Summit 2024
In 2024, The Reading League held our second annual Summit in San Diego to continue the conversation around implementing the science of reading with English Learners/Emergent Bilinguals (EL/EBs). The Summit featured four moderated panel discussions and the recordings of each are listed below.
- Neuroscience and Research: The Knowledge Base
Speakers: Claude Goldenberg, Ioulia Kovelman, and Young-Suk Kim - Assessment: Equitable Assessment Data to Understand EL/EB Student Needs
Speakers: Lillian Durán, Jeannette Mancilla-Martinez, and Deni Basaraba - Connecting Research to Classroom Practice: Using the Knowledge Base and Assessments to Inform Classroom Practice
Speakers: Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan, Magdalena Zavalia, and Laurie Olsen - Leadership and Systems: Putting it All Together to Develop Sustainable Evidence-Aligned Systems
Speakers: Tracy Weeden, Farah Assiraj, and Alba Ortiz - Summit Closing
- Press Release: The Reading League Responds to CABE Webinar That Attempted to Discredit the Science of Reading
- Response: Dr. Stanislas Dehaene’s Responses to The Reading League
Summit 2023
In 2022-2023, efforts to bridge the disconnect between proponents of the science of reading and experts supporting the needs of EL/EBs led to the belief that the various stakeholder groups can move forward together. Continued conversations between The Reading League, NCEL and other invested groups led to an historic one-day Summit in Las Vegas on March 25, 2023.
The Summit featured four moderated panel discussions on a variety of topics. A video archive of the 2023 Summit is available here:
- Introduction and Welcome
- Panel 1: Policy to Support all Learners
- Panel 2: The Neuroscience of Language and Literacy
- Panel 3: Foundational Skills Within a Comprehensive Literacy Program
- Panel 4: Developing Oral Language, Vocabulary, and Background Knowledge
- Closing Remarks
Joint Statement
Following the Summit, panelists and moderators reconvened to address growing misconceptions about the science of reading. The following statement was drafted together to continue advancing literacy outcomes for all students.
- The Reading League and NCEL’s Joint Statement: Understanding the Difference: The Science of Reading and Implementation for English Learners Emergent Bilinguals
- Lea el comunicado en español Declaracion Conjunta: Comprender la Diferencia: La Ciencia de la Lectura y su Aplication a los Aprendices del Idoma Ingles/Bilingues Emergentes
- Add your name and your nonprofit or professional organization to the Joint Statement Google Form
Report
Dr. Tanji Reed Marshall, director of P-12 Practice at The Education Trust, recounts the day’s events in the following report.
Resources
Recorded talks and follow-up statements from The Reading League Summit on the science of reading and English learners and emergent bilinguals.
Leveraging the Science of Reading to Support English Learners and Emergent Bilinguals
The full report with research and recommendations for supporting ELs and emergent bilinguals.
Joint Statement: English Learners, Emergent Bilinguals, and the Science of Reading
The consensus position from The Reading League and its partner organizations.
Learning to Read in One or More Languages (Dr. Stanislas Dehaene)
What happens in the brain when learning to read in more than one language.