MCLA to Host Community Conversation on Early Literacy

October 16, 2026

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) will host An Evening Discussing Early Literacy in Our Community on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 5 p.m., in the College’s Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation.  

Featuring a practitioner keynote by Jill Pompi ’89, M.Ed. ’97, the event will bring together local educators and community members to explore ways to strengthen early literacy, support families, and expand reading and writing opportunities for all children. 

Pompi, Ed.S., is a literacy consultant, an MCLA adjunct instructor, and a 2016 graduate of the MCLA Leadership Academy, where she earned her elementary school principal and superintendent licensures.

“Every child deserves the opportunity to become a confident reader,” says Pompi. “That opportunity begins early—with evidence-based instruction, caring educators, and a community committed to ensuring every child has the foundation to thrive.”

Through a facilitated community conversation, participants will share ideas about teacher preparation, family engagement, and how schools, families, and community organizations can work together to help children become confident readers and writers. 

“At MCLA, we believe that our work preparing future educators is deeply connected to the classrooms, families, and communities that we serve,” says Dr. Maggie Clark, associate professor in the College’s Education Department. “This event allows us to call on the collective knowledge and experiences of our community to engage in meaningful conversation, reflect on our practices, and strengthen our shared commitment to supporting all young readers.”

Community members and educators are encouraged to attend and contribute to this important conversation.


About MCLA

The Commonwealth’s designated public liberal arts college, MCLA offers the personal attention of a private college at a public tuition, with more than 90 academic programs and faculty who know their students and invest in their success. Nearly half of MCLA students are the first in their families to attend college—a commitment to access and opportunity reflected in its ranking of #4 among public liberal arts institutions nationally for social mobility and #13 among public liberal arts colleges (U.S. News & World Report, 2027).

Founded in 1894, MCLA is located in North Adams, in the heart of the Berkshires—just a 10-minute walk from MASS MoCA and surrounded by world-class performing arts, thousands of acres of protected land, and Mount Greylock, the highest peak in Massachusetts.