Author Maya Smart to discuss how to get kids 'Reading for Their Lives' at Marquette Law School, Nov. 12

Nov. 6, 2025

MILWAUKEE - Maya Smart, author and early literacy advocate, will be the featured guest for a conversation on what should go into a plan for parents and caregivers to get young children on the path to being good readers, in an event co-sponsored by the Law School's Lubar Center for Public Research and Civic Education and Marquette's College of Education, on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 12:15 p.m. at Eckstein Hall.

Smart will discuss with Alan Borsuk, senior fellow in law and public policy, how parents and caregivers can help young children develop strong reading skills. Their conversation will highlight Smart's findings on the critical role families play in early literacy and address the lack of improvement in Wisconsin reading achievement over the past 25 years.

Registration for the free public event is required and available online. Members of the media who are interested in attending should contact Kevin Conway, associate director of university communication, at [email protected].

Smart is affiliated faculty of educational policy and leadership in the College of Education. Her book, "Reading for Our Lives: A Literacy Action Plan from Birth to Six," challenges the bath-book-bed mantra and the idea that reading aloud to our kids is enough to ensure school readiness. Instead, it gives parents easy, immediate, and accessible ways to nurture language and literacy development from the start. Through personal stories, historical accounts, scholarly research, and practical tips, this book presents the life-and-death urgency of literacy, investigates inequity in reading achievement, and illuminates a path to a true, transformative education for all.

Borsuk has been part of Marquette Law School's public policy initiative since 2009, following several decades as a reporter and editor with the Milwaukee Journal and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. His Marquette Law School work as senior fellow in law and public policy, like much of his newspaper work, has included a special portfolio for reporting and analyzing K-12 education in Wisconsin and beyond.

Through public programming such as the Marquette Law School Poll, "On the Issues" conversations with newsmakers, public lectures by leading scholars, conferences on issues of public significance, and the work of its Lubar Center, Marquette Law School seeks to advance civil discourse about law and public policy matters.

This event supports the College of Education's focus on lifelong learning and an appreciation for research and professional growth. Marquette students continually reflect on their practice and role in society and attempt to enhance the learning and general well-being of those they serve. In all these endeavors, they grow in their engagement with critical analysis and advocacy around structural inequities in society and in education.

About Kevin Conway

Kevin is the associate director for university communication in the Office of Marketing and Communication. Contact Kevin at (414) 288-4745 or [email protected].