Organizers for Middle Tennessee State University’s upcoming Literacy Research Conference have extended the registration deadline to Tuesday, Jan. 19.

The Saturday, Jan. 30, event is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in MTSU’s College of Education Building. Researchers and others interested in literacy education are invited to attend.

Registration cost is $10. Participants can register and learn more at www.mtsu.edu/literacy/conference.php.

Dr. Doug Fuchs

Hosted by MTSU’s Literacy Studies Ph.D. Program, the conference provides a venue for students and established scholars to present research related to literacy. Organizers are encouraging researchers and practitioners from various disciplines such as education, psychology, linguistics and neuroscience to attend and participate.

“We encourage presentations of original literacy research, as well as research in progress,” said Dr. Amy Elleman, an assistant professor in the university’s literacy program. “We are especially interested in literacy research that helps bridge the research to practice gap in education.”

Dr. Amy Elleman

Keynote speaker for the conference will be Dr. Doug Fuchs, professor and Nicholas Hobbs Chair in Special Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University.

Fuchs, a principal investigator on 35 federally funded literacy grants, has published more than 200 peer-reviewed studies and has been named one of the most highly cited researchers in the social sciences.

The conference will showcase more than 30 spoken and poster presentations on current literacy research topics, including vocabulary acquisition, writing strategy instruction for ESL learners, fluency instruction and assessment, and others.

Those interested in pursuing a doctoral degree in literacy can learn more about MTSU’s program at www.mtsu.edu/literacy.

The interdisciplinary program draws on faculty from the College of Education, the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts. It offers flexible courses and field experiences as well as teaching and research opportunities.

Graduate students and practitioners who attend the conference will have the opportunity to meet faculty members and students in MTSU’s doctoral program.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)