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Parent Literacy Summit
March 21 @ 8:30 am - 1:45 pm
NJ IDA, Decoding Dyslexia, and FDU Present
Parent Literacy Summit
Email njida@msn.com.com with any questions!
Meet our Featured Speakers, Panelists, and Roundtable Facilitators:
Susan Miller, Owner of Write2Read Solutions.
Susan E. Miller is a recognized national speaker and expert educator in the field of Dyslexia and Literacy who supports students and their teachers throughout NJ and NY. She is a certified LDT-C and Dyslexia Therapist who is celebrating over three decades in the field. In 2023, she developed K-3 Literacy Modules for Educators and Administrators for the NJ Department of Education’s RAPID training series. Susan works as a Consultant and Dyslexia Therapist through her private practice, Write2Read Solutions, and teaches graduate courses for Felician University’s School of Education. 
Tracking Reading Growth Beyond 3rd
The following questions and more will be answered during this session, geared for parents of students beyond 3rd grade.
– What literacy skills should be measured in the middle grades, and how should they be measured?
– Did you know that some critical literacy skills are not assessed beyond 2nd grade, so potential areas of weakness that are comprising your child’s reading growth are not identified and therefore, not addressed.
– Are the online achievement tests used by districts and the state giving you the full picture?
Join READ 4 NJ on FB to stay up to date and be the first to hear about upcoming events and opportunities, as well as connect with parents after the conference to continue our work together supporting our children!
Meet Keynote Speaker:
Brett Tingely, Parents for Reading Justice, Founder & President
Brett Tingley empowers parents to advocate for effective literacy instruction in schools. Through her work as President of UA-KID, OH-KID, and Parents for Reading Justice, she mobilizes parents to demand change at the district, state, and national levels. Tingley’s
efforts have led to systemic reforms, including improved identification and support for dyslexic students. She also produces educational content, such as the documentary “Our Dyslexic Children” (over 200,000 views), a free online class to activate parents, and the podcast “Literacy Now,” to further support parent advocacy and understanding of literacy issues. She is a National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) Reading Fellow, a member of the Evidence Advocacy Center Parent Team, and an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association.
The Literacy Crisis: Why Parent Power Changes Everything
This keynote will center on the most underutilized force in solving the literacy crisis: parents. Parents hold unique power no one else does — moral authority, electoral influence, and legal rights — and when they organize together, they become an unstoppable force for change.
Drawing lessons from grassroots efforts in Ohio, this talk will show how courage, collaboration, and safety in numbers can transform policy and practice. The message to New Jersey is clear: when parents step into their role not just as customers, but as owners of the education system, real and lasting literacy reform becomes possible.
Lori Gaines, Partner – Barger & Gains
Lori Gaines earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in special education from New York University and Columbia University respectively. After teaching for several years, Ms. Gaines attended the University of San Diego School of Law. For 20 years, Ms. Gaines has worked as a special education attorney representing parents of students with disabilities.
504 Plans and IEPs
A general overview to the differences between 504 Plans and IEPs for students with disabilities.
Stacey Therese Cherry, Esq., Fogarty, Hara, LaPira & Cherry LLC
STACEY THERESE CHERRY is a partner at Fogarty, Hara, LaPira & Cherry, LLC. Mrs. Cherry graduated magna cum laude from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2004. She graduated magna cum laude from Hope College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Learning Disabilities in 1999. Mrs. Cherry represents boards of education in all areas, including labor and employment, student discipline and harassment, intimidation and bullying, and has particular expertise in special education law. She is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Support Literacy with Assistive Technology: Parent Roundtable
Meet with Adam Krass, an assistive technology (AT) consultant with over 30 years of experience working with students with reading and writing challenges. In this small group setting you can speak with Adam about AT to consider for supporting your child’s reading and writing. Adam will also have a number of AT supports available for demonstration.
Adam Krass, MS, ATP, Assistive Technology Consultant
Adam Krass is an assistive technology consultant with over 30 years of experience providing AT services to children and adults with disabilities in school, work and home settings. He is a RESNA-certified Assistive Technology Professional, an emeritus adjunct professor in the Special Education and Literacy Department of Kean University in Union, NJ, a subcontractor for ATAC/DRNJ, NJ’s Tech Act program, and a past president and current trustee for NJCART, the NJ Coalition for the Advancement of Assistive and Rehabilitation Technology. Adam is based in Northern NJ.
Support Literacy with Assistive Technology: Parent Roundtable
Meet with Adam Krass, an assistive technology (AT) consultant with over 30 years of experience working with students with reading and writing challenges. In this small group setting you can speak with Adam about AT to consider for supporting your child’s reading and writing. Adam will also have a number of AT supports available for demonstration.
Beth Cosentino, SPAN Parent Advocacy Network, NJTSS-ER Project Director
Beth Cosentino is the project director for the New Jersey Tiered System of Supports for Early Reading Project at SPAN Parent Advocacy Network, as well as the Youth Engagement Specialist on SPAN’s Youth Engagement Team.
She’s been at SPAN for more than four years, beginning her journey on the START Project as a Parent Group Specialist and then the Project Coordinator. She has two children, one who has an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Beth served on the NJDOE’s Working Group on Student Literacy and is serving her 6th year as a board member for her school district’s special education parent advisory group.
SPAN Resources for Families
Beth Cosentino brings SPAN’s vast array of resources for families to the event, including: early reading, parent groups, child find, and transition to adulthood services.
Jennifer Ra, PsyD, Ra Wellness, Owner
Jennifer is a Licensed Psychologist in NJ and NY, a Certified School Psychologist in NJ, the founder of Ra Wellness in Caldwell, NJ, and am authorized to provide telehealth services in 42 states through PSYPACT. Jennifer earned her PsyD in School-Clinical Child Psychology from Pace University and, with over 18 years of experience as a school psychologist, she is well-versed in the laws of special education.
At home, she is married with four neurodiverse kids, so she gets daily, real-life lessons in walking in her clients’ shoes; she says that advocating for her own kids has taught her as much as her career ever did, and it helps relate to the frustration and overwhelm clients experience on their journeys. While navigating her kids’ neurodiversity, Jennifer discovered she is neurodiverse as well, to her, so many things in life finally made sense. She now dedicates her practice to evaluations, therapy, and advocacy for children with dyslexia, ADHD, subtle presentations of autism, and those who are twice-exceptional (2e).
Dyslexia in Schools: Identification, Remediation, and Advocacy
For the 2026 Parent Literacy Summit, I will be providing two dyslexia resources. One provides an overview of dyslexia, underscores the importance of early screening and evidence-based, structured literacy instruction in schools, and notes that although schools are able to identify dyslexia, they may not feel adequately equipped to do so. The other is a checklist and guide for Child Study Teams outlining recommended standardized tests and subtests used to evaluate and identify a Specific Learning Disability (SLD) in reading/dyslexia, including areas to assess and examples of appropriate assessment tools. Feel free to bring your children’s evaluations and IEPs and I am happy to look over them and answer any questions you might have.
Join READ 4 NJ on FB to stay up to date and be the first to hear about upcoming events and opportunities, as well as connect with parents after the conference to continue our work together supporting our children!