Influential literacy researcher to inaugurate lecture series Sept. 25 at KU

LAWRENCE -- An expert in literacy development of at-risk children for whom English is their second language will kick off the Colloquia on Intellectual Developmental Disabilities 2003-04 public seminar series, Language to Literacy, Sept. 25 at the University of Kansas.

David J. Francis, professor of psychology at the University of Houston, will speak on oracy/literacy development of Spanish-speaking children at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, in the Kansas Room of the Kansas Union. Francis has a major role in a large-scale National Institutes of Health project of reading instruction for Spanish-speaking children.

Educators, practitioners, university students and other members of the academic and professional communities are particularly welcome to hear and talk with colloquia speakers, who are dynamic leaders in the field of language and literacy research.

The series will continue as follows:

Kevin Cole, Washington Research Institute in Seattle, has a distinguished history of both research and curriculum development related to emerging literacy skills. He is a strong critic of many school-based practices and has particular strengths in multicultural and bilingual issues. His lecture is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, in the Malott Room of the Kansas Union.

Susan Landry, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, is a much sought-after speaker for her work in the role of parenting in language and cognitive development. Notably, she has developed a powerful intervention approach for parents in high-risk communities and a widely implemented curriculum for Head Start. Her lecture is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, 2004, in the Kansas Room of the Kansas Union.

Robin Morris, Department of Psychology, Georgia State University in Atlanta, is known for his work in neuroimaging and evaluation of reading disabilities and interventions for a wide variety of learners including nonspeaking children and children with a range of other disabilities. He recently was appointed to the President's Council on Literacy. His lecture is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, 2004, in the Kansas Room of the Kansas Union.

The Kansas Colloquia on Intellectual Developmental Disabilities is sponsored by the Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies, the Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, the Center for Reproductive Sciences, the Beach Center on Disability, the Juniper Gardens Children's Project and the KU Center on Developmental Disabilities.

The Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies at KU and its 12 affiliated centers are dedicated to finding research-based solutions to the challenges of human and community development, disabilities and aging.