Expertise Matters!

  • Submit a manuscript for the WSRA Journal.  Journal articles are peer reviewed.  Please contact Dr. Easley at [email protected]. Access the PDF of the guidelines HERE.
  • Submit an application to be considered for WSRA's Online Literacy Learning Academy and/or Speakers Bureau. 
  • Submit a form to request a booth reservation for WSRA 2021. Link coming soon. 
  • Submit a nomination for a WSRA Award. Link coming soon. 
KEY DATES: CALL FOR SESSION PROPOSAL Date
Call for Session Proposals February 1 – June 20, 2020
All proposals are reviewed and scored by 2021 Program Committee February - June, 2020
Acceptance and Decline Notifications sent August 2020


Dear Educators, 

The Wisconsin State Reading Association invites you to join us February 11-13, 2021 as we celebrate 65 years of leadership, advocacy, and professional learning! As I was thinking about this milestone year for our organization, I reflected on all of the voices that have informed my literacy DNA and looked to the voices that are moving my thinking forward. Mostly, I thought about the children; they are our “why.” This brought me to this year’s theme: Raising Our Voices: Empowering All Learners Today to Change the World Tomorrow. 

We live in a democracy that ultimately demands engagement, so how are we educating its citizenry? Are we providing them spaces that foster agency where knowledge is constructed through dialog and interaction? Are we giving voice to those traditionally silenced or marginalized? Are we creating compassionate, civic-minded citizens who, through authentic, relevant, and meaningful learning opportunities, discover who they are and who they want to be in our global community? In short, are we honoring and raising up all voices?  

Inherent in the Raising Our Voices theme are not just the voices of students but our voices as educators as well. How are we advocating for the learners in front of us? How are we equipping ourselves with research-based best practices? How are we insisting on intentional, inclusive, anti-bias, anti-racist literacy practices for all of our students? How are we engaging civically in matters that greatly impact our profession? 

During these three days together, we will explore these ideas and more through the following learning strands: access for all, comprehension, critical literacy, digital literacy, emergent literacy, inquiry, intervention, literacy leadership, middle level literacy, secondary literacy, and writing instruction. Along with literacy experts, we will mine these topics for practices that we can put to work with the readers and writers before us. On Saturday, I’m delighted to bring our “why” back to the WSRA conference with the Young Voices Festival: Changing the World One Voice at a Time. 

In Kara Pranikoff’s book Teaching Talk: A Practical Guide to Fostering Student Thinking and Conversation, she states, “Lasting impact is made when we see the capacity we have to bring people together and empower their voice.” Beyond these days of learning together, my hope for you is that you reflect on whose voices you are lifting up in your schools, that you continue to offer and support relevant teaching that connects your students to the global community, and that you raise your own voices on behalf of all of the learners in our literacy communities. I will end as Monique Gray Smith did in her WSRA 2020 Conference keynote: 

Thank you for contributing to the wellness of the world!

Michelle Mullen
2021 Conference Chair
WSRA 1st Vice President 

WSRA 2021 will be a celebration of WSRA's 65th year. 

Here is a PDF to show what is required in the online submission form. We look forward to hearing from you!

CLOSED: session proposal for WSRA 2021

The 2021 conference theme is "Ra!sing Our Voices: Empowering All Learners Today to Change the World Tomorrow".

Proposals for WSRA 2021 sessions may be submitted between February 1 and June 20, 2020.

NEW: Saturday, February 13, 2021 "Changing the World One Voice at a Time" This festival will bring young writers, their families, and educators together. Mark your calendar and plan to attend with your students and/or your own children. 

Before writing your 2021 proposal, gather 2-3 research citations and think about which of the strands listed below will best describe your proposed session. Please be ready to attach a headshot photo for yourself (and your co-presenters if applicable).  

 

Strands for WSRA 2021:

    • Access for All
    • Comprehension
    • Critical Literacy
    • Digital Literacy 
    • Emergent Literacy
    • Intervention
    • Inquiry 
    • Literacy Leadership
    • Middle Level Literacy
    • Secondary Level Literacy
    • Writing Instruction

  • The WSRA Awards Application and Nomination submission will open soon. 
  • Student scholarships are included in the awards application link on this page. The student participant must select a council member or instructor who is familiar with the student and his/her interest in promoting a statement of support, which he or she will write and attach in the online form. 
  • Please see the list below for student scholarships. 
  • Provide a statement of your interest in reading and/or reading education. What is your rational/need for applying for this scholarship? What do you hope to gain from attending this conference? How will you share a portion of the knowledge you gained at the conference with others? Optional, but recommended: What evidence can you provide of your prior involvement in reading-related activities or events (attach documentation) that demonstrates your interest in reading and reading education?
  • Before getting started with the online form, you will want to have a letter of nomination (to attach) from a local reading council member, a zone Coordinator, and/or university ELA instructor documenting your involvement or commitment to literacy education.
  • The student scholarship due date is November 1, 2020. There is a possibility of up to five undergraduate and up to five graduate scholarships granted for each conference. 
  • Click here to see the guidelines for the  Digital Literacies Award of Distinction.