About

How it all started

Glean Education started as an advocacy journey over 30 years ago.

I grew up in a family of education professionals – My father, Emerson Dickman was past president of the International Dyslexia Association who helped create the definition for dyslexia. My mother was an adjunct professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University and trained teachers in Structured Literacy. They became involved in the field advocating for my brother with dyslexia in the public school system. Thirty years later, I began advocating for my own son with dyslexia — but despite all the advances in research and policy, I found that not much had changed. I set out to learn why.

Understanding the problem

We’ve known how to teach literacy for over a century. Teachers Anna Gillingham and Bessie Stillman curated an instructional approach built on Samuel T. Orton’s understanding of cognitive processes. Now known as Structured Literacy, they developed this systematic, sequential, and cumulative phonics method that ensured all students mastered the fundamental skills necessary to read and write.

We know that approach is essential for some students and beneficial to all. But, somehow, schools and districts still aren’t using it as widely as they should. After years of exploring the reasons for this, I found that the biggest barrier was accessible and affordable training for educators. I founded Glean Education to change that.

Finding the solution

In 2015, we began building the courses that became Glean Education’s Online Learning Academy. Shortly thereafter, we began working with schools, districts, and states to maximize impact. In 10 years, we’ve had over 15,000 educators across the country take our courses. We’ve made strides, but there’s so much more work to do.

We know the path isn’t easy. Shifting mindsets, implementing new practices, and changing systems can be uncomfortable work. But we also know that every minute put toward implementing practices grounded in the Science of Reading has the potential to change students’ lives for the better. That will always be worth our time.

Yours in learning,

The Glean Team

We are so proud of our team of trainers, coaches, and executive team members helping to shift literacy outcomes across the country.

Interested in working with us?

Check out the latest job openings at Glean Education.

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