Digital Events

Navigating the Application Process: Expert Tips for ILA Awards and Grants

January 15, 2025
5:00 p.m.–6:30 p.m. ET

Are you considering applying for one or more of ILA’s awards and grants? In this informative session, speakers will share their best advice on crafting strong applications that stand out from the crowd. Learn about key components that make a compelling application, common pitfalls to avoid, and strategies for effectively communicating your research or project goals. Whether you are a seasoned researcher or a first-time applicant, this webinar is designed to enhance your chances of success.

Dennis Davis, associate professor at North Carolina State University and chair of the Timothy & Cynthia Shanahan Outstanding Dissertation Award Committee, will be joined by cochairs of the ILA Grants Committee Jon M. Wargo, associate professor at the University of Michigan, and Cassie J. Brownell, associate professor at the University of Toronto. Their conversation, following an introduction from Carol Hryniuk-Adamov, recipient of the ILA 2024 Maryann Manning Special Service Award, will be facilitated by Katina Zammit, ILA Board member-at-large.

Who should register: School-based educators, principals, teacher educators, and preservice teachers

Registration: FREE for members | $44.00 nonmembers (includes annual membership)

Special pricing is available for groups of 5+, students, and individuals in countries with developing economies. Contact customerservice@reading.org for details.

REGISTER

Five Ways to Liberate Your Writer’s Workshop

February 12, 2025
5:00 p.m.–6:30 p.m. ET

Empower your students by reimagining the writer’s workshop as a space of inclusion, empathy, and cultural celebration. In this engaging webinar, Kamania Wynter-Hoyte, Eliza Braden, Sanjuana Rodriguez, Michele Myers, and Natasha Thornton—the authors of Revolutionary Love: Creating a Culturally Inclusive Literacy Classroom—will share research-based strategies for districts, schools, and educators that affirm and celebrate students’ identities, cultures, and linguistic practices.

Attendees will also learn how to incorporate the use of diverse children’s books as mentor texts in the classroom—with the ultimate goal being for educators to liberate their literacy curriculum and promote more empathetic readers and writers

Who should register: School-based educators, principals, teacher educators, and preservice teachers

Registration: FREE for members | $44.00 nonmembers (includes annual membership)

Special pricing is available for groups of 5+, students, and individuals in countries with developing economies. Contact customerservice@reading.org for details.

REGISTER

Why Teaching Reading With Instructional Level Texts Isn’t Such a Good Idea After All

February 27, 2025
5:00 p.m.–6:30 p.m. ET

For more than 75 years, teachers have been told that the best way to teach reading is to assign students to texts at their supposed “instructional levels” rather than their grade level. This was thought to be best as it would both avoid texts that were too easy—and therefore wouldn’t support much learning—or too hard, which would frustrate and discourage students. However, a growing body of research shows that most students benefit from working with grade-level texts and that instructional-level texts can severely limit student progress. During this ILA Webinar, Timothy Shanahan will explore relevant research, pose an alternative theory to the instructional level idea, and demonstrate instructional approaches appropriate for successfully teaching with complex text.

Who should register: School-based educators, administrators, teacher educators, and preservice teachers

Registration: $29 for members | $69.00 nonmembers (includes annual membership)

Special pricing is available for groups of 5+, students, and individuals in countries with developing economies. Contact customerservice@reading.org for details.

REGISTER

Statewide Collaboration: Transitioning Teacher Prep to Align With Today’s Standards

March 19, 2025
5:00 p.m.–6:30 p.m. ET

With evolving literacy standards reshaping teacher preparation, aligning professional learning resources with local guidelines and requirements is more crucial than ever. Join Stephanie Grote-Garcia, Bethanie C. Pletcher, and Roberta D. Raymond as they discuss how ILA’s Texas affiliate, the Texas Association for Literacy Education (TALE), supported teacher education faculty across Texas in aligning their resources with new state literacy competencies. Attendees will learn about their alignment process and receive templates to help replicate collaborative efforts in their state or region.

Participants will gain

• An understanding of the role of TALE in facilitating collaboration among teacher education faculty across Texas
• Insights into aligning educational resources and materials with state literacy competencies and certification exams
• Access to templates and materials to use in their own educator preparation programs
• Guidance on how to implement similar collaborative initiatives in other states
• Knowledge of best practices and innovative approaches to educator preparation in the context of new literacy standards

Who should register: School-based educators, principals, teacher educators, preservice teachers, and researchers

Registration: FREE for members | $44.00 nonmembers (includes annual membership)

Special pricing is available for groups of 5+, students, and individuals in countries with developing economies. Contact customerservice@reading.org for details.

REGISTER