Keynotes

Dr. Kelly Chandler-Olcott, author of A Good Fit For All Kids: Collaborating to Teaching Writing In Diverse, Inclusive Settings, is the Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence at Syracuse University. A former high school English and social studies teacher, Kelly Chandler-Olcott now teaches English methods and content literacy courses to secondary and K-12 education majors. With support from the National Science Foundation, the International Reading Association, and the Spencer Foundation, she has published six books and nearly 90 chapters and articles, including in such venues as Reading Research Quarterly, Journal of Literacy Research, Journal of Teacher Education, and Teacher Education Quarterly. In 2015, she began a six-year appointment as co-editor of Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy.

Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, associate professor of English Education at Columbia University Teacher’s College, believes that equity starts with “critical love.” This includes relationship-building and creating a culture where students know they are loved and cared for, but also that their teachers expect the best they can give. Dr. Sealey-Ruiz argues that without love for our students — transparent and critical love — change will not occur. Author of several books, chapters, and articles, her first collection of poetry, Love from the Vortex, will be published this spring.