3 Institute for Learning fellows published a new book

Three Institute for Learning (IFL) fellows in Pitt’s Learning Research and Development Center tell the story of their work collaborating with educators in a large urban district to improve literacy teaching and learning in a new book, “A Network for Instructional Improvement: How Teachers and Leaders Made it Work,” out now from Bloomsbury Publishing.

Coauthored by Sara DeMartino, Anthony Petrosky and Glenn Nolly, the book details a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded project that saw the group work with teachers and principals across 14 secondary schools to boost reading comprehension by elevating student voices and positioning them as active meaning-makers.

By the fall of 2020, just two years after the start of the project, the team saw significant gains on MAP reading comprehension and state English arts and reading assessment scores among students in classes where teachers implemented the practices on a regular basis.  In each subsequent year through 2025, that pattern continued and held up for students in grades six through nine, even when compared to like students in districts around the state.

DeMartino, an English language arts fellow, is a former high school English teacher who now works with pre-service and in-service educators at the IFL. Her work includes providing support for networks, professional learning communities, research, and curriculum development.

Petrosky directs the IFL at the Learning Research and Development Center, where he also serves as a research scientist. He is also an associate dean in Pitt’s School of Education.

Glenn Nolly, an IFL leadership fellow, has worked in public education for more than 35 years advocating for underrepresented students. Nolly is also an assistant professor of practice at the University of Texas at Austin.