Senior Advisor
ReadingUniverse.org
Kelly Butler is the Senior Advisor to ReadingUniverse.org, a free web-based service for teachers of reading and writing anywhere with access to the internet. Kelly spearheaded the development of the original Reading Universe, when she served as the Chief Executive Officer of The Barksdale Reading Institute (BRI), the organization that developed the literacy model that contributed to Mississippi's significant rise on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, 2019, 2022). Reading Universe is a detailed scope and sequence for training teachers on how to deliver sequential, systematic, explicit reading and writing instruction. ReadingUniverse.org is now hosted by PBS's flagship station in Washington, D.C., where it has a joined the award-winning suite of literacy websites including Start with a Book, Reading Rockets, Colorin Colorado, AdLit, and LDOnline.
Ms. Butler is the author of three state-wide studies to examine the alignment of pre-service preparation to evidence-based practices in reading. These studies led to the creation of The Path Forward, a multi-state initiative to embed the science of reading into teacher preparation content and delivery. While at BRI, Ms. Butler coordinated a national multi-organizational team to design an introductory short course for Teach For America's National Summer Institute. Ms. Butler lives in Jackson, MS with her husband Thorne. They have five daughters.
(SA51)Reading Universe Taxonomy: An Organizational Tool for Connecting Research to Practice
Saturday, February 17, 2024
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM MST