Home / Success Stories / Welcome 2018!

Welcome 2018!


As this new year begins, we’re continuing the momentum of 2017! We are preparing to launch the 4th Edition of the Wilson Reading System® (WRS) and commemorating our 30th anniversary in the field of dyslexia education, multisensory structured language instruction, and professional learning. Individually and collectively, our mutual efforts and achievements are positively impacting teaching and learning throughout the country.

At no other time in history has such attention been paid to the issue of providing effective teaching and learning solutions for individuals with dyslexia. We are proud to collaborate with educators, school districts, and thought leaders in addressing this national issue.

This past year, we worked with a growing number of school districts throughout the country to develop hundreds of implementation plans at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. We also conducted Fundations®, Just Words® and WRS workshops for thousands of educators in 15 states and 22 cities.

We welcomed 11 new Wilson Credentialed Trainers and 18 new Fundations and Just Words Presenters. Additionally, three new certified Wilson® Partners came on board in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Connecticut, and 10 long-standing Partners renewed accreditation.

In May, we recognized the first graduate of Fitchburg State University’s new, online dyslexia specialist concentration, which is offered in partnership with Wilson Language Training®. The program provides educators with a master’s degree in special education, Wilson Reading System Level I Certification (Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner, W.D.P.), and Wilson Reading System Level II Certification (Wilson Dyslexia Therapist, W.D.T.), which are accredited by the International Dyslexia Association.

In July, educators from 28 states gathered in the seacoast city of Portsmouth, NH, during the 18th annual meeting of Wilson® Credentialed Trainers. The two-day meeting provided an opportunity for our Trainers, Literacy Specialists, and Literacy Advisors to become familiar with the enhanced WRS 4th Edition curriculum and materials being released this year.

Wilson President and Co-founder Barbara Wilson was a featured presenter at several conferences this past fall, including the International Dyslexia Association’s annual conference in Atlanta, The Dyslexia Foundation’s “Differences within Differences” conference at Harvard Medical School, Decoding Dyslexia Iowa’s conference in Ankeny, and a community education forum in Utah sponsored by PC READS and the Park City Education Foundation. During Dyslexia Awareness Month in October, Wilson Senior Educational Technologist Nanci Shepardson provided an overview of assistive technology for our fourth annual Parent Night at our Oxford, MA, campus.

We look forward to all 2018 has in store, including our Trainer Meeting and Teacher Conference July 9-10 in Boston. Stay tuned for more details!

Pictured: A group of Wilson Literacy Specialists and Trainers entertained attendees during the annual Trainer meeting in July.