View the Preliminary Schedule
Sponsor & Exhibitor Information
Who Should Attend LitCon
Keynote Speakers
Jeff Williams is a Reading Recovery teacher leader and K-12 literacy coach in Solon, Ohio. He speaks at numerous regional, national, and international conferences such as ILA, NCTE, National Reading Recovery & K-6 Literacy, IRRI, and consults with many districts nationally. He has authored articles, a professional book for NCTE, and 80 little books for Hameray Publishing. Jeff has served on the board of NCTE and RRCNA and is Past President of RRCNA.
Cornelius Minor is a Brooklyn-based educator. He works with teachers, school leaders, and leaders of community-based organizations to support equitable literacy reform in cities (and sometimes villages) across the globe. His latest book, We Got This, explores how the work of creating more equitable school spaces is embedded in our everyday choices — specifically in the choice to really listen to kids. He has been featured in Education Week, Brooklyn Magazine, and Teaching Tolerance Magazine. He has partnered with The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, The New York City Department of Education, The International Literacy Association, Scholastic, and Lesley University’s Center for Reading Recovery and Literacy Collaborative. Out of Print, a documentary featuring Cornelius made its way around the film festival circuit, and he has been a featured speaker at conferences all over the world. Most recently, along with his partner and wife, Kass Minor, he has established The Minor Collective, a community-based movement designed to foster sustainable change in schools. Whether working with educators and kids in Los Angeles, Seattle, or New York City, Cornelius uses his love for technology, hip-hop, and social media to bring communities together. As a teacher, Cornelius draws not only on his years teaching middle school in the Bronx and Brooklyn, but also on time spent skateboarding, shooting hoops, and working with young people.
Gerry Brooks is principal at an elementary school in Lexington, Kentucky. His educational experience includes six years in the classroom, two years as an intervention specialist, and 12 years as an administrator.
He is a passionate public speaker whose focus is on encouraging and helping teachers improve their instructional abilities. He also has a desire to help administrators successfully lead their staff.
An encouraging speaker, he has spoken to educational groups all around the nation. His focus is on encouraging teachers to improve their instruction through personal climate and culture strategies. He desires to help administrators focus on how to lead all staff in a positive and constructive manner.
His following on social media has developed through humorous videos that focus on real-world educational experiences. He is currently followed on these social media sites by over 500,000 people.
Institute and Featured Speakers
The Nation’s Premier K-8 Literacy Conference
Celebrating our 36th year in 2021! Known for building efficacy in literacy instruction, LitCon: National K-8 Literacy & Reading Recovery Conference provides powerful, research-based professional development to support educators. It is respected and appreciated by educators from around the world as the place to receive tools to enable the highest quality literacy instruction for all students: 98.8% of previous attendees would recommend the conference to another educator. We encourage you to read the testimonials at the bottom of this page and view the attendee video.
This conference, as always, will:
- be a homecoming of leaders in childhood literacy to advance our field, enhance our skills, and mobilize our community to assist struggling readers;
- ensure that LitCon attendees will be the first to know about current research findings, critical news and leading practices in K-8 literacy education;
- offer earliest access to the newest and most innovative practices in K-8 literacy education available; and
- tap exclusive resources, build special bonds, and help move childhood literacy and Reading Recovery forward.
Led by literacy experts and authors, sessions focus on best instructional practices for educators. Ideal for classroom teachers, literacy coaches and specialists, building and district administrators, Title I teachers and coordinators, interventionists and ELL teachers, curriculum and language arts specialists, and Reading Recovery professionals. Topics include reading, writing, literacy coaching, oral language, comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, word study, phonemic awareness, differentiated instruction, strategies for struggling readers, assessment, diverse learners, literacy leadership, literacy teams, Reading Recovery, and much more. Earn up to 17.5 professional development hours.
What to Expect
Testimonials from Past Literacy Conference Attendees
Current Topics
2020 LitCon Attendee
Most Valuable PD
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Timely Topics
2020 LitCon Attendee
Favorite PD
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Amazing Opportunity
2020 LitCon Attendee
Awesome Experience
2020 LitCon Attendee
Opportunity for Networking
2020 LitCon Attendee
Immediate Application of Strategy
2020 LitCon Attendee
Reflect, Reset, and Reenergize
2020 LitCon Attendee