-12 administration certificate from Shippensburg University, she has focused her most recent professional learning on the science of reading. She will bring hands-on knowledge from her current role as reading specialist for K-3 students to her work with learners.
During her educational career, Lynne has worked as a 1st and 5th grade classroom teacher, a reading specialist, an assistant principal and a director of federal programming. She also spent time as an educational leader at an educational technology company that focused on utilizing assessment data to improve student outcomes. Lynne loves using these experiences, along with current studies in structured literacy, to help her students gain confidence in reading and writing.
Favorite quote: “One book, one pen, one child and one teacher can change the world.” - Malala Yousafzai
Hobbies: Learning to crochet, camping, hiking, spending time with my family
Meet Rashaa Langston, M.Ed.
Meet Rashaa Langston, M.Ed.
Meet Rashaa Langston, M.Ed.
Literacy Tutor & Brand Ambassador
Rashaa is a passionate and highly effective educator currently working as a 2nd grade teacher in DCPS. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Masters of Science in
Education from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to becoming an educator, Rashaa worked with K-12 students in Richmond Public Schools to build behavioral goals for their success in an academic setting.
Rashaa is certified in Person-Centered Planning through the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and Partnership for People with Disabilities. She has been working diligently with K-2 students in DC Public and Charter Schools since 2020. Rashaa has received training in the Science of Reading for Emergent Readers through Really Great Readers. She ensures that her lessons include a heavy emphasis of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency,
vocabulary, and comprehension to ensure learners are reading successfully. In addition, Rashaa was awarded the opportunity to facilitate a forthcoming DCPS program by SERP, to lead students to early literacy success and maximize students’ learning through research-based practices.
Meet Raquel Carson, MAT
Meet Rashaa Langston, M.Ed.
Meet Raquel Carson, MAT
Multilingual Learning Consultant
Raquel is a dedicated instructional leader in the DC area with a focus on bilingual education. She brings over 15 years of experience in both local and national education, including elementary dual language classroom teacher, school and central office administrator, and communications.
Raquel has led professional learning for DC-area educators on language acquisition, oracy in support of writing, and best practices in planning for and developing biliteracy.
She holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Sociology with a Minor in Journalism from The George Washington University and a Master’s of Arts in Teaching from The Johns Hopkins University. She holds active licenses in Elementary Education and Administration & Supervision in DC and Maryland.
Raquel proudly serves on the Board of Directors for DC Bilingual Public Charter School, where she sits on the Education Excellence Committee. Raquel is honored to also currently be the president-elect for Imagination Stage DC”s Board of Trustees. Raquel can be found enjoying DC-area theater and arts programming with her family or in the stands cheering on the Washington Spirit.
Meet Helene Terry
Meet Rashaa Langston, M.Ed.
Meet Raquel Carson, MAT
Math Learning Coordinator
Helene is a passionate and dedicated educator who firmly believes that everyone can be a "math person." She strives to foster a love for math and problem-solving in all of her students, cultivating both joy and creativity along the way. With a talent for connecting research to instructional practices, Helene focuses on enhancing students' number sense, problem-solving abilities, and fluency with math facts and procedures. Above all, she is committed to helping students build their math skills and confidence while making learning fun!
Helene earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Pennsylvania State University and began her career teaching 2nd and 3rd grade in Northern Virginia. Over the past decade, she has worked as an instructional coach specializing in math teaching and learning in both DC and Northern Virginia. During this time, Helene has had the privilege of working with students and teachers from Kindergarten through 7th grade. Her experiences developing curriculum, teaching lessons, analyzing student work, and providing targeted support for skill development have given Helene a deep understanding of how math skills develop from Kindergarten through Algebra. She is eager to share this expertise with her students!
Favorite quote: "Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world"- Desmond Tutu
Hobbies: Crocheting, baking, gardening, reading, journaling, playing with my children, watching them play sports, scrapbooking
Meet Tatyana Biggham
Meet Tatyana Biggham
Meet Tatyana Biggham
Spring Intern
Tatyana Biggham, born in New Jersey, comes from a large family. She enjoys spending time with them, especially during the holidays. One of Tatyana's favorite things to do is listen to music. She hopes to one day be able to teach herself how to play piano!
Constantly being surrounded by so much love has played a direct role in her strong passion for children and youth intervention programs. She has a big heart for children who may need an extra push to get them to where they need to be. One quote that motivates Tatyana is “You must be the change you wish to see in the world” - Mahatma Gandhi.
Tatyana has spent her time working with youth during the summer and advocating for them in necessary ways. A lot of this work was centered around children as young as 3 years old. This experience helped her realize that she wants to make Social Work a career. Tatyana is currently a Senior Human Development major at Howard University and she plans to pursue a Master's Degree in Social Work after graduation