2026 UT Austin Symposium - Participant Hub

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Program Schedule:

Join us on the Forty Acres for a day of research, collaboration, and literacy leadership.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Registration, Light Breakfast & Exhibitor Networking

8:15–9:00 AM in SZB 2.808 Massey Hall

Opening Remarks & Framing the Day

9:00–9:15 AM

Lisa Baker, President, International Dyslexia Association – Austin Branch

Dr. Nathan Clemens, The University of Texas at Austin

Keynote Address

9:15–10:15 AM

Session Title: Evidence-Based Reading Instruction: Translating Research into Classroom Impact

SZB 1.510 (Al Kiva Auditorium)

Dr. Sharon Vaughn, The University of Texas at Austin (1 CE)

The Science of Reading (SoR) has had a significant influence on policy and professional development throughout Texas and the United States. More than 44 states have passed laws regarding the SoR. As potentially advantageous as these policies are there are also opportunities for misunderstandings around the SoR therefore potentially derailing much of the success from SoR. In addition, SoR can only fully realize its potential if the Science of Teaching is integrated so that teacher practice, knowledge and effective instruction are integrated. This session details what we know and need to know about implementing SoR and science of teaching to improve decision-making and practice.

Transition & Break

10:15–10:30 AM

SZB 2.808 Massey Hall Exhibitor Visits Encouraged

Morning Breakout Sessions

10:30–11:30 AM

Session Title: The Reading Brain: Cognitive Neuroscience of Language and Literacy Development
SZB 1.510 (Al Kiva)

Jessica Church-Lang, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Texas at Austin (1CE)

The session will begin with a basic overview of how children’s brains respond to reading tasks, and how we go about collecting MRI data with families. I will discuss the main organization of the developing brain in terms of the internal networks it forms, and the findings that have been solidified over decades and across different labs. Next, I will review some of our work studying the relationship between executive function, the brain’s control networks, and reading. We will discuss NIH-funded findings from elementary and middle school struggling and non-struggling readers before and after educational interventions. We will also discuss our NSF-funded project examining 4th and 7th graders before and after summer break from school.

After the summary of the research, I will highlight key obstacles in translating these findings into educational practice. We will discuss exciting current and future directions in the field that may come closer to the classroom and general applicability. Innovations include (a) large sampling, (b) repeated measures in the same individuals over time, (c) mobile

Session Title: Raising Literacy Expectations for Students with Intensive Needs
SZB 2.624 – Cissy McDaniel Parker Dean’s Conference Room

Jill Allor, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor, Southern Methodist University (1CE)

Charlotte Gregor, M.Ed., CALT, Co-Presenter, Doctoral Student, Southern Methodist University

This session seeks to equip educators with practical strategies and renewed optimism for supporting students with intensive needs in accessing the Science of Reading. Results from a randomized control trial evaluating the efficacy of Friends on the Block, a comprehensive structured literacy curriculum, will be summarized. The study involved 132 elementary students with intensive needs, including students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Findings provide evidence that higher literacy expectations are both warranted and achievable for students with varying disabilities who require intensive literacy support, including students with IDD. Key features of the program will be described, and case stories of selected participants will be highlighted to illustrate how research-based instruction can translate into meaningful literacy growth for students with intensive needs.

Lunch & Exhibitor Networking

11:30 AM–12:30 PM SZB 3.312

Afternoon Breakout Sessions

12:30–1:30 PM

Session Title: Supplementary Intervention Aligned with Core Classroom Instruction
SZB 1.510 (Al Kiva)

Elizabeth Stevens, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Texas at Austin (1CE)

In this session, we will briefly describe the (a) why nonaligned instruction is problematic, (b) the benefits of aligning reading comprehension instruction, and (c) recent research demonstrating students with reading difficulties benefit from aligned instruction across core and intervention settings (Stevens et al., 2020; 2024). Finally, we will discuss how school leaders and teachers can think about and plan for aligned instruction in schools. As part of this, we will provide concrete examples of aligning reading comprehension instruction across content areas (i.e., ELA/R, social studies, science, mathematics) and across settings (i.e., core and intervention). We will also describe ways for teachers intensify intervention instruction that is aligned to core instruction.

