Oral Language and Vocabulary Strategies to Develop Confident, Capable Learners

About the Presenters

Dr. Charles Hulme is Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Education at the University of Oxford and Professor of Psychology at Oxford Brookes University. He was formerly Professor of Psychology and Education in the Department of Education and William Golding Senior Research Fellow at Brasenose College, University of Oxford. Dr. Hulme is an expert on reading, language, and memory processes and their development. He has developed a number of effective language and reading interventions. Dr. Hulme is a Fellow of the British Academy, Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, and Fellow of Academia Europaea. He has received numerous awards for his research, including the Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading (2019) and was ranked one of the top psychology scientists in the world (2023). He is the founder and CEO of OxEd & Assessment.

Kary Mirasola, MS, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist with over 25 years of experience supporting language and literacy development in school-age and adolescent students. She has presented locally and nationally on a variety of language-based issues and topics. Her work focuses on strengthening oral language comprehension as a foundation for written expression and academic success. Much of Kary’s career has involved interprofessional collaborations with fellow SLPs, psychologists, audiologists, teachers, developmental pediatricians, and nurse practitioners within an outpatient clinic and in the community. Through her private practice, Woven Language + Learning, LLC, Kary plans to offer training, consulting, and presentations for schools, colleges, and professional organizations. Her mission is to help educators and clinicians better understand the link between language comprehension and literacy—especially for older students who struggle in these areas.

Jen Knapp is a speech and language pathologist with 26 years of experience targeting adolescent language and literacy in the public-school setting. Over her extensive tenure, she has crafted intervention plans tailored to a diverse range of learners, spanning from individuals utilizing augmented communication to those mastering free response questions for their Advanced Placement classes. Recognizing a common challenge of limited word conceptualization among her students, she discovered InferCabulary, now under the Really Great Reading umbrella of tools. Jen now works with Really Great Reading, focusing on collaborating with classroom teachers and creating supplementary content to enhance language and literacy skills for all learners.

Dr. Kevin Arnold has worked in NYC Public Schools since 2012. He worked as a special education teacher, school-based literacy coach, and director of a program for students with developmental disabilities, and now as an assistant principal in an elementary school in Queens.

About the Moderator

For over two decades, Toni Backstrom, VP of Strategic Growth & Legislative Affairs at Really Great Reading, has dedicated her career to advancing literacy achievement for students and advocating for teacher expertise. With a deep commitment to the Science of Reading and structured literacy, Toni has collaborated with policymakers and state and district leaders, and advocates to drive meaningful educational reforms. Believing firmly that literacy is a fundamental right, she works to enhance student outcomes, recognizing that improved literacy has profound and far-reaching benefits for individuals, families, and communities.