In March 2023, Park City READS collaborated with Park City Film to show a private screening of the new documentary about the illiteracy crisis in America titled, The Truth About Reading. As the film’s tag line states – “it’s an invisible crisis, hiding in plain sight.” The film highlights a few people who learned to read as adults and interviewed many well-respected experts about the importance of bringing the “science of reading” into both teacher preparation programs and classroom reading curricula. Following the film, PC READS hosted a wonderful panel discussion including local educators, professionals and parents.

Information about this documentary, including the trailer and upcoming screenings is available at: The Truth About Reading.

In October 2022, Park City READS hosted literacy expert, Dr. Louisa Moats, lead author of LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling). Dr. Moats gave two presentations diving into the science of reading and explaining how this body of research guides the way reading, language and writing are taught. Her work in this area spans decades and has received international acclaim. 

On Thursday, October 6th, Dr. Moats gave a free community presentation entitled, Teaching (and Learning) Reading IS Rocket Science at the Newpark Resort. She shed light on some surprising facts about how children learn to read, addressed what goes wrong when children have difficulty, and shared insights into the approaches to instruction that are most likely to be successful for all children. The following day, Dr. Moats led a professional development session for Park City School District K-3 staff to kick-off their LETRS training.

“We were very proud to host Dr. Moats in Park City. Her landmark research and lectures are considered the gold standard in literacy education,” said Park City READS Executive Director Elissa Aten. “Her body of work is the foundation that ensures reading instruction is effective for all students. In the literacy world, Dr. Moats is a superstar.  I’ve had the pleasure of hearing her speak at national conferences, so it was a thrill to offer this opportunity to parents and educators in our community.”