On June 18, 2020, Dr. Joan Mele-McCarthy gave a webinar hosted by Haskins Global Literacy Hub called “Executive Functions & Oral Language: Pieces in the Puzzle of Academic Achievement” in which participants gained an understanding of how the foundations of oral language are embedded in the conceptual and operational explanations of executive functions, and how these concepts translate to reading, writing, and school achievement.

To watch the presentation on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRyHen5deQQ.

Haskins Laboratories:  Founded in 1935 and located in New Haven, Connecticut since 1970, Haskins Laboratories is a private, non-profit research institute with a primary focus on speech, language and reading, and their biological basis. Support for their work comes mostly from federally funded, competitive research grants.

Dr. Joan Mele-McCarthy, CCC-SLP is the Executive Director at The Summit School, Edgewater, MD, an independent school for students with language-based learning differences in grades one through eight. Dr. McCarthy’s prior work experiences include the US Department of Education, private practice, university, and public school settings.  She also works closely with The Dyslexia Foundation, designing their annual one-day Dyslexia and Literacy conferences that provide current rigorous science and research-to-practice information to practitioners and families with the goal of improving reading instruction and reading outcomes for all children. Her scholarly work includes research-to-practice papers, book chapters, seminars and workshops in oral language, literacy, and education policy.