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
Why Reading Strategies Usually Don’t Help the Better Readers
Shanahan on Literacy
All I Want for Christmas Is Content Reading
Shanahan on Literacy
Disciplinary Literacy: What About Music and Other Subjects?
Shanahan on Literacy
‘Tis the Season: Please Include Reading in Your Annual Giving
Shanahan on Literacy
What Is the Proper Sequence to Teach Reading Skills?
Shanahan on Literacy
Prior Knowledge: Part 2
Shanahan on Literacy
Prior Knowledge: Can We Really Level the Playing Field?
Shanahan on Literacy
Unbalanced Comments on Balanced Literacy
Shanahan on Literacy
What’s More Important — Oral or Silent Reading?
Shanahan on Literacy
Guided Reading and the Common Core
Shanahan on Literacy