Anne McGill-Franzen is Professor and Director of the Reading Center at the University of Tennessee. Before earning her Ph.D., she was a classroom teacher, remedial reading teacher, and a special education consultant. The focus of her professional work has been on struggling readers - including practice and policy that support or constrain teachers’ efforts. McGill-Franzen recently directed a project to build teachers’ expertise in early literacy and co-directed a federal longitudinal study to mediate the summer achievement gap in high-poverty minority schools. She is currently replicating the summer book fair study in poor rural communities. McGill-Franzen has been the recipient of several IRA research awards in early literacy and reading disabilities.