The session will focus on reading development in response to the literacy experiences a child may have. We will explore brain plasticity, the ability to adapt based on learning, that allows each student to become a reader. We will discuss how the reading brain changes over time based on two common experiences: in relation to reading interventions as well as in response to suspended formal reading instruction. Effective reading instruction improves a reader's skills while in parallel rewiring the reading brain. Suspended formal instruction for reading can happen in expected ways, such as summer vacations, as well as through unplanned experiences, such as during COVID-19 interruptions. We will review current research on student characteristics associated with reading gains over time, as well as with 'learning loss' in reading. We will discuss how libraries can play an important role, during the school year and when school is not in session, for fostering reading progress.
