Fearless Conversations on Literacy and Equity in the 21st Century: Closing the Opportunity Gap

On Friday, January 8, The University of Maryland held its first Fearless Conversation on Literacy & Equity in the 21st Century.  

Excerpted from UMD's website:

Literacy is the most basic, fundamental skill that has profound impact for future success including: academic achievement, economic freedom, and career and income prospects.  Yet many children struggle to achieve proficiency in reading in Maryland and across the country.  When the 2019 NAEP reading scores are broken out by race, the picture is grim, only 22% of Black and Hispanic students scored at or above proficient in reading and 78% scored at a basic or below basic level.

​The College of Education at the University of Maryland, in conjunction with the School of Public Policy and the Language & Literacy Research Center; the Maryland State Department of Education; and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) of Maryland, are holding a one-day Literacy and Equity in the 21st Century Summit to examine “the literacy gap”.

The goals of the Summit are twofold: 

1. To build awareness, engagement, and commitment throughout the state of Maryland on implementing scientifically-supported literacy instruction that is equitable for all children and
   
2. To provide an architecture for statewide solutions to implement approaches to achieving equity through literacy for all.

Stay tuned for the outcomes report from the Summit which will include next steps.  If you would like to participate or learn more, please contact [email protected].