Writer, activist and Jackson State University alumnus Matthew Lynch will serve as the keynote speaker for the 9th Annual Ruth Searcy Literacy Conference on Wednesday, Feb. 24.
Lynch, who is the dean of the School of Education, Psychology and Interdisciplinary Studies at Virginia Union University, will address the conference theme “Closing the Literacy Achievement Gap.”
[dropcap]H[/dropcap]E spent seven years as a social studies and special education teacher in Mississippi—an experience that gave him a view of the challenges facing education reform. Lynch’s articles and op-eds appear regularly in the Huffington Post, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education and Education Week. He has authored and edited a number of books on school reform and school leadership.
Undergraduate workshop sessions will be offered from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. and a graduate roundtable discussion will take place from 5-7:30 p.m. The conference will be held at the Mississippi e-Center @Jackson State University, 1230 Raymond Road.
Conference strands include leadership, research, service, technology, curriculum and instruction, parental involvement and professional development.
[dropcap]F[/dropcap]EES for the conference, hosted by the College of Education and Human Development’s Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education, are $30 for on-site registration; student registration is $25 with identification and completed form. Fees may be paid by cash or money orders only. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for $20.
Lynch earned a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi and his master’s and Ph.D. in education from Jackson State University. He is an associate professor of education at Virginia Union University.
For more information, call 601-979-2341 or visit www.jsums.edu/marketplace.