The Big Sky Literacy Summit 2026
Activating Genius
August 27, 28, 29, & 30
Yellowstone Conference Center
Big Sky, Montana
“There’s no burden greater than bearing an untold story.” - Ozan Varol, Awaken Your Genius
Your whole world can change when you change who you listen to. Meet the Mentors, Leaders, and Teachers of 2026:
Jill Fain Lehman - Ann Kaiser - Charles Hulme - Carol Tolman - Julie Washington - Tiffany Hogan - Hugh Catts - Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan - Timothy Odegard - Danielle 'Nell' Thompson - Terrie Noland - Julie VanDyke - Antonio Fierro - Lucy Hart Paulson - Karen Tzanetopoulos - Theresa Owens - Linda Farrell - Michael Hunter - Craig Buscher - Justin Browning - Michelle Elia - Brittany Brewer - Rhonda Ayers - Amy Siracusano - Mica Byrum - Rebecca Loera
The Transformative Reading Teacher Group
Every person has a longing to be significant; to make a contribution; to be a part of something noble and purposeful. - John C. Maxwell
The 2021 - 2025 Summits have added unmeasurable value and instigated changes in human outcomes for over 2,000 educators, literacy leaders, intentional partners, and research scientists in 48 states and three countries. These Summits collectively planted seeds of change that resulted in unprecedented results at the personal, child, school, and district levels for many who attended, including these voices from the field - Louisa Moats, Hugh Catts, Dawn Brookhart, Margie Gillis, Tanner Butterfield, T'Shaka Bailey, Christine Trcka, Julie Dinan, and Theresa Owens . Let their wisdom remind you of the power of knowledge when it empowers change and come join us for the 2026 Summit experience.
Learn more about The Summit
Activating Genius!
The 6th Anniversary Big Sky Literacy Summit
Activating Genius
This theme intentionally carries us forward from Language Is Everything (2025) into the next evolution, the activation and expansion of thinking, systems, and the everyday routines that shape how we learn and lead.
Activating genius is about tapping into the infinite potential within every child, every teacher, every leader and choosing to see the world through opportunity goggles instead of limitation lenses.
It is about surfacing what has been dormant. Elevating what has been overlooked. And courageously addressing the meaningful topics that, once uncovered, change the trajectory of the future.
Richard Rudd captures this beautifully:
“Genius describes you living at your zenith. It is you living your life without holding anything back, owning and therefore transcending your fears. To be a genius is to have the courage to live life with an open heart, as a deep romance… Your genius simply makes you a truly joyous human being.”
In Awaken Your Genius, Ozan Varol echoes this call reminding us that genius requires escaping conformity, igniting creativity, and daring to become extraordinary. And perhaps most hauntingly, he writes:
“There’s no burden greater than bearing an untold story.”
Big Sky 2026 is an invitation to tell the untold stories. To surface the genius within educators, leaders, and systems. To move from knowing to activating. From insight to embodiment. From possibility to measurable, lasting impact in schools, districts, and communities around the world.
GRAND ROUND Topics:
- Language Activates Genius - Language is the architecture of thought. This Grand Round explores how speaking, listening, reading, and writing build cognition across content areas and tiers of support. Participants will leave with a clear framework for embedding intentional language development into every classroom and across PreK–12 systems and content.
- Systems Activate Genius - Great instruction must depend on systems. This session examines how coherent routines, feedback loops, and aligned structures create repeatable excellence from classroom to state level. Participants will identify leverage points in their own organizations and design systems that sustain impact.
- Leadership Activates Genius - Transformation requires leaders who know the science, model the practice, and align the work. This Grand Round focuses on instructional stewardship and adult behavior change. Participants will gain practical strategies for guiding literacy transformation with clarity and coherence.
- Implementation Activates Genius - Ideas do not change outcomes. Execution does. This Grand Round highlights the stages and drivers of Implementation Science that turn evidence into daily practice. Participants will leave with a roadmap for scaling excellence while maintaining fidelity and adaptability.
- You Activate the Genius in You - In an era shaped by AI and accelerated change, leadership requires discernment. This Grand Round explores how to integrate technology while preserving deep language, human connection, and thoughtful practice. Participants will leave with renewed clarity about their role in activating lasting impact.
August 27, 28, 29, and 30th - The general program is as follows:
August 27 | Late afternoon start
Experience the opening of the Summit 2026 with the Activating Genius event.
August 28 | 8:30 AM - 6:15 PM | Grand Rounds - Day 1
Start your day with breakfast at 7:00 AM before diving into an engaging program of mentor and breakout sessions. Morning sessions run from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM, followed by lunch & break from 12:00 PM to 2:30 PM. The afternoon sessions continue from 2:30 PM to 6:15 PM. There are snacks and breaks across the day.
August 29 | 8:30 AM - 6:15 PM | Grand Rounds - Day 2
Start your day with breakfast at 7:00 AM before diving into an engaging program of mentor and breakout sessions. Morning sessions run from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM, followed by lunch & break from 12:00 PM to 2:30 PM. The afternoon sessions continue from 2:30 PM to 6:15 PM. There are snacks and breaks across the day.
August 30 | 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM | Activating Genius
Enjoy breakfast at 7:00 AM before the final integration and activation of genius closing at 8:30 AM.
Once registered, you'll receive more information by the end of July, including summit session descriptions.
If you haven't said "yes" yet, it's time to activate your genius and learning by joining us at the 2026 Big Sky Literacy Summit where we ponder what it takes to steward education into a new future through.
*There will be no refunds after July 1, 2026.
Thank you to our 2025 SOR Partners
Sharing knowledge, inspiring change!
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The Mentors, Leaders & Teachers
The Summit is addressing is a multi-disciplinary experience addressing the sciences of reading (SoR), leading, learning, teaching, implementation, and MTSS. We do this through the perspectives of four groups of teachers: mentor scientists and thought leaders who are shaping the future of the field and the work we do; the translators and leaders who are doing the work in complex school ecosystems; and practitioners and school leaders applying their knowledge of the sciences of literacy transformation.
Session Program and Agenda
All mentor teachings and sessions are being curated and planned for the collective effect that will take you from being a novice to becoming an expert about what it will take for you to activate genius in yourself and in your community. The initial outline of the schedule is posted on this landing page and the final session schedule will be posted in July via the link below.
Hotel and Location
Because The Summit has a world-class lineup of speakers, we thought you should enjoy it in an epic location, the Yellowstone Conference Center at Big Sky Resort, Montana. Please get your on-site discounted rooms at the below link, or look at other room options. Also, learn more about the adventures that await you at Big Sky by clicking on the Big Sky Logo.
Parking & Transportation
The Summit will be held in Big Sky, Montana. Planning where you are staying and how you are getting there is important! PLEASE PLAN your transfers from the airport by linking below. The daily events are at the Yellowstone Conference Center in Big Sky Mountain Village. The Center is attached to the Shoshone Condominium Hotel and Huntley Lodge and is close to the Village Center, Summit Hotel, or The Lodge at Big Sky. Big Sky Meadow Village is the next closest option, but will require a 10 min drive.
"“Genius describes you living at your zenith. It is you living your life without holding anything back, owning and therefore transcending your fears. To be a genius is to have the courage to live life with an open heart, as a deep romance… Your genius simply makes you a truly joyous human being.” Thanks for all you do to make us better!"
