This video is available as a NAESPA membership benefit or for a limited time as a conference attendee.
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Home to School: Transforming Literacy Outcomes Through Family and Community Engagement
This session shares how one rural school used family and community engagement as a catalyst for improving student literacy and earning National ESEA Distinguished School recognition. Grounded in qualitative and quantitative research, attendees will explore replicable strategies such as structured home reading programs, community literacy partnerships, and targeted family literacy nights. Participants will leave with practical engagement tools aligned with ESEA requirements, examples of data-informed family outreach, and a model for building capacity among families to support reading achievement at home.
This talk was presented at:
2026 National ESEA Conference
February 2026
in
Denver, CO
For more information:
https://ges.wcs.k12.va.us/o/greendale
Speakers
Brenda Sprinkle
Dr. Brenda Sprinkle is an experienced educator, instructional leader, and literacy advocate with over 20 years in K–12 education. She began her career as a school librarian, where she fostered a love of reading and equitable book access—foundations that now inform her schoolwide literacy leadership. Dr. Sprinkle has led innovative family engagement initiatives including structured home reading programs, family literacy nights, and community-based book access efforts. Her work is grounded in both research and practice, using data from focus groups, parent surveys, and literacy tools like STAR Reading and Lexia Core5 to drive outcomes. She has completed her Ed.D. in Administration and Supervision, with research focused on the impact of family engagement on student literacy achievement.
Michael Colston
With 27 years of experience in elementary education, Mr. Colston holds a Master of Arts in Education in Administration and Supervision from Virginia Tech and a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary English from Emory & Henry College. He began his career teaching fourth grade at Saltville Elementary, the same school he attended as a child. He was innovative in the classroom and incorporated music into the curriculum in every subject, especially his love, Virginia Studies. After 13 years of teaching fourth grade, he moved into administration as the assistant principal at Chilhowie Elementary School for four years and the principal there for two. He then transitioned to Rhea Valley Elementary for five years and is currently the principal at Greendale Elementary School. As an administrator and instructional leader, Mr. Colston is willing to take risks and support his staff in new initiatives. He works hard with his team to create a warm, inviting school culture where students thrive and do their best. His love of music permeates the school with an original school song that the students hear every day and Virginia Studies songs that he teaches the fourth graders. He loves read alouds, being very dramatic, silly, and entertaining. Family engagement has been a focus for Greendale Elementary. Mr. Colston and his team are committed to helping parents play a stronger and better role in their children's education through family nights held off and on campus where parents have the chance to do activities with their children and also learn how to help their children at home. Community partners have become part of the team to improve daily attendance and decrease Chronic Absenteeism.
Lucy Davenport
Lucy Davenport is an award-winning educator with a strong commitment to empowering students through inclusive, student-centered instruction. A two-time Teacher of the Year (2010–2011 and 2025–2026), she draws inspiration from her personal journey as a struggling learner to create supportive learning environments where students feel valued, confident, and encouraged to take intellectual risks. Lucy’s teaching philosophy centers on collaboration, critical thinking, and relationship-building through engaging instructional practices such as discussion-based learning, project-based experiences, and real-world problem solving. She believes mistakes are essential to growth and works to ensure all students find their voice in the classroom. Lucy is an active member of the Southwest Virginia Council of the International Reading Association and the Virginia Education Association and remains dedicated to continuous professional growth in service of student success.
ESEA Network
The National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators is dedicated to building the capacity of education professionals to provide disadvantaged children with a high quality education. Their ESEA Network website provides a host of resources to educators at all levels.
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About Us
The National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators (formerly the National Title I Association) is dedicated to building the capacity of education professionals to provide disadvantaged children with a high quality education. Their ESEA Network website provides a host of resources to educators at all levels.
Connect with Us
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