Thompson Center announces Summit on Early Literacy

The Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership will host the Thompson Center Summit on Early Literacy at Monona Terrace on Wednesday, Feb. 8, starting at 11:30 a.m.

Over one third of Wisconsin students are unable to read at grade level leading to short term and long-term challenges for students. The Thompson Center Summit on Early Literacy is bringing together four leaders in child literacy — Emily Hanford, Dr. Kymyona Burk, Donna Hejtmanek, and Mark Seidenberg — to speak on various barriers and approaches to implementing early literacy for the children of Wisconsin.

Hanford is a senior correspondent for American Public Media, focusing on early reading instruction. Burk is the senior policy fellow for early literacy at the Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd). Hejtmanek is former president of the Literacy Task Force of Northern Wisconsin and creates professional development opportunities for teachers and parents. Seidenberg is a Vilas research professor and Donald O. Hebb professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and his research is on the nature of skilled reading, how children learn to read, developmental reading impairments, and the brain bases of reading.

A livestream link of the summit will be available here.