Session Title: Essential Practices for Writing Success: Evidence-Based Interventions for Students with Dyslexia
SZB 2.624 – Cissy McDaniel Parker Dean’s Conference Room

Alyson Collins, Ph.D., CALT, Associate Professor, Texas State University (1CE)

This session will equip educators with evidence-based practices proven to improve writing outcomes for students with dyslexia. Participants will learn instructional approaches that make writing instruction more explicit and strategic for young writers with dyslexia. Further, the session will provide practical strategies that build students’ confidence and competence in essential writing skills. Educators will leave with resources they can implement in their everyday instructional practice to address individual student needs and support broader writing growth.

Break

1:30-1:45 PM

Featured Session

1:45–2:30 PM

Session Title: Structured Literacy: Integrating The Who, The Why, The What, and The How of Evidence-Based Reading Instruction
SZB 1.510 (Al Kiva)

Mary Murray Stowe, Ed.D., President, International Dyslexia Association – Virginia Branch (1CE)

During this session, we will explore Structured Literacy, the comprehensive, evidence-based approach to reading and writing instruction defined by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA). Grounded in decades of Science of Reading research and aligned with scientifically based reading research, Structured Literacy integrates all domains of language—phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics—through explicit, systematic, cumulative, and mastery-oriented instruction.

Break

2:30-2:45 PM

Closing Session: Capstone Panel

2:45–3:45 PM

Session Title: Advancing Structured Literacy Through Research, Preparation, and Policy

SZB 1.510 (Al Kiva)

Moderator:

Mary Murray Stowe, Ed.D., President, International Dyslexia Association – Virginia Branch

Panel Participants:

Nathan Clemens, Ph.D., Professor and Department Chair, Department of Special Education, The University of Texas at Austin

Alyson Collins, Ph.D., CALT, Associate Professor, Texas State University

Elizabeth Stevens, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Texas at Austin (1CE)

Jill Allor, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor, Southern Methodist University

Jessica Church-Lang, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Texas at Austin

Charlotte Gregor, M.Ed., CALT, Co-Presenter, Doctoral Student, Southern Methodist University

This session is a collaboration between a number of entities including the National Center for Improving Literacy, along with the IDA Austin Branches and colleagues in the field.

Despite scientific advances that have informed our understanding of reading acquisition and development, a profound gap exists between empirical findings and the implementation of evidence-based practices around assessment and instruction of reading in school settings (Solari et al., 2020). Some researchers have taken steps to assure their research is directly received by practitioners via various formats – open-source articles, presenting at conference to share directly with practitioners, and others have published their research findings in formats that are easily available to practitioners.

Q&A

3:45–4:00 PM

Final Remarks & Adjourn

4:00–4:15 PM SZB 1.510 (Al Kiva Auditorium)

Meet the Speakers

Keynote Speaker

Sharon Vaughn, Ph.D.

Professor, University of Texas Executive Director, The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk

Dr. Sharon Vaughn is the Manuel J. Justiz Endowed Chair in Education and the Executive Director of The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, an organized research unit that she founded with a “make a wish” gift from the Meadows Foundation family. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the first woman in the history of The University of Texas to receive the Distinguished Faculty and Research Award, the CEC research award, the AERA SIG distinguished researcher award, and the Jeannette E. Fleischner Award for Outstanding Contributions in the Field of LD from CEC. She is the author of more than 40 books and 400 research articles, six of which have met the What Works Clearing House Criteria for their intervention reports. She has conducted technical assistance in literacy to more than 10 countries and 30 State Departments of Education and has worked as a literacy consultant to more than 50 technical assistance projects.

Jessica Church-Lang, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, University of Texas at Austin

Dr. Jessica Church-Lang grew up in Michigan, earned her B.A. from Smith College, and received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Washington University in St. Louis. She completed a joint postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Silvia Bunge (UC Berkeley) and Dr. Brad Schlaggar (Washington University School of Medicine) before founding the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab in the Psychology Department at the University of Texas at Austin, where she is now a full professor and serves as a faculty ombuds.

