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

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. 

Lead Literacy Tutor

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.

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.