National experts and state leaders will convene on Thursday, December 15th, at the Botanical Center in Des Moines to discuss policies and practices to increase third grade literacy and restore Iowa to educational leadership in this area.
Ralph Smith, Vice President of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and leader of the national Grade-Level Reading Campaign, Dr. Nell Duke, co-director of the Literacy Achievement Research Center (LARC) at Michigan State University and national expert of early elementary reading comprehensive, and Dr. Heather Weiss, head of the Harvard Family Research Project and national expert on family-school partnerships, will provide overviews of the current knowledge base on developing effective policies and practices to improve third grade literacy. Each will lead break-out sessions to discuss Iowa opportunities to build a world-class early literacy system. Iowa research, education, business, and advocacy leaders will join with state policy makers on panels and as forum participants in examining the Governor and Lieutenant Governor's Blueprint for Education Reform as it applies to third grade literacy.
The Child and Family Policy Center, United Way of Central Iowa, the Afterschool Alliance, and the Business/Education Alliance have joined as co-sponsors of the forum.
Space is limited and registration is available through contact with the Child and Family Policy Center.
Press Note: The national speakers will be available at different times during the forum for interviews with members of the press. Ralph Smith's keynote address will be from 9:45 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., with a state responder panel (Linda Fandel, Doug Gross, Teree Caldwell-Johnson, and Tom Urban), followed by plenary presentation from 11:30 to 12:30 by Dr. Nell Duke and Dr. Heather Weiss.
