As a little girl growing up, Tasha Lindsay-Doizan remembers staying up past her bedtime to read just one more chapter from her favorite book.
“From a young age, I’ve always been very passionate about reading,” said Lindsay-Doizan, the San Bernardino City Unified School District’s director of Elementary Instruction and a former principal. “I used to get in trouble for reading with a flashlight under the covers.”
Her lifelong love for reading and passion for early literacy will serve Lindsay-Doizan well as she prepares to serve on the California Department of Education’s state literacy assessment team. The group is tasked with providing input on the state literacy needs assessment, analyzing assessment results, and helping guide literacy instruction across California public schools. She hopes to bring back successful strategies used by other school districts and share the District’s successes with colleagues on the state team.
“We’re a really large school district, and I’m very hopeful our voice will be heard at the state level,” Lindsay-Doizan said.
Although reading for fun has taken a backseat these days while she works on her doctoral dissertation, Lindsay-Doizan still encourages her two young sons to grow their own love for reading. Both boys are reading well above their grade level.
“Reading is the core of every subject in school,” said Lindsay-Doizan, who recently helped distribute free books to every student at Hunt Elementary School. “Reading is an indicator of so many things, including future student success.”