Heinemann is deeply saddened by the passing of Kylene Beers. Kylene's 46-year career has had a significant impact across the field of education, helping to shape classroom practice across the country.
Kylene was profoundly dedicated to children's literacy, advocating for and inspiring teachers and helping students in the classroom to learn and grow. She began her career as a middle school language arts teacher outside of Houston, TX and later held positions at Sam Houston State University, the University of Houston, the School Development Program CHILD Study Center at Yale University and at Teachers College at Columbia University. Kylene served on committees with the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and was a frequent keynote speaker at national and state conventions. She served as editor of the national literacy journal Voices from the Middle, chair of the National Literacy Coalition, invited special assistant to the National Governor's Association committee on education and special consultant to the State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards of the Council of State Chief School Officers. She was president of NCTE and served on the international LitWorld Foundation advisory board. In addition, she worked tirelessly in service of teachers, consulting with schools and districts throughout the United States and Canada.
Kylene's impact on Heinemann was substantial as well. We have been proud to publish her professional books for more than two decades, beginning with the publication of her groundbreaking title, When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do in 2002. A second edition of this bestselling book was published in 2023. She co-wrote Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading and Reading Nonfiction with Bob Probst. Kylene and Bob also led Heinemann's Annual Boothbay Literacy Retreat in Maine for nearly a decade.
For the past seven years, Kylene has organized and hosted The Tyrolia Institutes at her ranch in Waco, TX, hosting literacy teachers from across the United States and Canada.
Kylene has won countless awards, including the NCTE CEL Leadership Award, the NCTE Richard Halle Award for Outstanding Contributions to Literacy Education at the Middle Grades, and most recently, the NCTE James R. Squire Award for outstanding service to the profession of teaching.
Most importantly, Kylene continued to work shoulder-to-shoulder with teachers and students in classrooms across the nation for the entirety of her career. She was a guiding force in this industry, whose influence and thought leadership reached countless teachers, students and administrators. We have no doubt that her commitment, dedication and heart have helped to ensure the development of literacy for children across the country.