Dr. Church-Lang’s research focuses on how cognitive control processes develop across childhood and adolescence, and how research on atypical development helps illuminate vulnerable aspects of cognitive development. She previously served as head of the Austin neuroimaging site for the Texas Learning Disabilities Research Center, where her work examined the relationship between cognitive control and reading, as well as brain changes associated with reading intervention.

Current research in her lab explores the development of cognitive control and academic skills in late childhood and adolescence, including how the brain’s control networks support learning during intervention or periods of educational disruption. Her work integrates behavioral methods such as cognitive and neuropsychological assessments with neuroimaging techniques (including fMRI and diffusion-weighted imaging) and studies of youth from the local community, including children with ADHD and learning differences.

Jill Allor, Ph.D.

Dr. Jill Allor is a University Distinguished Professor and former chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning at Southern Methodist University. In 1996, she received her doctorate in special education from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. A former special education teacher, her research is school-based and focuses on literacy acquisition for students with and without disabilities. As principal/co-principal investigator, she has received nearly $10 million of external research funds, including a $3.3 million grant funded in 2020 by the Institute of Education Sciences to test the efficacy of the Friends on the Block literacy curriculum when provided to students with intensive needs. She has also received over $1 million to support teacher preparation and development in literacy. In 2012, the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council presented her with the Innovator Award for Outstanding Educator. In addition to publishing early literacy programs for typical and struggling readers, as well as students with disabilities, she has also published over 50 peer-reviewed research articles and book chapters. Throughout her career, she has presented widely at national professional meetings and has led numerous professional development workshops on a wide variety of literacy related topics, including peer tutoring, early literacy development, phonemic awareness instruction, literacy assessment, and early literacy text.

Charlotte Gregor, M.Ed., CALT

Co-Presenter
Doctoral Student, Southern Methodist University

Charlotte Gregor is a PhD student, literacy researcher, and adjunct professor specializing in foundational literacy acquisition for students with language-based learning disabilities, including dyslexia. Her commitment to ensuring that high-quality, Structured Literacy instruction is accessible to all learners is both professional and personal. Diagnosed with dyslexia in the second grade, Charlotte brings a lived perspective to her research, teaching, and advocacy. Charlotte is currently working on Project Intensity, an IES funded project evaluating the efficacy of Friends on the Block (FOTB). FOTB is an intensive literacy intervention for students with intensive literacy needs that seeks to make literacy instruction engaging and inclusive. Prior to her doctoral studies, Charlotte served as an Academic Language Therapist in Dallas-area public schools, where she taught students with dyslexia and supported schools in a range of academic intervention roles. She currently serves on the board of the Dallas Branch of the International Dyslexia Association and is deeply committed to supporting individuals struggling with literacy in her community. #UntilEveryoneCanRead

Elizabeth Stevens, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, University of Texas at Austin

Elizabeth Stevens is an Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education at The University of Texas (UT) at Austin. Stevens received a Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin; prior to that, she was a special education teacher for nine years. Her research focuses on improving academic outcomes for students with learning disabilities and learning difficulties. She has been awarded three IES research grants as PI or Co-PI, totaling over $7.1 million ($5.7 million as PI). She is currently leading Project ALIGN, an efficacy study investigating the effects of aligning reading comprehension practices in core and intervention on fifth graders’ reading outcomes. Stevens is also leading a development grant (Math Words) to design and test a mathematics vocabulary intervention for third and fourth graders with mathematics difficulty. Stevens has published in numerous high-impact journals, including Scientific Studies of Reading, Exceptional Children, Journal of Learning Disabilities, Reading and Writing, Remedial and Special Education, and Teaching Exceptional Children.

