In 2019, I had the opportunity to contribute to a project that, while outside the scope of my institutional role, felt deeply aligned with my values as an instructional designer: building equitable access to education through community partnership.
BookSpring’s Summer Success program is a literacy-focused initiative that supports elementary-aged students in developing strong reading habits during the summer months. Through carefully curated book deliveries, family engagement, and school partnerships, it aims to reduce the summer slide—especially for children from low-income backgrounds.
But behind every book distributed is an adult—a teacher, librarian, or volunteer—tasked with making the experience engaging, meaningful, and consistent. That’s where my work came in.
The Challenge: Training at Scale, Across Varied Contexts
BookSpring needed a way to train dozens of librarians and teachers—spread across different schools and communities in Texas—on how to implement the program consistently and effectively.
Most were volunteers or school-based staff taking this on as a side initiative during a busy season. They needed:
- A training course that was easy to access and complete asynchronously
- Clear guidance on program delivery expectations
- Resources they could reuse and adapt in their own contexts
My role was to design and build an online training course that met all of those needs—while also modeling best practices in inclusive, flexible learning design.
Design Approach: Scalable, Practical, and Empowering
I applied backward design to the training just as I would in any academic setting. We started by identifying the core outcomes for facilitators:
- Understand the mission and structure of Summer Success
- Confidently administer the book distribution process
- Engage students and families in reading conversations
- Document program participation and feedback
Because many facilitators were not used to formal training modules—or digital learning environments—the course also gently introduced basic navigation, modeling what student-centered design feels like.
The Bigger Picture: Supporting ITE Through Community Capacity-Building
This work sits at the edges of formal Initial Teacher Education (ITE), but its ripple effects are real. By equipping elementary school educators and support staff with tools to deliver equitable, enriching literacy experiences, we are strengthening the broader educational pipeline.
Many participants in Summer Success are paraeducators, early-career teachers, or librarians-in-training—people whose roles support and influence future learners in meaningful ways. By designing training that respects their time, builds their confidence, and centers their impact, we are doing what ITE frameworks often call for: supporting mentors and practitioners on the front lines of early education.
Reflections
I often say that instructional design can be a form of quiet advocacy. This project is a perfect example. It wasn’t flashy or high-budget—but it mattered. And it reminded me that when we design with empathy, clarity, and care, we help educators do the work that changes lives.
And isn’t that what education—at every level—is really about?
