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?
Background Knowledge
Five Key Principles for Effective Vocabulary Instruction
Recent blog posts
Shanahan on Literacy
“It Works” and Other Myths of the Science of Reading Era
Shanahan on Literacy
How Do You Know If It Really Is the Science of Reading?
Shanahan on Literacy
More on Hanford: Phonics Reform and Literacy Levels
Shanahan on Literacy
Teaching Reading to Students Who Experience Trauma
Shanahan on Literacy
Is Emily Hanford Right?
Shanahan on Literacy
Shared Reading in the Structured Literacy Era
Shanahan on Literacy
Comprehension Instruction That Really Helps — Teaching Cohesion
Shanahan on Literacy
Teaching Students to Use Context
Shanahan on Literacy
Won’t Student Motivation Be Damaged If We Teach with Complex Text?
Shanahan on Literacy
Phonics and Flexibility — Can They Really Go Together?
Shanahan on Literacy
What do you think of “phonics first” or “phonics only” in the primary grades?
Shanahan on Literacy