More than 750 teachers and education professionals will meet at the University of Central Florida Friday to talk about how to best improve and support literacy and reading in grades K-12.
The 15th annual Literacy Symposium will be held from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. April 5 in the Education Complex Gym, Room 176.
“The UCF Literacy Symposium is a gift from the UCF College of Education to all K-12 educators and other educational professionals in Florida,” said organizer Vicky Zygouris-Coe, an associate professor of reading education. “It is designed to provide high quality, current and cutting-edge professional development in literacy and related areas for the purpose of improving literacy instruction across grades and content areas and supporting teacher and student success.”
Featuring 57 presenters, the sessions will focus on a variety of topics, including literacy development, assessment, technology, college readiness, quality reading and other areas of interest for educators in Florida.
The event’s keynote speaker will be Timothy Shanahan, a professor of urban education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Shanahan serves as the director of the UIC Center for Literacy as well as the past president of the International Reading Association.
“This topic is of national importance and urgency,” said Zygouris-Coe. “Literacy is the foundation of learning. The present and future of any society depends on the literacy levels of its citizens.”
The event is sponsored by the UCF College of Education, the Toni Jennings Exceptional Education Institute, the Morgridge International Reading Center and corporate sponsor Brake Media.