Literacy and Equity in the 21st Century: Closing the Opportunity Gap

Literacy is the most basic, fundamental skill that has profound impact for future success including: academic achievement, economic freedom, and career and income prospects.  Yet many children struggle to achieve proficiency in reading in Maryland and across the country.  When the 2019 NAEP reading scores are broken out by race, the picture is grim, only 22% of Black and Hispanic students scored at or above proficient in reading and 78% scored at a basic or below basic level.

The College of Education at the University of Maryland, in conjunction with the School of Public Policy and the Language & Literacy Research Center; the Maryland State Department of Education; and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) of Maryland, are holding a one-day Literacy and Equity in the 21st Century Summit to examine “the literacy gap”.

The purpose of the summit is to bring government and community stakeholders together to develop actionable solutions to improve student reading outcomes through innovative approaches to a) increase educator access to professional development, b) align knowledge and practice standards with the established reading science, and c) effectively bridge the gap between research and practice. The Summit is open to invited guests.

Fearless Conversations
Literacy and Equity in the 21st Century: Closing the Opportunity Gap
January 8, 8:30 am - 3pm

Panel Discussions with Breakout Conversations

Keynote Speakers:
Emily Hanford, American Public Media
Kelly Butler, Barksdale Reading Institute

Featured Panelists:
Julie Washington, Georgia State University
William (Brit) Kirwan, Chancellor Emeritus University System of Maryland

Goals: (1) To build awareness, engagement, and commitment throughout the state of Maryland on implementing scientifically-supported literacy instruction that is equitable for all children and (2) Provide an architecture for statewide solutions to implement approaches to achieving equity through literacy for all.

For more information, please contact Donald J. Bolger, associate professor, at djbolger@umd.edu