News Release

Sept. 18, 2006

Boise State Department of Literacy Hosts 'Literacies for Our Students Futures' Conference

The Idaho Council of the International Reading Association and the Boise Reading Council will hold the “Literacies for Our Students’ Futures” conference Oct. 5-6 at Borah High School. The event is sponsored by the Boise State University Department of Literacy in the College of Education.

“Literacies for Our Students’ Futures” is a conference for teachers, education administrators and specialists that will feature speakers and authors from around the country, including Alfie Kohn, Donald Leu, Diane Barone and Irene Gaskins. Other speakers include Gloria Skurzynski, Mary Cronk Farrell, Will Martin, Vashti Summerhill and Judy Cox.

Kohn, who will also give a free lecture for parents and caregivers at 7 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Boise State Student Union Special Events Center, is an author and national speaker. His latest book, “The Homework Myth,” was released in August. He also is the author of “Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason,” “Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise and Other Bribes,” among others.

Leu is the John and Maria Neag endowed chair in literacy and technology at the University of Connecticut. He is the past president of the National Reading Conference. Since 1991, he has explored the new literacies of networked technologies, such as the Internet.

Barone of the University of Nevada-Reno is the author of “Improving Students’ Writing, K-8: From Meaning-Making to High Stakes!,” “Reading First in the Classroom,” and “Resilient Children: Stories of Poverty, Drug Exposure and Literacy Development.”

Gaskins is the director of the Benchmark School, which has been recognized for its excellence in reading education by Pennsylvania and Kentucky, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Center for the Study of Reading.

For more information on conference fees and how to register, contact Stephanie Youngerman at (208) 854-4162 or youngerman@boiseschools.org or visit www.idahoreads.org.


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Contact: Lee Dubert, College of Education, (208) 426-3271, ldubert@boisestate.edu
Media Contact: Julie Hahn, University Communications, (208) 426-5540, juliehahn@boisestate.edu 


Where you see blue, we see the largest institution of higher education in Idaho. For the ninth time in the last 10 years, Boise State University has set an all-time state record with a fall enrollment of 18,876 students. Since 1996, Boise State’s student population has increased 25 percent.

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Last reviewed on Wednesday, January 03, 2007