Community Literacy is Focus of First National Summit

Practioners, Experts to Begin Dialogue on Improving Instruction
and Evaluating Outcomes for Learners

WASHINGTON (March 19, 2007) -- The National Institute for Literacy today is bringing together more than 80 community leaders, scholars, and literacy experts to begin a national dialogue on improving and expanding literacy efforts at the community level. The Institute's Community Literacy Summit, an invitation-only event, begins at 7:45 a.m. at the Palomar Hotel.

"The Summit, the Institute's first, will provide an opportunity for community leaders to learn more about improving instruction in community-wide initiatives and how to evaluate them to document and improve outcomes for learners," said Sandra Baxter, Ed.D. director of the Institute. While the field of community literacy is emerging, practitioners and experts say that defining the work that they do outside of the mainstream school setting or workplace to promote lifelong learning, is not easily or universally defined.

But despite how this area of literacy is defined, Baxter said, "the quality of instruction and evaluation are critical topics for us to address."

Featured Presenters

Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D., president of the International Reading Association and a member of the Institute's presidentially-appointed Advisory Board, will open today's Summit with a presentation on the essential components of successful literacy programs. Ms. Susan Taylor, editorial director of Essence, the nation's leading lifestyle magazine for African-American women, will talk about Essence Cares, a new national mentoring and literacy initiative to support the African-American community and youth. Mr. Patrick Gaston, president of the Verizon Foundation, will discuss measuring program effectiveness and attracting philanthropic support; and Barbara Foorman, Ph.D., the Francis Eppes Professor of Education at the Florida Center for Reading Research at Florida State University will discuss literacy instruction and effective interventions for children, youth, and adults. Dr. Foorman is also the former Commissioner of Education Research in the Institute of Education Sciences in the U.S. Department of Education.

Visit the Community Literacy Summit Resource page for summit presentations and additional resources.

The National Institute for Literacy provides leadership on literacy issues, including the improvement of reading instruction for children, youth, and adults. In consultation with the U.S. Departments of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services, the Institute serves as a national resource on current, comprehensive literacy research, practice, and policy.