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
My Child Will Only Read Graphic Novels. Help!
Shanahan on Literacy
Should We Build a (Word) Wall or Not?
Shanahan on Literacy
Does Close Reading Reject the Science of Reading?
Shanahan on Literacy
On Eating Elephants and Teaching Syllabication
Shanahan on Literacy
Why Your Students May Not Be Learning to Comprehend
Shanahan on Literacy
What does the Easter Bunny have in common with the independent reading level?
Shanahan on Literacy
Letter names or sounds first?… you might be surprised by the answer
Shanahan on Literacy
Why doesn’t increasing knowledge improve reading achievement?
Shanahan on Literacy
3P versus 3-cueing: why recommend one and shun the other?
Shanahan on Literacy
Should we use narrative texts to teach science, math, and social studies?
Shanahan on Literacy