Hillsborough Early Learning Network Innovation Programs
The UF Lastinger Center for Learning's Hillsborough Early Learning Network (HELN) is investing in its programs more than ever with the introduction of its latest initiative: Innovation Programs. An Innovation Program is an early learning program within the HELN...
Free Florida Reading Program Expands Eligibility to VPK Students Just in Time for Back-to-School Season
The New Worlds Reading Initiative will continue to support Florida families and children by delivering free books and reading resources directly to VPK-5th grade students this school year! Parents and guardians can apply for their child to participate in New Worlds...
Florida invests in education with the UF Lastinger Center
On June 15, the Florida Governor signed the state’s $116.5 billion budget, including some big investments in education. Among these are renewed commitments from the legislature to fund the Lastinger Center for Learning’s initiatives that serve educators, students, and...
Celebrating a new foundation for coaching in Marion County
Thirteen new graduates of the UF Lastinger Center for Learning’s K-12 Instructional Coaching Certification program were honored at a coaching showcase in Marion County, FL, on May 17, 2023.Graduates shared testimonies and answered questions about their experience with...
Improving national literacy won’t take a village; it will take an entire ecosystem
The bookworm is on the verge of becoming an endangered species in America. More than 60% of students in our nation's K-12 schools can’t proficiently read at their grade levels, and pandemic-related remote learning and a teacher shortage in the past few years have...
Addressing Florida’s critical shortage area with Math Matrix
One in every 17 math courses in Florida is taught by an educator who entered the profession from a non-traditional route¹. The UF Lastinger Center for Learning’s Math Matrix is providing online, on-demand, discipline-specific mathematics professional development to...
Hillsborough Early Learning Network Convenes Spanish Community of Practice
For the first time in four years, the Hillsborough Early Learning Network (HELN) hosted an in-person community of practice (CoP) session on March 4 with an attendance of 41 teachers and both English and Spanish sessions offered.Participants and leaders recognized the...
Free Florida Reading Program Partners with Local Fifth Grader and Inspiring Professionals to Boost State Literacy Rates
The New Worlds Reading Initiative is encouraging families to embrace the power of reading this National Reading Month and beyond—and more than 500,000 FL K-5 students are eligible to receive free books!Parents and guardians can apply for their child to participate in...
Lastinger Center Director, Phil Poekert, Named 2023 Pahara Fellow
UF Lastinger Center for Learning Director Phil Poekert and 23 other exceptional leaders in education from across the nation have been named members of the 2023 cohort of the highly selective Pahara Fellowship.Dr. Poekert and the 2023 Pahara Fellows represent urban and...
‘The Cookie’: a recipe for effective collaboration through communities of practice
Lastinger Center Senior Manager of Leadership and Early Learning Partnerships Raquel Diaz, Ed.D, Director Phil Poekert, Ph.D., and collaborator Pedro R. Bermudez share a research-based framework for communities of practice (CoP) that consists of four key elements:...
2023-24 Impact Highlights
Read the 2023-24 Annual Impact Highlights to learn more about the Center’s recent efforts to advance the quality of education in early learning, literacy, mathematics and data science.