Insights From The Experts
Discover ideas, tips, and techniques to elevate your literacy instruction and learn about the latest research that aligns with innovative instructional strategies. Join us live to engage with speakers during a Q&A session, or watch recorded presentations whenever it suits your schedule.
Join Us Live
Rome Wasn’t Built on a Scope & Sequence
Thursday, April 30, 2026 @ 3:00PM ET
Rome was built on principles of load, material, structure, and what it takes for something to last. The science of reading provides better blueprints for literacy instruction. It helps inform what to teach and motivated higher quality instructional materials. But blueprints don’t build themselves, and what’s missing from the conversation is how we structure learners’ time, attention, and effort in pursuit of learning. In this webinar, we’ll examine how learning science grounds effective literacy instruction, why it makes everything else hold together, and why the same activity can support skill development at one phase and quietly undermine it at another. Rome knew something about building things that last. It’s time to bring that sensibility to how we build literacy instruction.
Join Us for Screenings of the HILL’s Literacy Summit during Sundance Panels
During the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, one of the world’s most influential storytelling gatherings, HILL For Literacy hosted the Heretic Films Lounge Literacy Summit. Experts from across many disciplines participated in the name of an urgent truth: literacy is a public health imperative and a defining challenge of our time.
We are thrilled to present the recordings of the Literacy Summit Panels, bringing the panelists’ brilliant ideas, insights, and lively discussion to a broader audience. Each panel is approximately 30-45 minutes long – join us for one or two, or all!
Designing for Learning: Empowering Educators, Serving Students
Tuesday April 7, 2026 @ 3:30 PM ET
Literacy advocates and leaders discuss the importance of consistent implementation of evidence-based reading instruction, breaking down deficit-based thinking, and working collaboratively across sectors to ensure all students receive high-quality literacy instruction.
Featuring:
- Darci Burns | HILL For Literacy
- Harvey Hubbell | Welcome to Hopeville Documentary
- Nellie Tayloe Sanders | Former Oklahoma Secretary of Education
Moderated by: Kari Kurto | The Reading League
Framing the Silent Crisis: Documentaries as Catalysts for Literacy Reform
Thursday April 9, 2026 @ 3:30 PM ET
Explore the significant impact of literacy challenges in education and the transformative power of storytelling to drive awareness, change perceptions, and lead to action.
Featuring:
- Anna Toomey | Left Behind Film
- Jeff Martin | Children’s Literacy Project
- Lucy Martin |Children’s Literacy Project
- Jenny Mackenzie | Right to Read Film
- Barbara Hammond | The Learning Alliance
- Liz Woody-Remington | The Learning Alliance
Moderated by: Juju Chang | Nightline News ABC
On-Demand
Speaker Series
Dr. Deborah K. Reed | Tennessee Reading Research Center
Does Statewide Teacher Training Really Help Kids Read? Insights for Educators.
Dr. Deborah Reid from the Tennessee Reading Research Center presents findings from an independent evaluation of statewide teacher training programs on student reading outcomes.
Dr. Terrie Noland | The Transformative Reading Teacher Group
Dr. Nell Thompson | The Transformative Reading Teacher Group
One System, Two Directions: How Teachers and Leaders Converge for Literacy Impact
Dr. Noland and Dr. Thompson highlight high-leverage, evidence-based moves that leaders and teachers can implement to reduce instructional friction, strengthen coherence, and turn classroom insights into system action.
Dr. Leslie Laud | Releasing Writers (formerly ThinkSRSD)
Rebecca Thompson | Holyoke Public Schools (MA)
Cara Dellaterra | HILL For Literacy
Transforming Writing: A District’s SRSD & MTSS Journey
This webinar presents a comprehensive look at how Holyoke Public Schools has implemented a strategic literacy transformation through partnerships with HILL For Literacy and Releasing Writers.
Dr. Stephanie Stollar | Reading Science Academy
Kari Kurto | The Reading League
Emily Russin | HILL For Literacy
Adolescent Literacy within an MTSS Framework: Strategies to Support Striving Readers
This panel, sponsored by HILL For Literacy and The Reading League-Connecticut, highlights the need for data-driven decision-making and integrated instruction to address literacy challenges in secondary education.
Dr. Rachel Romeo | University of Maryland
The Role of Oral Language in Literacy Development: Evidence from Educational Neuroscience
Dr. Romeo, a licensed Speech Language Pathologist, presents foundational research and practical implications related to the role of oral language in literacy development.
Dr. Rachel Brown-Chidsey | University of Southern Maine
How’s That Working? Selecting & Implementing Effective Tier 1 Core Reading Instruction
Dr. Brown-Chidsey discusses the importance of effective tier one core reading instruction for all students.
Tanya Wright, Ed.M. | Educator and SAG Award Winner
A Fireside Chat
Ms. Wright shares her mission to advance equitable literacy outcomes for children, drawing from her own experiences and discussing the importance of storytelling in education.
Dr. Maryanne Wolf | UCLA
Read, Rave, and Rekindle Joy
Dr. Wolf shares her insights on the importance of fostering a love for reading among children.
Dr. Michael Coyne | NEAG School of Education at UCONN
The Power of Partnership: Working Together to Improve Literacy
Dr. Coyne highlights Connecticut’s successful literacy model, which has evolved over twelve years through collaboration among state departments, educational institutions, and local partners.
Our Own Expertise
Experience our training services through 30-minute expert-led webinars. Topics include:
- Reading and the Brain
- Phonemic Awareness & Phonics
- Highly Effective Vocabulary & Comprehension Strategies
Reading & The Brain
Phonemic Awareness & Phonics
Vocabulary & Comprehension
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