We will review risk and resilience factors for students who struggle with reading acquisition due to a reading disability, disadvantaged background, or both. Models of resilience offer promising malleable factors that can positively impact reading outcomes including social emotional learning skills (SELS) and executive function (EF). SELS underlie the ability to be available to learn and may foster resilience through growth mindset, self-management, self-efficacy, and social awareness. EF describes the skills underlying the ability to regulate cognition, emotion, and behavior. Risk factors for reading difficulty will also be reviewed. We will discuss building capacity to leverage protective factors and minimize risk factors in fostering positive reading growth for vulnerable students in the context of librarians and libraries.
