Emily Hanford sent shockwaves around the globe when her 2018 podcast and article Hard Words: Why Aren’t Kids Being Taught to Read? brought mainstream media attention to the importance of teacher knowledge about the science of reading. In this presentation, Emily will tell the story of how she became interested in early reading instruction and what she has learned along the way.

In this session, you will:

• learn some of the key concepts from the scientific research on reading

• come away with an understanding of what the term “science of reading” means

• hear about why reading instruction has been so controversial in American education

• understand why early reading instruction is critical when it comes to achieving educational equity

About the Presenter

Emily Hanford is a senior correspondent and producer for APM Reports, the documentary and investigative journalism group at American Public Media. She’s been covering education for more than a decade. Her work has appeared on NPR and in The New York Times, Washington Monthly, Los Angeles Times, PBS NewsHour and other publications. For the past three years, Emily has spent the majority of her time reporting on early reading instruction. Her 2018 podcast and article “Hard Words: Why aren’t kids being taught to read?” sent shockwaves across the U.S. and around the globe for bringing mainstream media attention to the importance of teacher knowledge about the science of reading and won a public service award from the Education Writers Association. You can find all of her reporting on reading at apmreports.org/reading. Emily is based in the Washington, D.C area.