For Immediate Release:
May 2, 2023 - Princeton, NJ – Registration is now open for the eighth Spotlight on Dyslexia professional learning event designed for educators who teach and support children and adolescents with learning differences. Learning Ally, a national nonprofit working with U.S. schools to improve reading outcomes and equitable access to grade-level books, will host the two-day virtual event on June 7 and 8, 2023.
Dr. Terrie Noland, V.P. of Educator Initiatives for Learning Ally, says, “Every Spotlight on Dyslexia is unique in its ability to bring world-class speakers, researchers, and thought leaders together from cross-functional fields of literacy. These experts focus on evidence-based reading instruction proven effective for all students, and especially critical for students with learning disabilities. Whether you are a new teacher, a seasoned administrator, or parent looking for a solution for your child, this event will strengthen your knowledge and understanding of how to best support dyslexic learners, and will offer many actionable takeaways.”
Dyslexia is a neurologically-based learning disability marked by difficulties with decoding and reading comprehension. An estimated 1 in 5 Americans have dyslexia, representing as much as 90% of all people with learning disabilities according to the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity.
This year’s Spotlight on Dyslexia theme, “Believe, Build and Bolster,” will empower educators to believe in themselves, build new knowledge and teaching capacity, and bolster classroom instruction. The event promises to deliver proven strategies, interventions, and accommodations to transform reading outcomes, and to continue the important dialogue about dyslexia in Learning Ally’s community forums.
Two impressive keynote speakers will kick off this year’s sessions:
- Stanislas Dehaene, world-renowned cognitive neuroscientist and Professor at the Collège de France, is the Chair of Experimental Cognitive Psychology and Director of the Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit at INSERM. Dehaene has conducted extensive research on the neural basis of reading and dyslexia, and authored several groundbreaking books on the neuroscience of reading, including "How We Learn: Why Brains Learn Better Than Any Machine…For Now."
- Emily Hanford, Senior Correspondent and Producer for American Public Media, has produced a series of reports to help teachers, parents and policymakers recognize widespread flaws in reading instruction in U.S. schools. Her investigative journalism and latest podcast "Sold a Story," has won critical acclaim for sparking a national conversation and movement for a greater understanding of the science of reading. Hanford’s 2018 podcast, “Hard Words: Why Aren’t Kids Being Taught to Read?” also won the inaugural public service award from the Educators Writers Association.
Educators can earn up to 30 continuing education certificates for learning about the power of literacy instruction using the latest research of how the brain learns to read. A dyslexia simulation will demonstrate firsthand the frustration children face when learning how to read, and when attempting to comprehend complex texts as a dyslexic learner.
Prior to the event, attendees can listen to pre-recorded 20-minute EdTalk sessions to gain background knowledge on various topics, including early literacy and the essential fundamental reading skills that children must be taught to master reading success.
Register now for the 2023 Spotlight on Dyslexia.
About Learning Ally
Learning Ally is a leading education nonprofit dedicated to empowering educators with proven solutions that help new and struggling learners reach their potential. Our range of literacy-focused offerings for students in Pre-K to 12th grade and catalog of professional learning allows us to support more than 2 million students and 445,000 educators across the United States.
www.learningally.org/educators. 800-221-1098.