On Tuesday evening, May 12, 2026, the Rice University campus came alive with shared stories, applause and a deep sense of community purpose as the Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies held its annual School Literacy and Culture (SLC) End-of-Year Celebration. Drawing more than 100 participants — including dedicated program completers, school administrators, supportive family and friends, and Rice faculty and staff — the event offered a vibrant celebration of early childhood teachers' achievements throughout the 2025-26 academic year. The evening served as an essential reminder of how targeted professional development can radiate outward to change young lives.

"Each teacher celebrated through this event embodies Rice's core values: Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence," said Jordan Khadam-Hir, SLC’s director. "Because of their dedication and devotion to serving Houston's youngest learners, we are helping create foundational changes across early childhood education. This is one evening of recognition, but this is something we celebrate every day at SLC."

A Down Payment on Houston's Future

Through Rice’s Momentous strategic plan, the university has committed itself to “building thriving urban communities.” SLC staff recognizes that such community transformation must fundamentally begin within early childhood classrooms, providing the city's youngest citizens with a rigorous foundation for a lifetime of learning.

The scale of SLC’s regional impact over the past year is immense. During the 2025-26 school year, the program supported early childhood educators spanning 41 distinct Houston-area schools, and even extended its reach as far as West Texas with a participating school in Odessa. By equipping teachers with research-driven, yearlong mentored professional development, SLC establishes an educational legacy with exponential reach. According to program metrics, each certified teacher leader will impact approximately 3,000 students over the course of their teaching career. This systemic investment in local educators represents an enduring down payment on the shared future of Houston's families and schools.

The Transformative Magic of Classroom Storytelling

Among the specific programs recognized during the celebration was the Classroom Storytelling initiative. Inspired by the seminal storytelling and story-acting methodologies of legendary educator Vivian Paley, the program merges cutting-edge early literacy research with practical classroom applications. Participating teachers engage in a yearlong training regimen composed of intensive seminar discussions and direct, individualized mentoring.

Rachel Derong, an early childhood teacher at Travis Elementary in Houston ISD, stood before her peers to speak on behalf of her cohort, detailing how the curriculum fundamentally revitalized her instructional practice.

"The classroom storytelling program has been a shining beacon of light and a pivotal season in my teaching career,” Derong said. “Implementing story baskets, writing baskets and hearing the squeals of excitement when I say ‘stage position’ to my class are just a few of the strategies that reignited my excitement to come to school each day. On a deeper level, learning how to understand my students in a whole new way has really opened my eyes to the value of story taking. Not only did taking stories reveal what my students are passionate about, but it helped me see who they are, and how they understand literature in ways that I would’ve missed had I simply relied on standardized assessments."

Elevating Expression Through the OWL Lab

The celebration also spotlighted the expanding footprint of the Rice Oral & Written Language Laboratory (OWL Lab). Initially established in 2011, the OWL Lab model focuses on the crucial development of children's speaking and writing skills. It does so by embedding children within an intentionally structured, language-rich environment where extended conversations are normalized, their distinct words are consistently valued and their unique personal narratives are actively shared. Over the last 15 years, the program has scaled significantly and now boasts nine replication labs across the greater Houston landscape.

Brittnie Partin, an educator from the Deer Park Early Childhood Center, addressed the audience to share her cohort's journey through the certification process, capturing the emotional and professional resonance of the training.

"Rice SLC has shaped me in countless ways," Partin said. “The rich training experiences Rice SLC provides propel me forward to be more intentional, reflective and united in the shared purpose of elevating children’s voices and honoring their written expressions — however they express. I am deeply grateful for this community of support that inspires us all to be our best selves, nourishing each of us, so that we can go out into the world to pour that same belief into children's lives each day."

Developing Classroom Change Agents via ELLA

The event further honored the graduating members of Cohort 8 of the Early Literacy Leadership Academy (ELLA). ELLA operates as a rigorous, one-year leadership certificate program for early childhood educators working across public, private and charter school settings. It is tailored specifically for teachers who choose to remain in their classrooms, exerting an immediate leadership impact directly from the frontlines of instruction. Through a deliberate combination of self-paced digital modules, live collaborative seminars and one-on-one mentorship, participants expand their research-backed pedagogical understanding while learning to act as institutional change agents.

Representing ELLA Cohort 8, Jeannette Roman, a teacher from Griggs Primary School in Aldine ISD, shared a deeply moving testimonial about her participation. Roman described her year in the program as "one of the most impactful professional opportunities and experiences I have had as an educator working with children for the past 14 years."

A Sustainable Circle of Support

As the celebration drew to a close following remarks from Brenda Rangel, Assistant Dean for the Center for Education, home of SLC, the atmosphere remained one of profound gratitude. The long-term successes of SLC's programs are made possible through the critical support of prominent regional philanthropic partners. Program acknowledgments paid special tribute to foundational benefactors, including the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, CenterPoint Energy, the Powell Foundation, the Samuels Family Foundation, and the Susanne M. and Melbern G. Glasscock Continuing Studies Endowment, among several others.

By bridging the gap between academic research and daily classroom realities, Rice SLC continues to fulfill its foundational pledge: providing early childhood educators with the vital tools, insights and communal support networks necessary to nurture diverse learners, champion inclusive environments and elevate the standard of early education.

To learn more about Rice’s School Literacy and Culture, visit: literacy.rice.edu.