The Sound of Inclusion: Using Poetry to Teach Language Variation

Kimberly has been an educator for sixteen years and currently works in an elementary public school as an assistant principal of literacy in Washington, DC. Kimberly has an M.Ed. in Elementary Education and a Post-graduate certificate in Educational Leadership and Administration, both from The George Washington University. Kimberly is endorsed in elementary education (1-5), special education (PK-12), and educational leadership and administration (K-12). Kim’s areas of interest are in early literacy acquisition, and equity, inclusion, and diversity. Kimberly is currently enrolled as a doctoral student in Educational Leadership and Administration.

Rachel works in a public school as an elementary literacy and student support specialist. Rachel has an MAEd in Reading, Language, and Literacy and a BA in Linguistics and Elementary Education, both from the College of William & Mary. Rachel is endorsed in elementary education (PreK-6), teaching English to speakers of other languages (K-12), and as a reading specialist (K-12). In 2017, she earned the distinction of National Board Certified Teacher in Early and Middle Childhood Literacy. Rachel was honored as the Virginia State Reading Association’s 2019 Reading Teacher of the Year. Rachel’s interest areas are the interface between literacy and linguistics, multi-tiered systems of support, and school improvement.