American Reading Forum

​​​​​​​​​ARF 2026 CONFERENCE  

The annual 2026 ARF ​Conference will be held on December 9-12, 2026, in Orlando, FL, at the Holiday Inn at the Orlando International Airport.  The theme of the conference, The Politicalization of Education and Literacy: Who wins? Who Loses?, invites stakeholders to critically reflect on and examine who has historically benefited and harmed—and who continues to benefit and be harmed—from the politicization of education and literacy.  The aim is to foster conversations that encourage participants to recognize the inherently political nature of education and literacy and to reconsider their roles as teachers, administrators, teacher educators, literacy researchers, and policy makers. See the Call for Proposals for more information!  Submit your proposals by August 3, 2026!​

​​

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2025 AWARD WINNERS!

During the 2025 ARF conference, several awards were given to deserving ARF members.  Congratulations to the following awardees:

• Brenda S. Townsend Service Award - Emily Pendergrass

• Gary Moorman Early Career Scholar Award - Gillian Mertens

• Graduate Student Scholarships - Parastoo Abedini, University of Alabama; Jihane Amayou, University of Alabama; Joyce Animah, University of Alabama; Abbie Bracelin, University of Central Florida; Leigh Bancroft, University of Florida; Tiatasha Brown, University of Central Florida; Jing Lyu, University of Florida; Serafima Mintz, University of Florida; Laura Snyder, University of Central Florida; Amy Zhou, University of Florida

 

2024 ARF YEARBOOK

The 2024 ARF Yearbook is available.  Read feature reflections from the conference co-chairs and award winners, along with featured articles from the conference about navigating scripted curricula, student development in an after school STEM program, and mental health support in teacher preparation programs.

​