MTSU is hosting an annual conference Saturday, Aug. 16, to help area educators improve the reading skills of their students.

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Sponsored by the Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia, the second annual Reading Conference will run from 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. at the MTSU Business and Aerospace Building inside the State Farm Lecture Hall (S102). Registration and breakfast runs 7:30 to 8:15 a.m.

The keynote address entitled “Beyond What Works: When Research Meets Reality” will be given by Dr. Deborah Simmons, an MTSU alumna and nationally known reading expert and researcher. She is currently a professor in the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University where she conducts research in reading acquisition and development for preschool through secondary grades.

Simmons received her undergraduate and master’s degrees from MTSU and her doctorate from Purdue University. She was an educator in Rutherford County for eight years and also served on the faculties of Bowling Green University, Vanderbilt University and the University of Oregon.

The daylong conference also includes breakout sessions for elementary school, middle school and high school educators on the topics of content area reading, writing and vocabulary.

Register online and find speaker and session details at http://www.mtsu.edu/dyslexia. The $50 registration fee includes continental breakfast and lunch.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)