Christyl Powell-Braxton does not give up easily. Not on herself, not on students or staff, and certainly not on literacy. The Forest Park High School literacy coach began as a paraprofessional, became a special educator, and then focused her master’s program on Baltimore City Schools’ Blueprint Literacy Coach program, driving her passion for literacy-based instruction. On the third attempt she was accepted as a literacy coach.
"I was about to give up on it, but then they called me into coaching over the summer while working for the extended school year program," Braxton said “the rest is history.”
Since then, Braxton has helped students at Forest Park improve their reading skills, with 82 percent now able to read grade-level articles, up from 59 percent at the start of the year and a more than 150 percent increase since the start of the 2023-24 school year.
Braxton credits this growth to consistent support through platforms like Peardeck, Rewordify, and Achieve 3000, which adapts to students' reading levels and tracks progress. The effort is paying off—students have met the school's Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program goals in Math and English Language Arts for two years. And they’re not done yet.
One of Braxton’s key strategies is daily 20-minute meetings with teachers who need extra support and co-teaching moments to provide modeling. After working with two teachers who were struggling to reach their students, Braxton’s guidance led to significant improvement.
“The first thing I noticed is that they were lacking communication and that became our first assignment. Seeing the instructors grow first in communication, and then in their collaboration was fulfilling, because the teachers were so excited about the progress the students made as a result of their efforts” Braxton said.
“My goal is to help bridge the gaps for students through staff,” Braxton said. “Every child should have access to equitable instruction.”
Braxton’s work is making a measurable difference, and she remains focused on the progress yet to come.
“As long as our students are growing in the knowing, we know that we are headed in the right direction” Braxton said.
Fun Facts
What’s your all-time favorite book? To Kill a Mockinbird by Harper Lee. It was the first time I read a book that caused me to have internal conflict, and made me question things.
What was your favorite book to read as a child? Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
If you could describe reading in one word, what would it be? Freeing
When did your love for reading start? I can't remember a time when I didn't love reading, as soon as I had the ability to read, I loved it.
What’s the one book every student should read before graduation? I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Is the book always better than the movie? It depends. The book is always more detailed, the book is always best except for Marvel movies.
To learn more about the work of literacy coaches in City Schools, watch this video.