Kareem Weaver, literacy advocate and founder of Full and Complete Reading is a Universal Mandate, or FULCRUM, will be awarded the Benita A. Blachman Award for Advancing Evidence Into Practice. This award honors the legacy of Blachman, Ph.D., a pioneering figure in the science of reading whose work has had a profound impact on evidence-aligned educational practices. Maria Murray, Ph.D., founder and chief executive officer of The Reading League, served as project director for Blachman’s many federally funded, early education reading grants while at Syracuse University. Many of The Reading League’s co-founders had Blachman as a professor or dissertation committee member, including chief academic officer, Heidi Beverine-Curry, Ph.D

Weaver’s dedication to advancing the science of reading exemplifies the spirit of this award, which recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the field.

The Reading League also will present the Meaningful Impact in Education Award to the National Center on Improving Literacy, or NCIL. Operated by Boston University’s Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, NCIL’s mission is to enhance the accessibility and implementation of evidence-based literacy practices for students with literacy-related disabilities, including dyslexia. Their collaborative efforts with literacy experts and researchers have made a significant impact both nationally and globally.

Founder and CEO Murray praised this year’s award winners.

“We are honored to recognize Kareem Weaver and the National Center on Improving Literacy for their outstanding contributions to the field of reading education. Their commitment to evidence-aligned reading instruction is inspiring to all of us,” Murray said. “Their tireless work is making a tremendous impact as we continue to advance the awareness, understanding, and use of evidence-aligned reading instruction.”

Noted scholar Zaretta Hammond will open the conference with a keynote address titled “Leveraging the Science of Reading for Liberatory Education.” This session promises to offer valuable insights into creating literacy-rich environments that empower all students to become proficient readers.

Attendees can also look forward to a panel led by Linda Rhyne, president of The Reading League North Carolina, discussing North Carolina’s passage of the Excellent Public Schools Act of 2021. This legislation not only recognized the importance of the science of reading but also mandated training for educators to ensure they possess the knowledge necessary to implement effective literacy instruction.

Founded in 2015, The Reading League is a national education nonprofit based in Syracuse, N.Y., seeking to increase knowledge of evidence-aligned approaches to teaching reading and the research that shows how people learn to read. We train and support educators and school leaders, and by extension, we also serve numerous stakeholder groups. We believe that all children deserve to learn to read, and all teachers can learn to teach them. For more information, please visit thereadingleague.org.

With photos of Maria Murray, Kareem Weaver, and Linda Rhyne

SOURCE The Reading League

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