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 now closed.
- 2026 Conference Program
- Conference Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026
- Registration Dates: October 31, 2025 – January 31, 2026
- Conference Rate: $60.00
- Time: 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- 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: Tim Odegard
Tim Odegard, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology and the Katherine Davis Murfree Chair of Excellence in Dyslexic Studies at Middle Tennessee State University, where he leads the Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of Annals of Dyslexia and a consulting editor for the Journal of Learning Disabilities, and he previously served as an editor at large for Perspectives on Language and Literacy. A contributing author to IDA’s Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading, Dr. Odegard is committed to advancing literacy as a human right and supports initiatives through service leadership. His recognitions include the Innovator Award from IMSLEC, the Luke Waits Service Award from ALTA, the Massey-Sexton Dyslexia Advocacy Award from the Tennessee IDA and is an honorary lifetime member of IDA in recognition of his sustained service and commitment to IDA and individuals with dyslexia.
Lost in Translation: Using Learning Science
to Update the Literacy Map
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.
Closing Keynote Speaker: Danielle “Nell” Thompson
Danielle “Nell” Thompson, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a literacy leader with a language bias, leadership coach, and founder of The Transformative Reading Teacher Group and its high-impact Big Sky Literacy Summit. She develops educators and leaders who recognize language as the foundation of literacy and champions the paradigm shift needed to align assessment and instructional systems accordingly. A former SLP and educator whose journey spans Alaska to Mississippi, Dr. Nell brings clarity, humanity, and scientific rigor to helping schools rethink and elevate practice. Certified in Maxwell Leadership and Brendon Burchard High Performance Coaching, she is committed to building schools where people thrive and every child becomes a reader.
Language Is the Work: Stewarding a Course Correction in Literacy Leadership
For decades, the literacy field has worked to correct what was missing in reading instruction. Yet in that necessary shift, something essential was too often narrowed or lost: language itself. In this closing keynote, Dr. Danielle “Nell” Thompson honors the leadership legacy of her mentor, Louisa Moats, whose courageous work clarified language as the medium through which learning and meaning are made possible. Reframing literacy leadership as stewardship, Dr. Thompson challenges educators and leaders to move from knowing what works to doing what transforms, showing how a language-first lens can reshape daily instruction, early assessment, and systems for prevention. Because language is not adjacent to the work. Language is the work.
Comprehension | Vocabulary | Strategy Instruction | Dyslexia | ELL | Writing | RTI | Assessment
Some of the topics for this year’s conference:
- Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction and the Science of Reading
- Supporting Striving Readers and Students with Dyslexia Across the Grades
- Vocabulary, Language, and Disciplinary Literacy in Content Areas
- Literacy Instruction for Multilingual and English Learners
- Assessment, Screening, and Data-Driven Literacy Decision-Making
- Teacher Preparation, Professional Learning, and Research–Practice Partnerships
- Adolescent Literacy: Motivation, Fluency, and Engagement
- Innovative Approaches in Literacy Education, Including AI and Technology
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.