SHU’s annual literacy spring conference represents the culmination of several years of coursework and clinical practicum for practicing teachers enrolled within Sacred Heart University’s CT Literacy Specialist Program (CLSP). This capstone project is a platform for candidates to gain experience in presenting current topics in literacy to an audience whose scope is larger than the one offered through the traditional university classroom. Since the fall of 2021, CT Literacy Specialist candidates (practicing teachers) have undertaken the study of a special topic in literacy within the schools in which they work. The conference provides them the opportunity to connect theory to practice in sharing their findings with conference participants. Conference attendees consist of teachers, administrators, literacy faculty and master’s candidates at Sacred Heart University.

This year’s theme, Accelerating Student Learning in an Era of Uncertainty, expands the discussion about the challenges of teaching, learning and coaching during the ebb and flow of a relentless pandemic, and the ways that teachers have responded to students’ needs through inclusive practices that support and value diversity, and reflect a commitment to social justice to encompass a spirit of community that continues to transcend the K-12 classroom.