The Reading Wars: Understanding The History and Science of Reading

Part 1 of 4 in our Science of Reading workshop series. 
Format

Live via Zoom with pre-work

Workshop Date

March 10, 12-2pm ET / 9-11am PT

Facilitators

Liz McChesney

Credit Hours 

4 Credit Hours

Additional Series Sessions

Find all sessions here
Member Price

$400 or $1250 for the 4-workshop series

About this Course

The history of reading education in the United States is both fraught and not well known. After decades of declining reading proficiency, schools are finally returning to a science-backed approach and seeing results. In this workshop, learn how we got to this point and the core concepts and science behind effective reading instruction today.
Guest Speaker: Rose Else-Mitchell, Professor of Literacy, SUNY 

Learners are expected to attend and actively participate in the live session. Recordings will be provided should a conflict arise, but registrants should plan to attend live in order to benefit from the learning. 

About the Science of Reading Workshop Series

The Science of Reading, a research-backed approach to reading education, is building momentum in schools across the country and showing clear results. Library leaders who serve youth have an opportunity to partner with schools and the broader community to implement and reinforce science-based methods of reading instructor and improve local youth literacy. In this four-part workshop series, ULC Senior Advisor and early literacy expert Liz McChesney, along with  will provide library leaders with the information they need to strategically implement science of reading concepts and practice in their daily work with youth. 

Course format: This course is designed to provide library leaders with key foundational information over the course of four 2-hour workshops. Staff may choose to register for the entire series, or pick and choose which workshops seem they will be most beneficial. Each workshop will have some pre-and post-work designed to help enhance and apply the learning to the library context. 

Audience: Library leaders who work with youth and have the capacity to implement practices that support the Science of Reading whether in a system or an individual branch. 

Course Facilitator:
Liz McChesney

Senior Advisor, Urban Libraries Council

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Liz McChesney is a career-long children’s librarian and administrator and under her leadership numerous national initiatives have been spearheaded including the move to broaden summer offerings for youth. Liz serves as a Senior Advisor in Educational Equity at The Urban Libraries Council, she is a Fellow at the National Summer Learning Association and is the Community Partnerships Director for the Laundry Literacy Coalition. A frequent author and speaker, Liz has earned numerous national awards including the 2024 David M. Rubenstein Award for Literacy Excellence from the Library of Congress and the ALA Library Service to Children Distinguished Service Award. Her book, The Path Forward, was published in 2023 by ALA Editions. 

Rose Else-Mitchell

Professor of Literacy, SUNY

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Rose is Executive Director of the Science of Reading Center at the State University of New York housed at the New Paltz campus, which is dedicated to translating research into accessible professional learning for in-service educators and leaders in schools and districts in New York state and beyond.
Rose began her career as middle and high school English teacher in Sydney, Australia. After leaving the classroom she provided professional learning to support new curricula and assessments in New South Wales as well as undertaking development roles for the Children’s Book Council and literacy outreach organizations.  
In the two decades since moving to New York City, Rose has had extensive experience designing reading (and mathematics) interventions in partnership with universities, scholars and educational technologists, including leading program and product development for READ 180, System 44, iRead and MATH 180 at Scholastic. She was Chief Learning Officer at HMH for four years, where she oversaw program evaluation, learning science, and data analytics, as well as a professional learning group that reached over 300,000 educators each year.  
She serves as an strategy, research, & development advisor to several educational organizations and companies, focused on reading/literacy, ELA, and special education. She is also a trustee at Success Academy Charter Schools, the highest achieving charter school network in the country.  
Rose holds a master’s degree from the University of Sydney, and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) from the University of Oxford, UK. She has served as a teaching fellow at HGSE for six years. She lives in the Hudson Valley, New York with her husband, an avid cyclist and UX writer, and her 15 year old daughter (who struggled to read) and keeps it real!