Request for Proposals (RFP) and Posters

The New York State Reading Association (NYSRA) invites educators, researchers, and literacy leaders to submit proposals for breakout sessions at our 2025 annual conference in Buffalo, NY. This year’s theme, Empowered Literacy and Learning, draws inspiration from the power of Niagara Falls and Buffalo’s rich history as one of the first cities to harness electricity. Just as energy fuels innovation, literacy empowers learners, transforms communities, and drives progress in education.

We seek high-quality, evidence-based presentations that explore innovative strategies, research-driven practices, and transformative literacy experiences. Proposals should align with one or more of the following thematic strands:

• The Power of Authentic Literacy – Real-world literacy practices that engage and empower students as readers and writers.

• Electrifying Instruction: Innovations in Literacy Teaching – Cutting-edge approaches and technology integration to energize literacy education.

• Currents of Change: Equity, Access, and Culturally Responsive Literacy – Ensuring all learners have access to high-quality, inclusive literacy practices.

• High-Voltage Leadership in Literacy – Strategies for literacy leaders, coaches, and administrators to drive impactful literacy initiatives.

• Surging Research to Practice: Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction – Translating research into actionable classroom strategies.

• Igniting Literacy in the Digital Age – Exploring the role of AI, digital literacy, and multimedia texts in fostering literacy skills.

• The Power of the Written Word: Writing as a Catalyst for Learning – Writing as a tool for comprehension, critical thinking, and academic success.

• Sustaining the Spark: Social-Emotional Learning and Literacy – The intersection of literacy and SEL, including trauma-informed instruction and motivation.

• The Energy of Early Literacy – Foundational literacy strategies that build strong early readers.

• Waves of Multilingual Literacy: Supporting Language Learners – Best practices for fostering literacy among multilingual learners.

Proposal Submission Guidelines:

• Sessions should be interactive, research-based, and aligned with best practices in literacy education.

• Presentations are contingent on the type of proposal submitted. (Please see page 3 for proposal types.) 

• Please submit your proposal via the Google Form link below. The deadline for proposal submissions is Monday, June 30, 2025.

• Applicants will receive a notification when your proposal is received and will be notified about their acceptance by August 30, 2025. Proposals may be accepted after the deadline at the discretion of the conference coordinators.  All parts of the proposal must be completed.  See proposal review criteria here. For questions, contact: Kirsten Burke Smith, membership@nysreading.org

• Accepted presentations may occur on Monday, November 10, 2025 (9 am-6 pm) or Tuesday, November 11, 2025 (8 am-1 pm).

• As a professional, nonprofit organization, NYSRA is unable to reimburse program participants for any expenses. If attending the conference, accepted presenters must register and pay appropriate conference fees. 

Join us in Buffalo as we ignite learning, spark innovation, and empower literacy educators across New York State!

Submit your proposal here.

Description of Proposals

Type #1:  Individual 

Individual presentations are organized into 60-minute sessions.  This submission may include, but is not limited to: practitioner research, critical issues related to the literacy community, current practices, acquisition, or instructional strategies.  Presenters should be prepared to engage audiences in a lecture, demonstration, or workshop. To help create a diverse representation of topics, perspectives, and scholars, we reserve the right to accept your individual session application as a roundtable or poster session. Please be aware that a limited number of individual sessions will be accepted for the 2025 conference. 

Type #2: Roundtable 

Roundtables are individual presentations followed by a discussion with a group of people seated around a table.  The individual presentations at the roundtables run for 15-20 minute intervals, with discussion and feedback included within that time. After 15-20 minutes of each talk, attendees will be asked to move to another table and topic. Roundtables are an ideal format for networking and in-depth discussion on a particular topic. Presenters should bring targeted questions to pose to others at the table or handouts in order to learn from and with those attending. Multiple roundtables will be conducted in the same room. Tables will be organized by common topic/themes, targeted audience, or grade level.  

Type #3: Poster 

College student and faculty poster sessions combine the graphic display of materials with the opportunity for individualized, informal discussion of the student/faculty research throughout a 60-minute session. Poster sessions can be dedicated to the presentation of work-in-progress.  Individual presenters set up displays representing their papers in a large area with other presenters. For more information on the poster sessions specifically, please contact Maryanne Barrett (Barrett.maryanne@gmail.com).

Type #4: Exhibitor 

This session is specifically designed for exhibitors of the conference to share their products and professional resources.  As in the past, NYSRA asks that your presentation focus on literacy teaching and learning more generally, but you are able to share your products as part of the presentation.  In order to present an exhibitor session, the company must be exhibiting in the exhibit hall.