Who We Are
The Literacy Coalition is a coalition of parents and experience professionals who clearly understand how the inability to read can affect children academically as well socially. Children who struggle to read “feel different” from their peers at an early age. As educators, we know when children have difficulty with reading, all academic learning suffers. As parents, we know when a child struggles to read it can lead to behavior problems in later grades and in life beyond school. We believe it is important to have Educators and Parents work together so ALL children can learn to read.
Why We Do What We Do
The combination of parents and experience professionals involved with the Literacy Coalition ensures we clearly understand the inability to read and how this affects children socially as well and makes them “feel different” from their peers. When children have difficulty with reading, all academic learning suffers and may lead to behavior problems in later grades. Less than 40 percent of Pennsylvania’s public school 4th-grade students’ demonstrated proficiency on the 2015 NAEP1 assessment, and this percentage have remained unchanged since 2011. Because children entering Kindergarten start with varying skill levels, it is important to identify and provide the necessary skills in the beginning of their academic career for success. Early intervention can prevent failure later in the child’s educational career.
How We Do What We Do
Working with Schools:
Sustainability and Systematic Tools to Achieve Reading Success (SSTARS)
Helping school districts make changes in how they are teaching reading by continuing the work of the pilot program with the SSTARS program, (link to Why Reading is Important and What makes a good Reading Program)
Working with SLP’s:
Speech and Language Therapist: Understanding Their Role in Early Literacy Skills. Training Speech and Language Therapist and/or school team members the role of school speech and language therapists understand in developing early language and literacy skills of children ages 3 to 9 years old.
Working with Schools, Teachers, Administrators, Parents and Students:
Assistive Technology Development and Consulting: working with school districts to develop an Assistive Technology plan for students in middle and high school so they can “keep up” with their peers. Providing assistance for students and families to understand specific technologies can meet the needs of their child.
Lynn Dell
Lynn A. Dell has worked with children and their families in need of educational services and resources for over 38 years. With a Masters in Speech and Language Pathology and Doctorate in Lifelong Learning and Adult Education, Lynn has provided direct services to children, guided practice to educators and administrators, and consultation services for families. Lynn has also led educational programs as an administrator at the local, regional, and state level and has collaborated with other professionals providing early intervention and K-12 intervention while also working to include families in specialized projects and education programs. Her own professional development through formal and informal learning experiences has led to the development of innovative educator professional development, guided practice and support.
In administrative roles, Lynn has always looked to the research to inform staff and has provided the tools and support to use instructional methods and intervention approaches based in science. In doing so, it was possible to marry evidence-based practices with core instruction and day-to-day implementation, and to directly affect student growth across a range of student abilities and skill needs. Most recently as Assistant Director of the Bureau of Special Education at the Pennsylvania Department of Education, in addition to staff management for the monitoring of Federal special education regulations, Lynn served as point of contact for ACT 69, Pennsylvania’s Dyslexia Screening and Early Literacy Intervention Pilot. Coordination of the K-2 pilot project provided opportunities to work side-by-side with state advocates, parents, specialists, and outside evaluators to collaboratively design this important research project implemented across eight regionally based districts. With positive student findings, the Pilot (now extended) provided districts with the most current research, systematically impacted district assessments, and instructional practices, and improved student reading skills while simultaneously leaving districts for the potential of a sustainable process to ensure early reading skill development and educational success.
John Dellegrotto, Ed. D.
Has extensive experience in reading and in providing literacy support for students at all ages. His experience includes working directly with statewide initiatives in literacy, and in working directly with teachers in the classroom. He has worked with team of teachers for over 30 years in literacy, particularly those students who struggle with literacy. He was part of the team that developed, conducted, and followed-up on specific modules in the teaching of reading according to a structured literacy approach. More recently he has been part of the Pennsylvania Pilot for Dyslexia and now part of the Dyslexia Expansion in Pennsylvania. He has provided technical assistance to the statewide Dyslexia Project for the past 3 years, and is now providing technical assistance to expand the schools by staff development, classroom visitations, and data follow-up.
Additionally, he is a Speech and Language Pathologist who previously guided staff development for SLPs statewide for over 20 years.
Fran Warkomski, Ed.D.
Dr. Warkomski has over forty (40) years of experience in education at the district, regional, and state levels. Currently, she is a consultant for the PA Dyslexia Pilot while previously serving as the Program Manager.
She has been the Director, Bureau of Special Education with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Developer and Director of the PA Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN), Reading First Coordinator, and Associate Professor and Executive Director of the Scott Center for Autism Treatment.
Dr. Warkomski received the Janet L. Hoopes Award from the PA Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (PBIDA) as well as the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast Special Recognition Award for Reading.
