LSU Alumna and Faculty Organize World Language Conference for Louisiana Teachers
July 08, 2026
The Louisiana World Language Reading Conference is a one-day, high-impact professional development event designed to support Louisiana teachers through stronger literacy instruction in world language classrooms. Louisiana has made significant, nationally recognized progress in early English literacy, yet many students, particularly those with learning differences, still face barriers in accessing and succeeding in world languages (e.g., French, Spanish).
This conference addresses that gap by equipping world language teachers with practical, research-based strategies they can bring back to their classrooms.
At a Glance:
- July 23, 2026
- 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
- South Branch Library, Baton Rouge, LA
- In-person and virtual attendance options
- Registration is required and lunch will be provided to in-person attendees
- Keynote speaker is Shanna Beber, Executive Director of Literacy at the Louisiana Department of Education
The Louisiana World Language Reading Conference is organized by a team of linguists, language teachers, and teacher trainers - including LSU alumna and faculty. Supported in part by a Collge of Human Sciences & Education Dean's Faculty Research Grant, the conference serves as the foundation for a multi-year study and exemplifies research in action - connecting scholars directly with Louisiana educators to identify challenges, test evidence-based instructional approaches, and develop practical classroom solutions.
LSU Alumna Erin Fell, PhD, is a teacher–researcher specializing in second language acquisition and learning disabilities. She has taught K–12 French and pedagogy courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and her research advances inclusive language education and expands instructional support for diverse learners. Fell frequently collaborates with national and international researchers, teachers, and policymakers across multiple disciplines to answer pressing questions around language teaching. She is the 2025 recipient of the NFMLTA/MLJ Paul Pimsleur Award for Research in World Language Education for her paper, “Foreign language education in Louisiana: A cluster analysis.” While at LSU, she was a Discover Scholar.
Margaret W. Piccoli, PhD, is a lifelong educator, an author, and an improv enthusiast. As a second language teacher, she has personally experienced the challenges to use comprehensible language while incorporating it in content-based, meaningful, and engaging activities for all proficiency levels. Over the last 25 years, Margaret has taught high school Spanish in Louisiana, English as a Second language at the Università Cattolica in Italy, Italian at Ithaca College, and World Language Education and English as a Second Language at the Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education at Louisiana State University. She believes that activities that integrate the arts, specifically improvisation, consider the whole child and offer multiple outlets of expression. Her academic and research interests lie in second language acquisition, improvisation, and language learning through the theatre-arts, but her passion is the teaching and advancement of a multilingual society.
Rounding out the organizing team is Nola Goodwin, a rising senior at Georgetown University studying Linguistics and Caitlin Cornell, PhD, English and Accessibility Coordinator and Advocate for the College of Arts and Letters at Michigan State University.