Alyson Collins, Ph.D., CALT

Associate Professor, Texas State University

Dr. Alyson A. Collins is an Associate Professor of Special Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Texas State University (TXST). Prior to earning her doctoral degree from Vanderbilt University, Dr. Collins taught for nine years in Texas public schools. During that time, she practices as a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT) providing intensive reading and writing intervention to students with dyslexia across grades K to 5. As a teacher, she also served for two years on the Austin Area Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (AABIIDA) Board.

Dr. Collins’ program of research focuses on exploring writing instruction for students with disabilities, effective interventions for these students, and professional development models that support teacher implementation of evidence-based practices. Dr. Collins has served as Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI on four Institute of Education Sciences (IES) grants aiming to improve writing instruction for students with disabilities. In addition, she leads two Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) preparation grants at TXST aimed at enhancing teachers’ use of evidence-based practices and facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations with school psychologists. One of these grants, Project LEAD: Learning and Education for All with Dyslexia, supports a new graduate program that integrates a master’s degree in special education with a dyslexia specialist certification.

Mary Murray Stowe, Ed.D.

President, International Dyslexia Association – Virginia Branch

Dr. Mary Murray Stowe works with teachers, administrators, instructional coaches, directors and coordinators of special education through the Training and Technical Assistance Center at William & Mary and the Virginia Department of Education as an educational specialist. Mary is certified as a SIM™ Certified Learning Strategy Professional Developer in Learning Strategies, Certified Local LETRS Classic Trainer, and LETRS Third Edition Facilitator. Currently, Mary also serves as a consultant for the National Center for Improving Literacy and President of the Virginia Branch of the International Dyslexia Association.

Nathan Clemens, Ph.D.

Professor, University of Texas at Austin

Nathan Clemens, Ph.D. is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Special Education at The University of Texas at Austin. He studies interventions and assessments for students with reading difficulties and disabilities across grade levels, with a focus on word-reading and reading comprehension.

Exhibitor Information

We are pleased to welcome the following exhibitors:

Neuhaus Education Center
Tumbleweed Publishing
Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk (MCPER)
Scanning Pens
Learning Ally
BrainScience Works
Objective Ed
Rawson Saunders
Dyslexia Center of Austin
NOAH Text
Texas State University
Wilson Language
Cosworth publishing

Know Before You Go (Exhibitors)

IDA Austin Symposium – UT Austin (SZB – Sánchez Building)

We’re excited to have you join us—thank you for being part of the symposium!

Arrival & Setup

Please enter through:
Northwest Entry (Wichita Street)
➤ Designated for Exhibitor & Catering Drop-Off
This entrance provides the most direct access to:
SZB 2.808 – Massey Hall (Exhibitor Space)

Exhibitor Location

SZB 2.808-Massey Hall
➤ All exhibitor tables and networking will take place here

Timing

Plan to arrive early to allow time for unloading and setup
IDA Austin team members will be onsite to assist and direct

Additional Building Access from Brazos Garage- Best parking

Use walkway directly from Brazos Garage follow signs to registration area

Support

Our team will be available to assist with:

Directions
Setup questions
General event needs

We’re grateful for your partnership and look forward to a fantastic event!

Parking & Know Before You Go

IDA Austin Symposium – UT Austin (Sánchez Education Building / SZB)

We’re excited to welcome you to campus! Here’s what you need to know before you arrive:

Event Locations (SZB)

SZB 1.510 (Al Kiva Auditorium)
Main Session Room (Keynote & Featured Sessions)
SZB 2.624 – Cissy McDaniel Parker Special Education Room
Breakout Sessions
SZB 2.808 – Massey Hall
Exhibitors & Networking

Where to Enter

Northeast Main Entrance (“New Entrance”)
➤ Primary entrance for all attendees
Northwest Entry (Wichita Street)
➤ Secondary access point

Arrival Tips

Plan extra time for parking and walking to SZB
Follow signage for Registration and session rooms
Stop by Massey Hall to visit exhibitors throughout the day

Need Help?

IDA Austin volunteers will be available to guide you—just look for signage or ask!

We look forward to a meaningful day of learning and connection—see you there!

Attending Virtually? Please see our virtual access information page:

The Science of Teaching Reading in Action – Virtual Access & Zoom Link Structure