The WNY Science of Reading Conference 2022

153 Franklin Street,Buffalo NY 14202

05 November, 2022

Description

Join us at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center for a day of learning more about the science of reading and how we can work together to change reading outcomes for the students of Western New York. FROM THE WNY LITERACY INITIATIVEThis conference is brought to you by the partner organizations of the WNY Literacy Initiative, which include the Buffalo Police Athletic League, Dyslexia Allies of WNY, Dyslexia Services of WNY, The Education Trust – New York, Literacy Buffalo Niagara, Monkey See Monkey Do...Children's Bookstore, the New York State Network For Youth Success & the After-School Network of Western New York, Neuhaus Education Center, The Reading League, Read to Succeed Buffalo, Say Yes Buffalo, Teach My Kid to Read, We the Parents of WNY, WNY Education Alliance, and WNY Literacy Collaborative. OUR MISSION The mission of the WNY Literacy Initiative is to increase awareness of the science of reading and facilitate partnerships between local schools and educational organizations that support evidence-based reading instruction through teacher training and the implementation of high-quality, content-rich curriculum. Some of our featured speakers include:1. KEYNOTE: KAREEM WEAVERKareem is the Co-Founder of FULCRUM (Full and Complete Reading is a Universal Mandate). He is committed to improving literacy rates in California and across the country by engaging stakeholders around the systematic structures needed to cultivate excellent reading outcomes for all students. Kareem previously led the Western Region for New Leaders, a leader development organization that supports the professional growth of teachers and administrators and prepares them to serve schools and communities desiring improved outcomes. Prior to New Leaders, Kareem was an award-winning teacher and administrator in Oakland, California, and Columbia, South Carolina. 2. KEYNOTE: NATALIE WEXLER Natalie Wexler is an education writer and the author of The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America’s Broken Education System—And How to Fix It (Avery 2019). She is also the co-author, with Judith C. Hochman, of The Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and Grades (Jossey-Bass, 2017), and a senior contributor to the education channel on Forbes.com. Her newsletter, Minding the Gap, on Substack, is available for free. Click here to view past posts and subscribe. Natalie’s articles and essays on education and other topics have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, the MIT Technology Review, The American Scholar, and other publications. She has spoken on education before a wide variety of groups and appeared on a number of TV and radio shows, including Morning Joe and NPR’s On Point and 1A. 3. PAMELA KASTNERPam Kastner, Ed.D., is an educational consultant at the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) Harrisburg, where she serves as the State Lead Consultant for Literacy. Dr. Kastner, along with the PaTTAN Literacy team, has lead Pennsylvania’s Dyslexia Screening and Early Literacy Intervention Pilot Program extension and expansion. She was part of a research team investigating the impact of explicit instruction in phonemic awareness on student literacy outcomes. Dr. Kastner serves on the statewide Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS) team working extensively in the area of literacy, effective instruction, formative assessment, and professional learning communities. She has served in a number of leadership capacities at the district level and served as a Pennsylvania Distinguished Educator for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Dr. Kastner is a National Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) trainer and a certified reading specialist. Dr. Kastner is an adjunct professor at Mount Saint Joseph University in the Reading Science Program where she teachers in the Masters’ and Doctoral Program. Dr. Kastner is also an adjunct professor at Wilson College where she teaches LETRS courses. Dr. Kastner has the honor of serving as the President of The Reading League Pennsylvania, The Reading League Journal’s Practitioner Editorial Board, and is a member of The Science of Reading: A Defining Movement coalition. OTHER HIGHLIGHTSA panel from the EdTrust-New York on policy work at the state and national levelA literacy session from Read To Succeed BuffaloA panel on what the Science of Reading transition journey looks like across NYSA session on dyslexia as a general education issueAnd more!* CTLE AVAILABLE* SPONSORS:We are actively seeking sponsors to allow educators to attend this special event at no charge. Please contact Tarja at [email protected] if you are interested. ________ For teachers, school administrators, professors, education organizations, literacy advocates, parents, media, policy makers, and all those interested in literacy outcomes, this conference will be the first of its kind in Western New York. Please join us and spread the word!