Literacy Institute

While many adults still turn to cable news, radio programming, or even the newspaper as their primary sources for news, today's learners get information from a variety of non-traditional sources! From memes and TikTok to Chat GPT and the algorithms that prioritize what we see in our feeds, in this session, we'll explore ways to apply strategies for determining credibility to the sources our kids use most to explore and learn about the world.

In a world that is more connected than ever before, it is essential we help our students become globally competent citizens and lifelong learners. Global competence includes the disposition and knowledge to understand and act on issues of global significance. Global education is a teaching lens that can easily be integrated into any discipline at any age to develop student critical thinking skills and a deep sense of curiosity about the world. This session will introduce the concepts of global competence and global education through an exploration of various literature sources and writing activities.

PLACEHOLDER: Language Development through Rich Conversations

While many adults still turn to cable news, radio programming, or even the newspaper as their primary sources for news, today's learners get information from a variety of non-traditional sources! From memes and TikTok to Chat GPT and the algorithms that prioritize what we see in our feeds, in this session, we'll explore ways to apply strategies for determining credibility to the sources our kids use most to explore and learn about the world.

Learn the why, what, and how of supporting reading comprehension through text sets. What is a text set you might ask? A text set is a curated collection of materials, typically texts, that are focused around a specific topic, theme, or question. It's a way to deepen student understanding and build knowledge in a particular area by exposing them to a variety of perspectives and formats.

PLACEHOLDER: Language Development through Rich Conversations

Whether we are monolingual or multilingual, we can all nurture, support and celebrate our multilingual learners' bilingual/biliterate abilities and identities. This session is designed for educators who are interested in learning  simple strategies they can use to foster students' biliteracy development in their English-only or bilingual classrooms.

How can schools effectively implement a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) that aligns with research-based practices? This session provides a local example of how one school successfully developed and implemented an MTSS framework that strengthens core instruction, provides targeted interventions, and leverages data-driven decision-making to improve literacy outcomes for all students.

Participants will explore:

Essential components and core principles of an effective MTSS model
How to align instructional practices and intervention selections based on science
Tiered continuums of quality supplemental interventions & supports
Lessons learned, challenges overcome, and best practices for sustainable change

This session is designed for educators, administrators, and instructional leaders seeking actionable strategies to bridge the research-to-practice gap and create a structured, responsive, and equitable reading support system in their schools.