About our Work
Welcome
Hello and welcome to Wilson’s website! We invite you to learn more about our organization and our extensive work, for three decades, dedicated to “Literacy for All.” Teacher knowledge and skill mastery is at the core of our mission, thus Wilson Language Training® (WLT) empowers individual educators, schools, and districts to achieve literacy with all students in their care.
Initially, WLT’s work focused on the education of teachers who were working with individuals with dyslexia. The Wilson Reading System® (WRS), and the professional learning certifications associated with it, were developed and established in the 1980s. That work continues today as we help schools and districts develop their own capacity to successfully educate their students with dyslexia. In fact, approximately 25,000 teachers in schools across America have achieved WRS Level I Certification.
Now, in addition to our school- and district-level in-service work, the Wilson certification models are embedded into several universities’ reading or special education graduate degree programs so that teachers are better prepared to teach the most challenged readers. Whether educators work with us in their schools/districts or at a university, our goal is the same: to give them a high-level of knowledge and skill with teaching reading and writing to all of their students.
While we prepare specialists to successfully teach individuals with dyslexia to read and write, we also recognize that all teachers benefit from a true depth of literacy knowledge. Teachers in grades K-3 have an enormous impact on the literacy development of each child in their classrooms, and they need support to successfully instruct all of their students. In 2002, Wilson expanded its programs and professional learning to the general education classroom teachers. We now help schools develop teacher-leaders by offering professional learning courses associated with our K-3 program, Fundations®. Teachers develop deep implementation skills, and equally important, they greatly expand their understanding about the reading and writing processes.
Finally, we assist educators with students in grades 4-12 and adults who have not solidified the foundational reading and writing skills necessary for success. Similar to our K-3 model, we offer extensive professional learning to teachers who deliver instruction to these students, resulting in the development of teacher-leader skills.
Our work is focused and intense—necessary elements for the critical work that we do. Our passion and belief that all individuals can find success has driven our organization since the mid-1980s. Our incredible team has expanded over the years so that now approximately 200 people work at WLT to support its mission.
We welcome you to explore more about our work and to contact us for even more information on how we can work together toward a common goal—Literacy for All.
Sincerely,
Co-founders
About Barbara Wilson
Barbara A. Wilson is the Co-Founder and President of Wilson Language Training, whose mission is to provide professional learning and ongoing support to literacy educators across the country. She has been dedicated to individuals with dyslexia for over 30 years since her work at the Massachusetts General Hospital Reading Disabilities Clinic where she taught adults with dyslexia how to read. Barbara authored the Wilson Reading System® based on that work and reading research.
Barbara oversees graduate courses and clinical practicums on teaching reading to students with a language-based learning disability, which lead to Wilson certification. This certification is an integral component for several university programs that are accredited by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA).
Barbara provides a voice for students with dyslexia, with presentations—keynotes and workshops—at more than 300 national and international conferences. She has authored a chapter titled, “Instruction for Older Students with a Word-Level Reading Disability,” which is in the fourth edition of Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills, edited by Judith Birsh. She has also consulted on several research grants for older students and was invited to the White House to speak to the President’s Domestic Policy Adviser on Education regarding the issue of literacy in America’s middle and high schools.
Barbara also leads Wilson’s work with school districts on their Response to Intervention implementation and has authored two additional programs: Wilson Just Words® for older students with a word-level deficit and Fundations® for students learning to read in K-3. Barbara currently serves on several committees for the International Dyslexia Association and provides professional expertise and consultation to other organizations dedicated to reading and dyslexia.
About Ed Wilson
Edward J. Wilson is the Co-Founder, Publisher, and CFO of Wilson Language Training (WLT). In 1985, Barbara and Ed Wilson founded the Wilson Learning Center. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Ed completed the Wilson Certification models, which contributed to his understanding of the science behind the implementation process. Though not schooled as an educator, he has devoted 30 years to the education of children, bringing his expertise in systems management to the mission of WLT by successfully scaling up the work of the Wilson Learning Center.
Ed led the transition from a private learning center model to a 200+ employee company that provides schools and districts across America with the same level of success achieved at the private center, establishing Wilson Language Training Corporation in 1993.
Throughout the years, Ed remained determined to maintain the goal and mission of Wilson at its core—dedicated to individuals with dyslexia. He served on the Board of Directors for the New England Branch of the Orton Dyslexia Society for 6 years, and on the Executive Board of the parent organization (International Dyslexia Association) for 7 years. He was also the founding treasurer of the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council (IMSLEC). He currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Dyslexia Foundation, and as a Trustee of Becker College.
