Literacy Research Conference
The MTSU Literacy Studies Ph.D. Program announces the 13th Annual MTSU Literacy Research Conference!
February 21, 2026
at the MTSU College of Education
in Murfreesboro, TN
REGISTRATION IS OPEN!!
- Proposal Submission is now CLOSED.
- Conference Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026
- Registration Dates: October 31, 2025 – January 31, 2026 (Click here to register).
- Conference Rate: $60.00
- Virtual option for keynote and select presentations
This conference provides an opportunity for students, scholars, and educational leaders to present their research and practices related to literacy in a supportive, collegial environment. We welcome researchers, practitioners, and literacy leaders from diverse fields—such as education, psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience—to attend and engage. We especially encourage presentations of original literacy research, with a particular interest in studies that bridge the gap between research and practice in education and leadership in literacy.
Keynote Speaker: Louisa Moats
Louisa Moats, Ed.D., has been a teacher, psychologist, researcher, graduate school faculty member, and author of many influential scientific journal articles, books, and policy papers on the topics of reading, spelling, language, and teacher preparation. Dr. Moats is the lead author of LETRS Professional Development and the textbook, Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers. Dr. Moats is also author of LANGUAGE!Live, a blended instructional program for middle and high school students, and co-author of Spellography, a structured language word study program for intermediate students. Dr. Moats’ awards include the prestigious Samuel T. and June L. Orton award from the International Dyslexia Association for outstanding contributions to the field; the Eminent Researcher Award from Learning Disabilities Australia; and the Benita Blachman award from the Reading League.
Speech to Print: Reading’s Most Important (and Least Understood or Practiced) Idea
Literacy acquisition depends on language foundations. Successful word recognition and spelling depend on rapid processing of all aspects of language that are represented in English orthography — phonology, letter sequences and orthographic conventions, morphology, word origin, and sentence context or syntax. We’ll highlight some of the differences between a speech to print approach and a more traditional print to speech approach to instruction, to make the case that the former is better aligned with both the logic of language and the nature of language learning itself.
Comprehension | Vocabulary | Strategy Instruction | Dyslexia | ELL | Writing | RTI | Assessment
Topics presented at past conferences:
- Literacy and writing development (across age groups)
- Comprehension instruction and assessment
- Vocabulary and writing instruction for English language learners
- Secondary vocabulary interventions
- Response to Intervention
- Neuroscience in literacy
- Morphology instruction and assessment
- Primary phonics instruction for at-risk readers
- Motivation and self-perception of middle school students
- Prosodic sensitivity and reading skills
- Mindset and self-regulation in writing instruction for young children
Interested in Pursuing a Ph.D. in Literacy? (Post-Bachelor’s Program)
We would like to invite students and practitioners who are interested in learning more about pursuing a doctoral degree in literacy. Attendees and presenters will have the opportunity to meet faculty members and students in the program.
The Literacy Studies Ph.D. Program at Middle Tennessee State University is designed to address one of education’s most pressing needs – the shortage of scholars, practitioners, administrators, and policy-makers equipped to bridge the gap between the rapidly expanding body of scientific research on the development of literacy and educational practice, policy, and professional preparation. Drawing on the faculty from the College of Education, the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences, and the College of Liberal Arts, this interdisciplinary program offers a flexible framework of courses, field experiences, teaching, and research opportunities designed to provide professionals in various spheres of influence with the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities to effectively address the literacy crisis in the United States and beyond.