Valerie directs Carlow University’s International Dyslexia Association accredited Reading Specialist program. She holds a Master of Education degree in Reading with Disabilities from Wilmington University. Her role at Carlow prepares professional reading educators to become competent practitioners and agents for equitable literacy: ensuring every learner achieves full literacy through systematic and explicit teaching of reading, writing and spelling.
Additionally, Valerie is a National LETRS Professional Learning Facilitator for Lexia Learning. Valerie trains thousands of teachers each year across the United States in translating the body of research known as the Science of Reading. She is a strong advocate for teachers having access and knowledge to implement evidence-based curricula and assessments, and she provides ongoing support for schools in using these tools in the classroom.
Interests: Dyslexia; The Reading Brain; Structured Literacy; Teacher Self-Efficacy in Teaching Writing
“My role at Carlow University is to prepare professional reading educators to become competent practitioners and agents for equitable literacy: ensuring every learner achieves full literacy through systematic and explicit teaching of reading, writing and spelling. The heart of Carlow’s MEd in Reading Specialist program is to develop literacy leaders who possess a deep knowledge in the cognitive science of reading and the instructional expertise necessary to employ evidence-based practices that afford all students the opportunity to learn to read and write.” — Valerie Piccini