Uniting for Literacy: Where Do We Go From Here?

Join us on April 5 for a dynamic and engaging event dedicated to advancing literacy support for students. Whether you’re a parent, educator, or literacy advocate, this conference will provide practical tools, fresh insights, and valuable networking opportunities to help you take the next steps in fostering strong readers.

Why Attend?

• Inspiring Keynote: Nationally recognized literacy and child development expert Steve Dykstra will deliver an insightful keynote, offering strategies to create meaningful change in how we support young readers.
• Interactive Workshops: Participate in hands-on sessions that provide practical training and guidance for improving literacy outcomes.
• Collaborative Connections: Network with fellow parents, educators, and professionals who share a passion for literacy development.
• Actionable Resources: Walk away with effective strategies and tools that can be implemented immediately.

Who Should Join?

This conference is designed for parents, teachers, librarians, and anyone committed to helping children become confident, capable readers. Whether you’re looking for innovative teaching methods or ways to make reading a daily habit at home, you’ll find valuable takeaways to support students at every stage of their literacy journey.

Be part of this powerful movement to shape the future of literacy – registration coming soon!

Jump to:

Keynote Information
Schedule
CEU & Certificate Information
Registration
Speaker Bio’s
Location

Keynote:

Dr. Steve Dykstra – The Developmental Needs of Children: What Matters Most and Where Reading Fits in the Equation

While reading is important there is a lot that matters as much or more. Understanding how the big pieces fit together and why they matter so much requires us to understand brains and what it means to “grow up” and become adults in the 21st century.  Development isn’t just about growth charts and milestones.  It’s about a lot more and understanding how it can go wrong makes us better at helping it go right.

Sessions:

Dr. Steve Dykstra – Dyslexia and its Entourage
Most kids with dyslexia have other stuff going on as well, like ADHD, anxiety, executive function issues, and a variety of strengths and weaknesses.  There are reasons why we see these patterns, some of which bring us back to brains and how they work, while are based in how dyslexia shapes the experiences of the children who live with it.  Dr. Dykstra will do his best to explain it so we can understand and think about it more effectively. Not everything that comes with dyslexia is dyslexia.  We’ll do our best to sort truth from myth, explain how diagnostic conventions play a part, and acknowledge there is a lot we don’t know. We’ll discuss how we got here, how we are still influenced by certain myths, and incase you’re interested, answer the question of how and where dyslexia is in the DSM 5, right down to the page number(s) and how it has evolved from past editions of the DSM.

Dr. Kelly Ballard and Dr. Rick Sabousky – RTI and MTSS: The Same or Different?
Many individuals use the terms RT I (Response to Instruction) and MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) interchangeably. The presenters will describe the differences and commonalities and how both of these systems support students.

Schedule:

Doors open at 8:00 AM

Keynote begins at 8:45 AM

Conference will conclude at 3:00 PM

CEU’s and Certificates

Earn ACT 48, ALTA, CERI, IMSLEC, and Wilson CEU’s. To qualify for educator credits, please register for the conference in advance. (See Registration Terms below)

ACT 48 credits are sponsored by PennWest.

Please ensure all form submissions are completed by April 18 11:59pm to receive certificates and ACT 48 credits.
Certificates of attendance will be emailed to you between April 28-May 1.

Registration Information

All registrations include continental breakfast and lunch. Dietary preferences will be collected during the registration process.

Registration Terms:

• Registrations cannot be transferred.
• Registrant understands their purchase is for an in-person conference with no virtual or recorded component.
• Pre-registration will close on April 2, 12:00PM.
• In the event we are able to accept registrations at the door, all registrations after April 2, 12:00 PM are not eligible for ACT 48 credits or CEU certificates.
• Cancellations prior to March 21 will result in a $15 processing fee.
• Cancellations after March 21 will forfeit any reimbursement.

Speakers:

Dr. Steve Dykstra is a psychologist from Milwaukee Wisconsin.  Soon to be retired from over 30 years of public service, he has developed a powerful interest in reading and literacy because of the powerful effect it has on the developmental outcomes of children.  While he has never taught children to read beyond the things nearly all parents do, he has advocated for dozens of children, served on several state panels and commissions, consulted to multiple states and organizations, spoken at numerous conferences, and moderated expert panels on a variety of reading topics. Besides his expertise on the social and emotional consequences of reading difficulty he is well regarded for his ability to explain complex, incomplete, and sometimes conflicting science, often by generating metaphors for which he is known.  He currently serves on the boards of two Wisconsin literacy groups in which he helped found. He loves to travel and is an avid photographer. Ask him to share his photos and you might be there a while.

Megan Gierka, Ed.D., serves as the Head of Implementation Strategy at AIM Institute for Learning and Research. In this role, Megan translates implementation science research into actionable tools and frameworks to facilitate systems change at the federal, state, and district levels. With over a decade of experience in public education, she has worked as a teacher, Title I reading specialist, and instructional coach. Megan earned her BS.Ed. in Elementary Education, M.Ed. in Reading Education, and Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction.

A graduate of Kent State University, Dr. Richard Sabousky taught in public schools, before moving into higher education at Clarion University. His tenure at Clarion lasted 28 years, the final 12 of which he was the chair of the Department of Special Education and Disability Policy Studies. He now continues to share his expertise as a Professor  of Education at Grove City College. Rick is past President of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children, current Vice-president of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the   International Dyslexia Association and serves on the Board of Directors for the Venango Training and Development Center. Dr. Sabousky has also been involved at the state level with multiple work groups developing the most recent Special Education Guidelines as well as the new Literacy Guidelines.

Maria Vetter works as an education consultant/advocate and cofounder of Thrive Advocacy Group. A versatile and devoted education consultant and child advocate, Maria Vetter has dedicated her career to children and their educational needs. She possesses a wealth of experience working with children.
Maria started her career in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Maria worked in early intervention programs, summer camps, ESY, and various religious school programs ensuring that all children could access their environments. Maria has worked in public, private, and specialized schools in the area. As an educator, Maria provides trainings and lectures to education professionals, medical clinicians, and parents.
Maria increasingly pursued education and professional development. She has a B.S. in education from the Pennsylvania State University and a law degree from Temple University. Since 1996, she has dedicated her life to working with families and advocating.
Maria has considerable expertise in addressing a wide range of needs and disabilities, including Autism, ADHD,  language based learning differences, gifted support, traumatic brain injury, Fragile X Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Down Syndrome, Seizure Disorder, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Physical Disabilities, Deaf/ Hard of Hearing, Prader Willi Syndrome, and various behavioral issues. Maria also provides support with family law/ custody matters for education decision making. Maria sits on a number of professional boards, provides parent training, teacher workshops, and presents both locally and nationally.

Yvonne D’Uva Howard, PhD, MS, CCC-SLP/L, C-SLT, C-DBT, is a speech-language pathologist specializing in early intervention, school-age language and literacy, and caregiver coaching. Dr. Howard’s commitment to the community extends beyond her clinical practice. She is a national speaker, structured literacy facilitator at the AIM Institute for Learning and Research, and a member of the Pennsylvania Speech-Language_hearing Association’s Leadership Development Program. Dr. Howard actively contributes to national, state and local boards, emphasizing the significance of advocacy and support for neurodiversity. She is committed to promoting equal opportunities for success in education, employment and daily life for individuals for all ages.

Lori Severino

Candace Hall

Mandy Ubele

Kate Mayer

Dr. Kelly Ballard

Patti Montgomery