edWebinars
«Back to all edWebinars- This event has passed.
Teaching Reading Today: Bridging Research, Practice, and the Social Value of Literacy
Tuesday, December 9, 2025 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm EST
Presented by Carol Jago, Associate Director, California Reading and Literature Project, UCLA, and Past President, National Council of Teachers of English; Lorna Simmons, Former Special Education Teacher, and Author, Saxon Reading Foundations; Dr. JT Torres, Director, Houston H. Harte Center for Teaching and Learning; and Samantha Garon, VP of Product Management, Heinemann
Sponsored by Heinemann
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
In this edLeader Panel, scholars Carol Jago, Lorna Simmons, and Dr. JT Torres engage in a dynamic and timely conversation exploring how foundational literacy skills, strategic fluency development, and deep comprehension work in harmony to empower confident, lifelong readers. Viewers gain actionable classroom strategies and insights from diverse educator perspectives to support literacy growth across all grade levels.
Join us as they:
- Address some of the most critical questions facing reading teachers today
- Consider and discuss recent literacy research and statistics
- Explore what success looks like for readers of all abilities—and how rigor can fuel joy in the process
This recorded edLeader Panel is of interest to PreK-12 teachers, reading and curriculum specialists, multilingual learner administrators, school leaders, and district leaders.
Enjoy a complimentary ebook, Establishing Effective Instruction: A Comprehensive Approach to Literacy. It offers practical, research-based strategies to strengthen literacy instruction, align tools for impact, and help every student become a confident reader and writer.
About the Presenters
Carol Jago has taught English in middle and high school public schools for 32 years and is Associate Director of the California Reading and Literature Project at UCLA. She served as President of the National Council of Teachers of English and as Chair of the College Board’s English Academic Advisory Committee. She has published many books with Heinemann, including The Book in Question: Why and How Reading Is in Crisis. She is also author of With Rigor for All and Cohesive Writing: Why Concept Is Not Enough, and published books on contemporary multicultural authors for NCTE.
Carol was awarded the International Literacy Association’s Adolescent Literacy Thought Leader Award and the CEL Exemplary Leadership Award. She has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Association of Teachers of English. Carol has served on the National Assessment Governing Board and currently serves on the International Literacy Association’s Board of Directors.
Lorna Simmons is a former special education teacher and author of Saxon Reading Foundations. Combining her years of formal training and classroom experience with her personal struggles to guide her own son to reading success, Lorna developed an immersive spelling and phonics program that has since helped over four million readers in all 50 states experience reading success. Lorna continues to work with schools to find ways to make the lessons more accommodating to the needs of teachers.
Dr. JT Torres directs the Houston H. Harte Center for Teaching and Learning. He supports teachers and students in all contexts, both in and out of the classroom. His approach to educational development focuses on meaningful relationships with students, teachers, and content. His co-authored book, How to Use Writing for Teaching and Learning, is informed by his research into the ways students write themselves into a particular discipline as well as how students interpret faculty feedback on their writing. Dr. Torres argues that literacy is an inherently inclusive process, a point frequently made in his co-edited book, How to Incorporate Equity and Justice in Your Teaching. He also explored, in Situated Narratives and Sacred Dance, the ways oral literacy practices sustained the social memory of Arará communities in Cuba.
Samantha Garon is a VP of Publishing at Heinemann.
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
Join the Teaching Reading and Writing community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.
Delivering world-class educational resources to enhance teacher practice, advance student outcomes, and set the foundation for a lifetime of learning.
