If your child is struggling with reading, it is important to understand how schools identify and support students who may have dyslexia.
View the Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia school-based "Identification of Dyslexia" guide: dyslexia.mtsu.edu/wp-content…
ALT Illustration of a brain with the text, "'I think my child has dyslexia.' What you should expect from your child’s school. A resource from the Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia"
Get in the autumn spirit with themed books! Check out Reading Partners’s 𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘮𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 for fall-inspired book recommendations that you can read with your young children or students.
Access the booklist: readingpartners.org/blog/aut…
ALT Yellow, orange, and red leaves with the text, "Autumn Reads for Young Readers. A resource by Reading Partners."
Rosie Revere’s inventive spirit teaches her the important lesson that making mistakes is part of life!
Pair Andrea Beaty’s book, 𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘳, with this video to help students in Grades K–2 practice comprehension skills by retelling story events.
The #TDOE 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺 Toolkit explains what reading skills are learned in Grades K–5, information about what dyslexia may mean for a student's learning experience, and the importance of on-grade-level reading.
tn.gov/content/dam/tn/educat…
ALT A parent/caregiver reading to a child with the text, "Empower your child’s literacy journey. Explore TDOE’s Understanding Literacy Toolkit."
With three possible pronunciations, learning past-tense regular verbs that end in "-ed" can be challenging. Our new lesson plan provides a way for instructors and interventionists working with Grades 2–4 to teach words ending in "-ed."
Access the lesson: trrc.utk.edu/resources/past-…
ALT "Reading and Spelling Past-Tense Regular Verbs (“-ed”) Lesson Grades 2–4" With an illustration of a woman saying, "/t/ as in 'jumped' /d/ as in 'played' /id/ as in 'planted'"
Check out 12 Literacy Activities for Autumn and Halloween. Created for students who are blind, visually impaired, deafblind, or have multiple disabilities, this resource offers activities with tactile elements to implement in a reading lesson.
pathstoliteracy.org/12-liter…
ALT A girl writing outside with the text, "Fall into literacy learning with hands-on multisensory activities! A resource by Paths to Literacy. @TNReadResearch"
The #IDA offers self-assessment questionnaires to help identify traits commonly associated with dyslexia. Although these tools cannot diagnose dyslexia, they can potentially help determine whether seeking professional support may be appropriate.
dyslexiaida.org/screening-fo…
ALT An illustration of an adult reading to a child with the text "Self-Assessment Tools for Dyslexia. A resource from the International Dyslexia Association. @TNReadResearch"
October is #LearningDisabilitiesAwareness Month.
Students, children, or adults with learning disabilities potentially can face added challenges with academic tasks.
Learn more about the characteristics of learning disabilities here: readingrockets.org/topics/le…
ALT A student writing with the text "Learning Disabilities Awareness Month, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Tennessee Reading Research Center."
#ReadingComprehension is essential for students because it supports their understanding of words and texts and their ability to think critically about what they read. Access the "Toolkit for Teaching K–3 Reading Comprehension" to help young learners.
ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/reading-…
Join the Early Literacy Network 2.0 for Virtual Learning Session 2: Deepening the Connection Between Foundational Skills, Knowledge Building, and Reading Comprehension.
This learning opportunity is designed for educators and leaders serving K-4 students.
Register by October 5, 2026.
Session Dates:
East Region: October 6, 2026
Middle Region: October 7, 2026
West Region: October 8, 2026
Register here: forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/…
Do you have a library card?
Libraries are a great way to get involved with community efforts that promote literacy. They offer access to a variety of books, resources, and opportunities to participate in local events.
Find a library near you: linktr.ee/tnreadresearch
ALT A hand holding up a library card. "A library card… can open the door to learning, resources, and community."
TRRC Director Dr. Deborah K. Reed will be presenting at the #MemphisLiteracyConference this weekend (Sept. 18–19) with her session for secondary educators, 'Background Knowledge + Inferencing Ability = Brains More Accurate than AI."
Learn more: memphisliteracy.org
ALT The TRRC is presenting at Memphis Literacy Conference 2026
Proficient #handwriting is important for adolescents and can impact students' literacy.
The TRRC Handwriting Analysis Guide is a free resource that middle and high school teachers can use to collect and score writing samples.
Download the guide: trrc.utk.edu/resources/handw…
ALT Handwriting Analysis Guide for middle and high school students
In a recent article by Philip Dison for ABC 33/40, TRRC Director Dr. Deborah Reed speaks on the importance of providing support to middle- and high-school students who are struggling to read.
abc3340.com/news/local/alaba…
About 28% of U.S.-born adults have severely limited literacy skills.
#AdultEducation programs can help strengthen reading and writing skills and support pathways to further education and employment opportunities.
Learn more about programs in your area: nld.org/learners
ALT "Raising literacy skills of individuals has the real potential to transform entire communities by creating a sustainable workforce pipeline, ending generational poverty, closing health disparities, and increasing community involvement." Dr. Ryan Hall TRRC Adult Literacy Lead
𝘓𝘦𝘰𝘯: 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 is a graphic novel about a “superhero” who may be causing more harm than good. This book can be used to teach Grades 3–7 how pairing illustrations and panel layouts with words can convey the meaning, tone, and mood of the story.
What can four years of Tennessee’s #EarlyReadingTraining tell us about literacy outcomes?
The TRRC’s newest report examines Spring 2025 TCAP ELA performance among third graders, highlighting significant benefits students experienced across 2021–2025.
trrc.utk.edu/resources/impac…
ALT Kindergarten Through Grade 3: Four Years of Evidence on the Impact of Early Reading Training. A report on the impact of the Tennessee Department of Education’s Early Reading Training (ERT).
Happy International Day of Literacy!
Literacy is important for everyone and contributes to overall wellbeing.
Thank you to the educators, policymakers, families, and researchers who are making literacy a priority.
Get access to free literacy resources: trrc.utk.edu/resource-librar…
It’s National Literacy Month!
As a leader in literacy and reading research, we continually work to reaffirm our commitment to making our resources accessible to all.
Explore our free literacy resources: trrc.utk.edu/resource-librar…#NationalLiteracyMonth#TNReads
ALT A student reading a book with the text "National Literacy Month"
Parents and caregivers can help their teens develop reading skills to support learning in all subject areas. This infographic from the IES gives parents 3 strategies to support teenagers’ reading skills in school. Help your teen succeed: ies.ed.gov/sites/default/fil…