Two Regional Offices of Education serving Greater Peoria will co-host a literacy summit next week aimed at exploring methods to help students build their reading skills.
The full-day professional development and networking event for K-12 educators from across Illinois will share innovative teaching strategies and evidence-based practices.
Peoria County Regional Superintendent George McKenna says getting kids to read in the early school years is critical for development.
“If you look at the research, one of the key indicators for a student to be successful is being on track reading level by third grade. It’s actually number one,” said McKenna. “It’s an important time in a kid’s transition in learning. They’re transitioning from learning to read, to reading to learn. So at third grade, they want to have those skills developed.”
The literacy summit presented by Regional Office of Education 48 (Peoria County) and ROE 53 (Mason, Tazewell and Woodford counties) will be held next Wednesday at Illinois Central College’s Peoria Campus, starting at 8 a.m.
Award-winning author, broadcaster and acclaimed literacy advocate Kwame Alexander is scheduled to give a keynote address during the morning session. A 2025 NAACP Image Award recipient, Alexander has 44 published works – including “The Crossover,” a Newberry Medal-winning novel that was also developed into a television series.
“We are thrilled to bring together educators from across Illinois for this important event,” Peoria County ROE Director of Professional Learning Services Amy Smith said in a media release. “Having Kwame Alexander join us as keynote speaker elevates the experience and underscores the critical importance of literacy in shaping student success.”
The seminar will feature breakout sessions, networking opportunities, and other resources to support literacy development across grade levels and content areas. Last year’s ROE literacy summit at Eureka College drew more than 100 attendees.
“All the feedback was, ‘we want to have another literacy summit,’” said McKenna, noting the Illinois State Board of Education is putting out its comprehensive literacy plan. “So it’s a prime opportunity to start work there and disseminating that sort of information.
“That’s the heart of what we do at the ROE. Ultimately, we provide services that are needed by districts and requested by districts, and then we some identify some additional programs. The literacy summit has grown from year one to year two.”
