July 13 - 16, 2026

Boston, MA

The Neuroscience of Reading

Using Research to Understand Reading Acquisition and Disorders

Institute Leaders in Boston Include:

John D.E. Gabrieli, PhD
John D.E. Gabrieli, PhD
Joanna A. Christodoulou, EdD
Joanna A. Christodoulou, EdD
The ProgramScheduleCE CreditsTravelRegistration
Cost is $1,695 per person through May 22, 2026 and $1,895 per person after May 22, 2026. Save $200 per person when registering a group of 3 or more. 
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On Site PD
On Site PD

Join Us for This Summer Institute

From July 13-16, 2026, Learning & the Brain is offering a Summer Institute on the campus of Boston University.

This Institute will review what is currently known about the brain basis of reading ability and disability. Neuroimaging research has revealed how plasticity in the child’s brain supports learning to read, and shown how differences in brain structure and function are associated with reading disabilities, such as dyslexia. You will examine how neuroscience knowledge may be translated into educational policies and practices in relation to topics such as diagnosis, prognosis, early identification of children at risk for dyslexia, and identification of children who will or will not benefit from a specific kind of intervention.

The Institute is designed to be an intense, hands-on workshop with group projects, and therefore is limited to 50 participants.
Background

At This Institute, You Will

Define and characterize types of reading disabilities
Describe challenges that commonly co-occur with reading disabilities
Identify how assessments can inform our understanding of reading development and difficulties
Identify principles of effective instruction, intervention, and remediation, and recognize common barriers beyond instruction (e.g., summer slump, fade-out effects)
Understand how structure and function is measured in the human brain
Understand how learning to read changes the brain
Understand brain differences in dyslexia
Understand the brain plasticity that results from effective reading intervention

The Summer Institute Is for

PreK-12 Teachers and Reading Specialists
Administrators, School Psychologists, and School Clinicians
Education Professors and College Professors

About the Institute

This Learning & the Brain Summer Institute will be co-led by Dr. John Gabrieli and Dr. Joanna Christodoulou. This program is designed to help individuals and school teams develop knowledge about current scientific evidence concerning the brain basis of learning to read, and how such evidence may be related to education goals. The program offers participants an intensive professional development experience, drawing on the most up-to-date findings in human cognitive neuroscience.

Active participation is expected throughout this Institute. Class sessions will begin Monday afternoon. On subsequent days, classes will be held in the morning with afternoons free to explore Boston.

Attendees will be housed and all sessions will take place at the 10 Buick Street complex on the campus of Boston University in Boston, MA. Lodging, some meals, and course materials are provided. See the online schedule for meals provided.
Professional Development Credit

Professional Development Credit

Earn up to 20 hours toward professional development credit for various professionals. For details on credit offered, visit our CE credit page or call our office at 857-444-1500 ext. 1. Note: credits are not provided by Boston University.
Accommodations and Meals

Accommodations and Meals

Interaction between faculty and participants outside the classroom is an integral part of the Institute. To foster this total immersion learning environment, participants are housed in shared apartments with their own bedrooms in a dormitory on the campus of Boston University in Boston, MA. The apartments contain four bedrooms and two bathrooms and are located at 10 Buick Street.  The institute provides three nights lodging with an arrival date of July 13 and a departure date of July 16. If you would like to arrange for an early arrival and stay over on the night of July 12, the extra cost would be $125. If you are interested in making your own accommodations off-campus, please call us at 857-444-1500 x1. Boston University is located in the city of Boston, close to Kenmore Square and Fenway Park and along the "T" with easy access to all the sites of Boston. All facilities are ADA compliant. Please check the online schedule for information on the meals provided. 

Joanna A. Christodoulou, EdD

Professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Institute of Health Professions, Massachusetts General Hospital; Adjunct Lecturer, Harvard Medical School; Adjunct Lecturer, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Research Affiliate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Director, Brain, Education, and Mind (BEAM) Lab; 2014 winner of the "Transforming Education Through Neuroscience" Award from the Learning & the Brain Foundation and the International Mind, Brain, and Education Society; Co-Author, "Socioeconomic Status and Reading Outcomes: Neurocognitive and Behavioral Correlates" (2022, PsyArXiv) and "Anxiety, Motivation, and Competence in Mathematics and Reading for Children With and Without Learning Difficulties" (2021, Frontiers in Psychology)

John D.E. Gabrieli, PhD

Director, MIT Integrated Learning Initiative; Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences; Co-Director, Clinical Research Center; Associate Director, Athinoula A. Martinos Imaging Center, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Co-Author, “Parenting Relationships as a Moderator of How Socioeconomic Status and Household Chaos Relate to Children’s Cognitive and Socioemotional Skills” (2025, Experimental Child Psychology), “Personalized Neuroimaging Reveals the Impact of Children’s Interests on Language Processing in the Brain” (2024, Imaging Neuroscience), and “Exploration is Associated with Socioeconomic Disparities in Learning and Academic Achievement in Adolescence” (2024, OSF)

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