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
A Fine Mess: Confusing Close Reading and Text Complexity
Shanahan on Literacy
How to Screw Up Student Learning Under RtI
Shanahan on Literacy
Teaching Kids to Interpret Theme: The Limits of Practice
Shanahan on Literacy
The Slow Path Forward: We Can — and Do — Learn from Reading Research
Shanahan on Literacy
Further Explanation of Teaching Students with Challenging Text
Shanahan on Literacy
Laying Waste to 5 Popular Myths About Reading Instruction
Shanahan on Literacy
Think-Pair-Share in Reading Instruction: Is It Effective?
Shanahan on Literacy
How Can You Support Basal Readers When We Know It’s Teachers That Matter?
Shanahan on Literacy
How Can Reading Coaches Raise Reading Achievement?
Shanahan on Literacy
Can We Prevent the “Summer Slide” in Reading?
Shanahan on Literacy