Fox Reading Conference: A free virtual event

Three nationally recognized literacy experts will share research-based knowledge and instructional methods that support reading skill development for all students. We invite you to join us on March 26, 2022 for the 2022 Fox Reading Conference. This event is free and will be held virtually through an online platform. All times listed below are in Central Daylight Time.

Conference Agenda

8:30 – 8:45	Welcoming Remarks
8:45 – 10:15	Session 1 Tracy Weeden, Ed.D Houston, we have a literacy crisis. Analyzing outcomes of adults to inform the implementation of dynamic systems change that fulfills the promise of reading success for all Reading success for all should be a human right, regardless of where we come from, or how our brain is uniquely wired.  The stakes are incredibly high for children with dyslexia.  We will back load from what happens to adults who leave schools systems as functionally illiterate to understand what awaits children who do not receive dyslexia intervention or therapy.  What should the new social contract offer parents who need their children prepared for a knowledge economy, regardless of learning disability, zip code, or cultural experiences?
10:15 – 10:30	Break
10:30 – 12:00	Session 2 Stephanie Al Otaiba, Ph.D.  Supporting Effective Interventions within Response to Intervention and Multi-tiered Systems of Support The purpose of this presentation will be to describe ways to support effective interventions from both a school systems and classroom level. Response to intervention approaches focus specifically on academics, such as reading, whereas Multi-tiered systems of support are broader and include supports not only for academics, but for behavior and social emotional learning. There are several shared core components for RTI and MTSS including evidence-based core instruction, universal screening for risk, evidence-based interventions that increase in intensity, and more frequent formative progress monitoring. At the school level, it is important that data-based decision making has consistent procedures for identifying risk, that explicit and systematic core reading and intervention programs are available, that teachers receive professional development and coaching to support their use of data to guide instruction within their classrooms.
12:00 – 12:30	Break
12:30 – 2:00	Session 3 Barbara Wilson, M.Ed. Advanced Orthographic Mapping: How the Science of Reading Informs Foundational Reading Instruction Beyond Phonemic Awareness and Phonics Skilled readers must establish sufficient word-level proficiency so that words are recognized automatically. In this session, Barbara Wilson will draw on the science of reading that forms the underlying basis for all reading instruction to discuss the key elements necessary to firmly establish phoneme/grapheme correspondence and beginning decoding skills. Additionally, she will describe the critical importance of going well beyond that to help students establish orthographic memory of words at more advanced levels. Lastly, she will describe how building knowledge, from the beginning, is a key component of foundational reading instruction.
2:00 – 2:10	Closing Remarks

This event is open to all educators and other individuals who support student literacy development. Registration closed on March 20th, 2022. Individuals who registered before March 20th, 2022 will receive an email with information about how to access the event.

Videos of the presentations can be found within our selection of Video Resources. Dr. Weeden’s presentation is on the School Context and Leadership page. Both Dr. Al Otaiba’s and Barbara Wilson’s presentations are on the Word Reading and Spelling page.

2022 Fox Reading Conference Presenters

Dr. Tracy Weeden is a seasoned leader dedicated to advancing literacy success for all, and academic excellence for children regardless of zip code. Weeden has spent her career developing innovative academic programs while scaling transformational systems change. While serving for the past 5 years as President and CEO of Neuhaus Education Center (NEC), Dr. Weeden has expanded the reach and impact of the Neuhaus Education Center from a local non-profit to a broader impact across the State of Texas, and on a national and international level.  The NEC mission provides evidence-based professional learning to educators, information and resources to families, and adult literacy services. Prior to serving at NEC, Dr. Weeden was the Executive Director of Academic Planning for Scholastic Achievement Partners.  Dr. Weeden also spent 5 years as the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment for the Houston ISD.  In Katy ISD, Weeden served as a high school English teacher, a recruiter, and then as the Coordinator of Personnel Development in central office for Katy ISD.   Dr.  Weeden also served as a middle school Dean of Instruction in Katy ISD.  Her roots are in her beloved City of Detroit, where and she served as a high school English and Theatre Arts Teacher.  Weeden professes to always remaining a teacher at heart. A graduate from the University of Detroit, with a B.A. in Speech Communications and English, Dr. Weeden also received her M.Ed. and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Houston and is a loyal Cougar. 

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Stephanie Al Otaiba is the Patsy and Ray Caldwell Centennial Chair in Teaching and Learning at Southern Methodist University. She is also a Faculty Affiliate of the Florida Center for Reading Research, where she previously taught at Florida State University. She received her doctorate in special education from Vanderbilt University. A former special education teacher, her research focuses on early literacy interventions for students with or at-risk for disabilities, response to intervention (RTI), multi-tiered systems of support, and teacher training. She is the author or coauthor of over 140 journal articles and book chapters. She is the editor of the Journal of Learning Disabilities, she serves on review boards for many journals in education and psychology, and was an Associate Editor for Education Researcher and Elementary School Journal. She serves on the Board of Directors for the International Dyslexia Association.

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Barbara Wilson is the co-founder and president of Wilson Language Training, which provides materials and professional learning throughout the country. She has worked to improve the lives of individuals with dyslexia for over 30 years. Barbara is the author of 3 programs: Wilson Reading System® for students with dyslexia, now in its 4th edition; Wilson Just Words® an intervention for older students with a word-level deficit; and Fundations® for students learning to read in K-3. Barbara developed and oversees graduate courses and clinical practicums that lead to Wilson® Dyslexia Practitioner and Therapist certifications, which are accredited International Dyslexia Association (IDA) Tier 3 training programs. This certification is also an integral component for several university programs. Barbara is a founding member of the Global Implementation Society as she is dedicated to implementation and recently co-edited an International Dyslexia Association publication on this subject with an emphasis on how to bridge the gap between research, educational legislation, and classroom instruction. At Wilson Language Training, she assures that the principles of implementation science are incorporated into the literacy work with districts throughout the country. Barbara provides professional expertise for several organizations and efforts dedicated to reading and dyslexia. She is also a reviewer and contributor to the International Dyslexia Association’s fact sheets for parents and educators. In 2015, she testified in front of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee in support of H.R. 3033, the Research Excellence and Advancements for Dyslexia (READ) Act, which was later signed into law. Barbara has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from two Massachusetts institutions: Becker College and Fitchburg State University.

 

We are proud to provide this conference thanks to the generous support of the

Tom and Elizabeth Fox Endowment for Reading.

Only attendees who pre-registered for the event will receive a certificate of attendance, which is confirmed through the online platform.  These certificates will be issued based on the number of hours reported for each attendee by the platform software. To receive credit for attending all 4.5 hours, attendees should remain online for the entire conference.  

2022 Fox Reading Conference Sponsors

Click on the logos below to learn more about each of our sponsors.