This presentation will define literacy and provide an overview of some of the current tensions around literacy learning in New York state. The discussion will provide research-based recommendations on how to best support bilingual language learners as we approach "Read a Book Day" on September 6.

 Karis Jones, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of English language arts for the School for Graduate Studies at Empire State University. As a teacher educator, literacy consultant, public humanities scholar, and community activist, she studies issues of equitable literacies learning across disciplinary, fandom, and gaming spaces.

 Gloria "Joanne" Kramer, Ed.D. is a professor and the program coordinator for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at SUNY Empire's School for Graduate Studies. She has worked as a teacher for English language learners and Spanish education and served as a principal and English as a New Language (ENL) chair in grades K-12. She was also an adjunct for Molloy University in the TESOL program. Her areas of expertise include bilingual education, second language learning, the Latino diaspora in the U.S., and the mental health of ENL students.

The Slides shown are attached as a PowerPoint presentation.