For more than two decades, Mrs. Nicole Foley has dedicated her work to helping students become confident, skilled readers. Now, as a 2026-2027 Teach Plus Pennsylvania Policy Fellow, Mrs. Foley is expanding that work beyond the classroom to help advance literacy instruction and education policy across Pennsylvania.
Mrs. Foley, who joined the Norristown Area School District (NASD) in July 2004, currently serves as a Reading Specialist at Davenport Elementary School. Throughout her career in NASD, she has also worked as a Literacy Coach and English Language Development Specialist, bringing a range of experience to her work with students and educators.
Selected from hundreds of applicants across the state, Mrs. Foley will serve in Teach Plus Pennsylvania’s Advancing the Science of Reading working group. In this role, she will partner with the Pennsylvania Literacy Coalition to support advocacy, gather research to inform policy discussions, help organize literacy-focused events, and engage with state legislators about reading instruction.
“It is an incredible honor to have been chosen,” Mrs. Foley shared. “I was drawn to apply due to my passion for increasing literacy in our state and to build my advocacy work for students and teachers.”
Connecting Research, Professional Learning and Classroom Practice
Mrs. Foley’s fellowship builds on work she has been doing throughout her career. Her commitment to structured literacy grew from her own experiences as an educator and her continued pursuit of research on how students learn to read.
Structured literacy is an evidence-based approach to reading instruction that explicitly teaches the building blocks of reading, including phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. It emphasizes systematic instruction that helps students develop the skills needed to read successfully.
At NASD, this work is reflected in the district’s approach to assessments, English Language Arts curriculum, targeted reading interventions, and ongoing professional learning for educators.
We have invested in staff training through the AIM Institute, research-based screening tools, instructional materials, and intervention programs. Reading Specialists, Instructional Support Teachers (ISTs), and instructional coaches also work alongside classroom teachers to model instructional practices, provide feedback, and help educators use student data to guide instruction.
These efforts connect professional learning directly to classroom practice, helping educators strengthen their skills while identifying and responding to students’ individual learning needs.
Mrs. Foley sees this ongoing investment in educators as essential to student success.
“The most important piece of structured literacy is teachers who are well trained,” she said.
She also emphasized that structured literacy supports students across the district, including multilingual learners and students who need additional reading support.
“Structured literacy is based on how the brain learns to read,” Mrs. Foley explained. “If we are using appropriate strategies to teach our diverse population how to read, we will only strengthen the Norristown community.”
Bringing NASD's Work to the Statewide Conversation
Through her fellowship, Mrs. Foley hopes to help ensure that evidence-based literacy practices are implemented consistently across Pennsylvania. She will work with fellow educators and literacy advocates to bring research and classroom experiences into conversations with state policymakers.
Her advocacy is closely connected to her work at NASD. As the district continues to strengthen its literacy practices, Mrs. Foley hopes to share the progress being made by educators and the investments that support that work.
“NASD is one of the districts that began implementing structured literacy early on in the state,” she said. “We continue to refine our practice and implementation.”
She noted that meaningful change takes time. As more educators receive training and continue developing their instructional skills, NASD can build on its progress and strengthen reading outcomes for students.
Mrs. Foley also believes that effective implementation requires a commitment to preparing and supporting teachers. She hopes policymakers will recognize the training, curriculum, and resources districts need to put research into practice.
“Every student deserves teachers who have had the best training,” Mrs. Foley said.
A Shared Commitment to Student Success
Mrs. Foley’s selection as a Teach Plus Pennsylvania Policy Fellow highlights the connection between the work of individual educators and NASD’s broader commitment to student achievement. Her classroom experience informs her advocacy, while the knowledge and ideas she gains through statewide collaboration can help strengthen the work taking place in Norristown.
Looking ahead, Mrs. Foley hopes to see continued growth in students’ literacy skills, stronger partnerships with community organizations, and greater opportunities for students to engage with reading both in school and beyond the classroom.
Through continued professional learning, collaboration, and a commitment to evidence-based instruction, NASD educators are working toward a shared goal: ensuring each and every student develops the literacy skills needed for lifelong learning and future success.
Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Nicole Foley on this achievement and thanking her for her continued dedication to NASD students, educators, and the broader community!