Gwendolyn Battle Lavert

Dr. Gwendolyn Battle Lavert is an educator, literacy consultant, and award‑winning children’s book author whose work focuses on early literacy and educational equity. She has spent over 30 years as an early literacy teacher, leader, and trainer in urban schools, and has also served as a district literacy coach, assistant principal, principal, curriculum director, and university professor. Lavert holds a PhD in Leadership from Indiana State University and a master’s degree in literacy from Texas A&M University, and is based in Bedford, Texas. She has worked internationally as a literacy and leadership consultant, providing training in locations including Dubai, Qatar, and Oman, and is known for helping turn low‑performing schools around.

Lavert is the author of more than twenty children’s books, with notable titles such as Papa’s Mark, The Music in Derrick’s Heart, Off to School (a Smithsonian Honor Book), and The Shaking Bag, which received a Parents’ Choice Award. Her picture books, several of which have been featured as Reading Rainbow selections, often celebrate African American family life, culture, and history. Extending her literacy work to educators, she is the