Literacy Support Team
Katie Baughan
Literacy Coach
Katie Baughan is a National Board-Certified Teacher with more than 30 years of experience as a teacher and literacy coach. She has taught students from preschool to high school — and even served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya — but her heart has always been in helping young readers and writers grow.
Katie earned her B.A. in English and teaching certification from Virginia Tech, her M.S. in Education from the University of Oregon, and her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Reading Education from the University of Virginia. She is LETRS-certified and serves on the curriculum design team. Katie loves leading professional learning that brings the Science of Reading to life for teachers and is especially passionate about making literacy instruction effective, joyful, and accessible for all students.
When she’s not coaching or leading book studies, Katie organizes family literacy events, mentors preservice teachers, and cheers on her two daughters, both of whom attended Richmond Public Schools.
Certifications: Reading Specialist, English, Early Childhood K-3, ESL, Theater Arts
Marybeth Ryan
Reading Interventionist
My name is MaryBeth Ryan. I am the reading interventionist and STC for Barack Obama Elementary. This will be my 25th year working for Richmond Public Schools. Before coming to Obama I was a general education teacher and a special education teacher. I became a reading specialist because I strongly believe that being able to read is the key to being successful. My daughter, who is now in college, has dyslexia. As a parent I have witnessed the struggle first hand, and I know how frustrating it can be as a parent when your child struggles. I live in the neighborhood and walk to school everyday. I chose to work in my community because in order for all kids to succeed, we (parents, stakeholders, teachers) need to work together.
Certifications:
Masters in reading specialist, Bachelors in SPED Pre K to 12, Bachelors in General Education K to 5