Skip to main content

2016 Conference

Copenhaver Institute Logo

MSCI 2016

Theme: Developing Lifelong Readers and Learners
Keynote Speakers: Donalyn Miller and Steven Lane, Ph.D.
Award Recipient: Nancy Ruth Patterson, children's author and former high school teacher
Luncheon Speaker: Dr. Joan Kindig, associate professor, reading education, at James Madison University
Date: June 20-22, 2016

Photo of Donalyn Miller 

Donalyn Miller
Donalyn Miller taught 4th, 5th, and 6th graders in Northeast Texas and was a finalist for 2010 Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year. In her popular book, The Book Whisperer, Donalyn describes how she inspires and motivates her middle school students to read 40 or more books a year. In her latest book, Reading in the Wild, Donalyn collects responses from 900 adult readers and uses this information to teach lifelong reading habits to her students. Donalyn co-facilitates the community blog, The Nerdy Book Club, and has authored numerous publications in professional journals for educators.

Headshot of Steven Layne

Dr. Steven Layne
Dr. Steven Layne, a fifteen-year veteran of public education, currently serves as Professor of Literacy Education at Judson University. His research, teaching and writing have been recognized with awards from The Milken Family Foundation, National Council of Teachers of English, and the International Reading Association. Dr. Layne has authored 27 books in both the picture book and young adult genres. His first professional book for educators, Igniting a Passion for Reading:Successful Strategies for Building Lifetime Readers, was released in 2010. Newer titles include Life's Literacy Lessons: Poems and Stories for Teachers, and In Defense of Read-Aloud.