Linda Stubits
For more than fifty years, Linda Stubits has carried the torch for developing state-of-the-art teaching methods in the literacy arena. She prides herself as being a provider of professional development, working with teachers, principals, superintendents, and policy-makers across the country and around the world.
She has been an elementary classroom teacher, instructional support teacher, technology leader, building administrator, assistant superintendent, college professor, school board president, and consultant in school districts and universities.
Currently, she is an independent education and leadership consultant collaborating with administrators, coaches, teacher leaders and state and national leaders for systemic school improvement.
She believes that teacher expertise is at the heart of student achievement and advocates wholeheartedly for teachers to be able to use professional development and leadership training for helping all readers to increase student achievement in literacy learning.
Dr. Stubits received a B. S.in Elementary Education from East Stroudsburg University. She earned an M.S. in Educational Technology and an M. Ed in Educational Leadership from Lehigh University. In addition, Widener University’s Human Service’s Department conferred to her the Ed.D. degree in Educational Leadership.
Joseph Uliana
Joseph Uliana founded J.M. Uliana & Associates in 2009 after being involved with state government for nearly 20 years. As a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, a former member of the Pennsylvania State Senate and successful lobbyist, Uliana has demonstrated the ability to use his deep knowledge of state government and public policy to help clients achieve outstanding results.
Prior to founding J.M. Uliana & Associates, Uliana worked for 9 years at the firm of Malady & Wooten.
In the Pennsylvania State Senate, Uliana served as Chairman of the Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee, Vice Chairman of the Consumer Protection Committee, Public Welfare Committee and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Uliana was elected to the Pennsylvania State House as the youngest member of that body, where he served on the House Insurance and Professional Licensure Committees.
In 2014, Governor Tom Corbett appointed Uliana to serve as a member of his Transition Team and the following year Governor Corbett appointed former Senator Uliana to be a Commissioner on the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.
Uliana has served on the Board of Directors of East Central Pennsylvania Branch of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Uliana is also former member of the Board of Directors of PennVEST, The Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, the Bethlehem Authority, Lehigh Valley ARC, the AIDS Service Center of the Lehigh Valley, Notre Dame CYO and Hanover Crossing Community Association.
A 1987 graduate of Lehigh University, Uliana presently serves on the Lehigh Football Athletic Partnership’s leadership team.
Former Senator Uliana is married to the former Daphne Ratcliffe and they live in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with their three children, Nicholas, Sam and Lauren. They are active members of Notre Dame of Bethlehem Church and were the Honorary Co-Chairs of the Parish Center Building program.
In 2015, Uliana was awarded a Mid-Atlantic Chapter Emmy for his work as a Producer on the feature, “The Bethlehem Story”.
Daphne Uliana
Inspired by the struggles with her three dyslexic children and Uliana’s 25 years of political experience, Daphne has been able to channel her passions into becoming a strong advocate for dyslexia education in Pennsylvania.
For the first 25 years of her professional career, Daphne Uliana has been a campaign aide and fundraiser to the former Speaker of the Pennsylvania House John Perzel and campaign aide to Congressman Charlie Dent. Uliana has managed numerous campaigns for state Senate, state House and Common Pleas Court Judges.
In 2014, she worked with other advocates to pass Act 69 of 2014, which established the first pilot program for early literacy screening in Pennsylvania. In the summer of 2017, Uliana worked with a fellow parent advocate and was successful in having the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation provide an audio version of the Pennsylvania Drivers Manual online. In June 2018, Uliana again worked with others and was successful in gaining a two-year extension to the original pilot program.
In the fall of 2017 and spring of 2018, Uliana founded the Dyslexia and Literacy
Network; a nonprofit advocacy group focused on raising awareness of Dyslexia and a sister organization, The Literacy Coalition. A nonprofit dedicated to providing a better awareness and understanding of the teaching of reading (structured literacy). They also assist school districts interested in changing how they teach reading as well as train Speech and Language Therapists as to how they can help students who struggle to read in the early years.
Uliana proudly serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for The Gow School in South Wales, New York. Advisory Board member for the Dyslexia and Early Literacy Screening Pilot Program for Pennsylvania Department of Education. Advisory Board of the H.E.L.P. Program at Marshall University, Huntington West Virginia. Co-Chair of the Policy Committee for the Learning Disabilities Association of America. She has served on the Hillside School Board of Trustees and the Board of the Pennsylvania Branch of the International Dyslexia Association.
Daphne Uliana is married to former State Senator Joe Uliana, who is the Managing Principal at J.M. Uliana & Associates, a Pennsylvania based lobbying and public affairs firm.
She has three children: Nicholas, Samuel, and Lauren.
On Twitter @DaphUlia