Join us for an engaging conversation between renowned literacy experts, G. Reid Lyon, PhD and Doug Carnine, PhD. Participants will learn how systematic instruction supports struggling readers, explore the power of common instructional language for both teachers and learners, and consider how an evidence-based educational framework can meet the needs of all learners. Drs. Lyon and Carnine will share their perspectives and answer questions from attendees.

Tuesday, May 12, 2025
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm ET
Zoom Webinar

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About G. Reid Lyon, PhD

Dr. Reid Lyon, a neuroscientist and specialist in learning disorders, joined the faculty of Communication Science and Disorders at Northwestern University in 1980 where he also directed the neuropsychology laboratory. In 1983 Lyon was recruited by the Stern Center for Language and Learning in Burlington, Vermont where he served as the director of research. He also served as a clinical associate professor of neurology at the University of Vermont Medical School. From 1991 to 2005, Lyon served as a research neuropsychologist and the chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch of the NICHD at the National Institutes of Health; in this role he developed and oversaw research programs in cognitive neuroscience, learning and reading development and disorders, behavioral pediatrics, cognitive and affective development, School Readiness, and the Spanish to English Reading Research program. He designed, developed and directed the 44-site NICHD Reading Research Network. While at the NIH, he served as an advisor to President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush in developmental science, language, and reading. In collaboration with Robert Sweet in the U.S. House of Representatives he co-authored the Reading Excellence Act (1996), The Reading First Initiative (2002), the legislative language for the Institute of Education Sciences. He authored the legislative language for the National Reading Panel (2000). He testified yearly from 1997 to 2005 before the U.S. House and U.S. Senate education and health committees on reading development and disorders, the quality of research in behavioral, cognitive, and education sciences, Head Start, and prevention of language and learning difficulties.

After leaving the NIH, Lyon held distinguished scientist and distinguished professorships at the University of Texas, Dallas, (neuroscience and cognition) and Southern Methodist University (chairman, educational leadership; associate dean). Dr. Lyon is the author and co-author of over 130 peer reviewed journal articles, books, and book chapters addressing developmental neuroscience, learning and reading disorders/dyslexia, and the translation of science into practice and policy. He also co-authored the definition of dyslexia used at the NIH and worldwide. Dr. Lyon received the NIH Director's Award twice. Once for his contributions to the neuroscience of learning and learning disorders. The second for his design and development of the NICHD Reading Research Program. He also received the Vietnam Veterans of America Excellence in The Sciences Award for contributions to educating veterans about the neuroscience of Combat PTSD in 2013. Lyon, a former paratrooper and combat veteran, received the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantryman Badge among other combat awards during his 15th month tour in Vietnam including the 1968 Tet Offensive.

He currently serves as a senior advisor to the Drexel University ALLIED HUB, a comprehensive resource for multiple stakeholders involved in literacy education.

About Doug Carnine, PhD

Doug Carnine, Professor Emeritus at the University of Oregon and President of the Eugene-based nonprofit Choose Kindness Foundation, has spent his career helping people thrive. His early work focused on improving outcomes for children who too often struggle in school, especially children in poverty, English learners, and students with disabilities. His scholarly work has been cited in more than 5,000 books and journals worldwide.

He later led national efforts to strengthen the use of evidence in education and received a presidential appointment, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, to the National Institute for Literacy Advisory Board. He also received the Council for Exceptional Children's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Today, through the Choose Kindness Foundation, he works to strengthen well-being in workplaces, schools, prisons, and nonprofits across the United States. This work was honored in a private meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India.