Friend of Reading Award

Dr. Rebecca Norman is a Professor of Education and Graduate Program Coordinator at Mount Saint Mary College. She is also Co-Vice President of Programming for the Mid-Hudson Reading Council. Dr. Norman teaches literacy and language arts courses for MSMC’s undergraduate and graduate programs. Her research interests include the use of decodable books, authentic and multimodal literacy, and out-of-school literacy practices.  Highly esteemed by colleagues, we are pleased to present Dr. Norman with the NYSRA Friend of Reading because of her commitment to supporting all learners as a literacy teacher educator, district literacy leader, local council vice president, and coordinator of numerous programs supporting children, teacher candidates, and the NYSRA community.

Literature Mini-Grant

Lidia-Maria Schneider is an educator in the New York City Public School System. During her 20-year career, she has served a diverse population of students in grades K-5. With experience in both Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) classrooms and small class settings, she is dedicated to supporting young learners and fostering inclusive, student-centered environments. She focuses on cultivating a love for literacy and ensuring her students build the skills necessary to become lifelong readers.  The NYSRA literature mini-grant is supporting an after-school graphic novel book club for grade 3 through 5 students  run by Lidia-Maria.  The book club supports students’ reading motivation and engagement with high-interest, visually rich texts that they interact with through inquiry, creative expression, and collaborative discussions.