Bill Clark is a Trainer at Keys to Literacy and adolescent literacy is a through-line in Bill’s career. With a focus on culturally relevant texts, skill-revealing assessments, and cross-content application, Bill has helped create literate environments from Mississippi to the Virgin Islands, Rhode Island, Hawaii, and New York. As a high school literacy coach, he created “The Need to Read,” a methodology for middle and high schools based on directed notes, inquiry circles, school-wide approaches to literacy in every classroom, and a continuum of literacy strategies rooted in structured literacy. Simultaneously, Bill became the Facilitator for Brown University’s Education Alliance, advancing teacher development in adolescent literacy throughout the country through in-person and online collaboration. Bill led the implementation of the Adolescent Literacy Collaboratory for Brown while achieving gains (average +20 points in reading and math) as a middle and high school teacher and principal in Providence, RI. Bill continues to pursue systemic change through school turnaround and has consulted with many schools to help them overcome the barriers to student achievement in literacy. Bill received a B.A. in English/Spanish from UT, Austin, an M.A.Ed. in C&I from the University of Mississippi, an M.Ed. in Education Leadership from Providence College, and was a fellow at the Bread Loaf School of English.
Email: bill@keystoliteracy.com