Timothy Shanahan is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he was Founding Director of the UIC Center for Literacy. Previously, he was director of reading for the Chicago Public Schools. He is author/editor of more than 200 publications on literacy education. His research emphasizes the connections between reading and writing, literacy in the disciplines, and improvement of reading achievement.
Tim is past president of the International Literacy Association. He served as a member of the Advisory Board of the National Institute for Literacy under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and he helped lead the National Reading Panel, convened at the request of Congress to evaluate research on the teaching reading, a major influence on reading education. He chaired two other federal research review panels: the National Literacy Panel for Language Minority Children and Youth, and the National Early Literacy Panel, and helped write the Common Core State Standards.
He was inducted to the Reading Hall of Fame in 2007, and is a former first-grade teacher.
Recent articles
Afterschool and Community Programs
Creating Programs for Language Minority Families
Common Core Standards
Does Disciplinary Literacy Have a Place in Elementary School?
Recent blog posts
Shanahan on Literacy
What text levels are appropriate for independent reading?
Shanahan on Literacy
Making Decisions About Which Intervention Is Best: A Case Study
Shanahan on Literacy
For the Love of Reading: Independent Reading at School
Shanahan on Literacy
How Effective Is Independent Reading in Teaching Reading?
Shanahan on Literacy
What Is Independent Reading and Why Does He Say All Those Horrible Things About It?
Shanahan on Literacy
How to Teach Writing in Kindergarten, Part II
Shanahan on Literacy
Dazed and Confused: The Main Idea of Main Ideas
Shanahan on Literacy
How to Teach Writing in Kindergarten
Shanahan on Literacy
Which is best? Analytic or synthetic phonics?
Shanahan on Literacy
On Science Reading, Informational Text, and Reading Pullout Programs
Shanahan on Literacy
Should We Test Reading or DIBELS?
Shanahan on Literacy