The warning signs are all around us: America’s kids have fallen behind in reading, and they’re not catching up. But across the country, there are educators who refuse to accept these statistics as inevitable.
They’re rolling up their sleeves, building systems, rallying communities, and proving that with the right leadership and commitment, every child can learn to read.
This year, Ignite Reading created a new awards to celebrate exactly these kinds of leaders: the Ignite Reading Torchbearer Award. At a gathering in Boston, we recognized an educator whose work demonstrates what’s possible when literacy expertise meets relentless determination to serve children.
The Torchbearer: Dr. Almudena “Almi” Abeyta
Superintendent, Chelsea Public Schools
When Almudena “Almi” Abeyta, Ed.D., looks around Chelsea Public Schools, she doesn’t just see students.
She sees stories.
Abeyta is superintendent of the urban school district which serves the children of Chelsea, Massachusetts, a gateway community of more than 40,000 residents all packed into an area spanning 2.2 square miles outside Boston.
Although they live in the second wealthiest state in the nation, Chelsea is among the state’s most under-resourced cities. A fifth of the city’s residents have incomes below the federal poverty level, and nearly 80 percent of the district’s students wake up each day in homes where the total gross household income is at or below 50% of the state median income.
The story of what’s happening at home for these children is as important as the story of what’s happening inside the school walls, Abeyta says.
“When we know their story, then we understand why a child might be acting up, why a child is late to school,” she explains. “Just understanding that every student has a story is so important, because then they know that they belong, and they’ll learn if they know that you care.”
The stories in Chelsea have proven to be Abeyta’s secret weapon in the fight to solve the reading crisis in her district, and they made her the obvious choice for the inaugural Ignite Reading Torchbearer Award.
“We know that the work of building an environment where kids can become strong readers does not happen in isolation,” Ignite Reading CEO Jessica Reid Sliwerski explains.
“It takes a special kind of leader and a special kind of storyteller,” she adds. “It takes someone who can rally an entire community around the cause of getting every single child to read on time.”
Abeyta has become that special storyteller for the children of Chelsea, using their stories to advocate wherever she can — from the Chelsea City Council to the halls of the Massachusetts state house.
Her persistence has drawn national media attention to the district and just last year landed Chelsea’s early literacy success story on the cover of the Boston Globe.
“What I have learned is that if I don’t tell my story, somebody else is going to tell it,” Abeyta says. “So I want to be in front and tell my story seven times, seven different ways, and get the good news out there.
“I am getting positive messages out about my kids, about the educators, and about what we’re doing in Chelsea because I want to tell my story,” she continues. “I don’t want somebody else to tell my story. I want to tell our story and of all the wonderful things that we’re doing in Chelsea because we have amazing teachers. We have amazing educators.”
As a result of Abeyta and other educators raising their voices to spread the word about the importance of intervening early to ensure children learn to read on time:
- Massachusetts made a landmark investment in early literacy intervention in 2025, earmarking $25 million of the state budget to fund early literacy tutoring for 1st graders who need it across the commonwealth.
- State funding was awarded to 272 districts to provide 1st graders with intervention during the 2025-26 school year — including Chelsea.
When it came time to announce the initiative on social media, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey turned to Abeyta’s district to help her, posting this video to millions of viewers across the Bay State on the official state governor social channels.
As a former kindergarten teacher turned superintendent, Abeyta says her work on behalf of her young readers is personal.
As she works to scale her love of literacy across her district, her goal is to ensure that every Chelsea student is getting what they need so that they’re literate by 1st grade. Already, the district is seeing their decision to focus on 1st grade reading intervention pay off for their students.
“We’ve seen a lot of growth,” she says. “Our kids that are on Ignite Reading have grown by 5.9 months in literacy and comprehension. And then with our English language learners and our special education students, we are seeing almost the same amount of growth.”
“As superintendent, it’s funny because I am kind of in public relations,” Abeyta says of the attention she pays to spreading the message about both early literacy and Chelsea’s schools. “But I’m also very protective of my community and my schools, and I want to make sure that we’re getting all the good news out about what we’re doing rather than other people telling our story.”
“Our first torchbearer is someone who has championed proactive intervention to ensure children read on benchmark by the end of 1st grade, who has created accessible pathways for diverse stakeholders to contribute, and who has measurably expanded access to early literacy resources for all students,” Sliwerski says.
Abeyta represents “the very best of what district leadership can be,” Sliwerski adds. “A true literacy torchbearer whose story deserves to be told, celebrated, and shared as inspiration for all of us.”
Ignite Reading Torchbearer Award
The Torchbearer Award celebrates a district leader who doesn’t just understand research or implement programs, but who lights a fire in others and keeps it burning bright. This recognition honors someone who has:
- Championed proactive intervention to ensure children read on benchmark by the end of 1st grade
- Created accessible pathways for diverse stakeholders to contribute to literacy efforts
- Measurably expanded access to early literacy resources for all students
- Built coalitions and amplified the work happening in classrooms
- Made the case for literacy equity in ways that move community members and policymakers to action
