Podcasts about reading recovery

Education Unconvention: Big Questions About ReadingI introduce the Education Unconvention as a fringe-style, discussion-based subset of my podcast, designed to complement and sometimes challenge the Convention on Education by sharing progress and inviting contributions online. The first theme is reading, explored through debates about Reading Recovery, UFLI, and dyslexia, alongside reading schools and reading classes. I describe tensions between research evidence and teachers' lived experience, including questions about independent Irish evaluation of Reading Recovery and what should replace it if flaws are found. Teachers praise UFLI's structure and results, while others caution against treating any programme as a silver bullet. On dyslexia, contributors argue for either specialists, stronger teacher knowledge, or expanded specialist provision, raising wider questions about inclusion. Across all topics, recurring themes include time, resources, workload, training, disadvantage, home literacy, and defining what success in literacy should look like.00:00 Welcome to Unconvention02:20 Why Reading Matters05:05 Reading Recovery Debate07:43 Research Versus Experience10:37 What Counts as Evidence15:12 UFLI Takes Off18:07 Program Hype Cycle23:33 Dyslexia Mainstream Reality25:36 Mainstream or Specialist26:54 Highest Need Critique27:36 Expertise Without Roles29:13 Every Teacher Dyslexia30:51 Reading Classes Debate31:54 Inclusion What Means34:14 Bigger System Questions36:10 Curriculum Time Squeeze38:19 Home Factors Screen Time40:09 Unconvention Ethos Wrap This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonmlewis.substack.com/subscribe

Education Unconvention: Big Questions About ReadingI introduce the Education Unconvention as a fringe-style, discussion-based subset of my podcast, designed to complement and sometimes challenge the Convention on Education by sharing progress and inviting contributions online. The first theme is reading, explored through debates about Reading Recovery, UFLI, and dyslexia, alongside reading schools and reading classes. I describe tensions between research evidence and teachers' lived experience, including questions about independent Irish evaluation of Reading Recovery and what should replace it if flaws are found. Teachers praise UFLI's structure and results, while others caution against treating any programme as a silver bullet. On dyslexia, contributors argue for either specialists, stronger teacher knowledge, or expanded specialist provision, raising wider questions about inclusion. Across all topics, recurring themes include time, resources, workload, training, disadvantage, home literacy, and defining what success in literacy should look like.00:00 Welcome to Unconvention02:20 Why Reading Matters05:05 Reading Recovery Debate07:43 Research Versus Experience10:37 What Counts as Evidence15:12 UFLI Takes Off18:07 Program Hype Cycle23:33 Dyslexia Mainstream Reality25:36 Mainstream or Specialist26:54 Highest Need Critique27:36 Expertise Without Roles29:13 Every Teacher Dyslexia30:51 Reading Classes Debate31:54 Inclusion What Means34:14 Bigger System Questions36:10 Curriculum Time Squeeze38:19 Home Factors Screen Time40:09 Unconvention Ethos Wrap This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonmlewis.substack.com/subscribe

Research suggests that Reading Recovery instruction somehow penalizes students. Those who get the help do less well in ensuing years than similar kids who don't. This podcast explores possible explanations for this -- explanations that point up important lessons to be drawn from remedial interventions.

In this 45-minute presentation, I walk through five beliefs about the science of reading. The intent is to spark curiosity and encourage conversation. Watch this presentation in tandem with my free eBook What School Leaders Need to Know About the Science of Reading. Use these resources as a starting point for holding much-needed discussions in your school around effective literacy instruction. If you would like support with facilitating this type of conversation, don't hesitate to get in touch with me here.Take care,MattP.S. Join me for the next professional learning event: a conversation with Dr. Kelly Cartwright, author of Executive Skills and Reading Comprehension: A Guide for Educators.Full TranscriptWhat School Leaders Need to Know About the Science of ReadingTranscript of a presentation based on the free ebook resource available to download.About MeHi, I'm Matt Renwick. I'm sharing this presentation: What School Leaders Need to Know About the Science of Reading, based on the free ebook resource available to download.A little bit about myself. I'm a father of two teens and a husband to Jodi, who is also a teacher. My son is currently in college — whenever I visit, I try to find something fun for us to do together. My daughter is a junior in high school. I'm also a very part-time bookseller at an independent bookstore in my hometown. This is our dog, Millie. She works Sundays with me and is excellent at her job. And one of the things I most enjoy is visiting national parks. My most recent trip was to the Rocky Mountains for a mountain biking trip — though I'll admit I'm not a big fan of heights, so I drove the rest of the party up to the trailhead and cheered them on from there.Starting With a BookI want to begin by referencing a book — not reading it aloud, but using it as a frame. It's called Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld. You may have seen it. It uses an optical illusion — is it a duck or a rabbit? One person sees a duck; another sees a rabbit.I've found this book especially useful for lowering the emotional temperature when we start talking about the science of reading. After reading it aloud, I typically invite a group to pause and reflect on these three questions:* When we debate reading instruction, are we arguing about what's best for kids — or about who's right?* Where in your work do you notice people looking at the same data and seeing completely different things?* What would it take for you to genuinely consider a perspective on reading instruction that you've resisted?If you're watching this with a group, I'd encourage you to pause here and have a conversation.How This Resource Got StartedThe impetus for this presentation came from a colleague who was supporting a new administrator. This new administrator was already getting inundated with requests for evidence-based workbooks and heavily phonics-focused resources. She reached out and asked me to share my take on the science of reading with this administrator.Here's what I shared in an email:First, reading instruction is complex. It's not a simple equation you can plug resources into and expect to produce readers.Second, science requires inquiry, not dogma. If a field is a true science, it will continue to conduct research, look at what's working and what's not, and reevaluate its philosophies in light of new evidence.Third, multiple sciences of reading matter. We can't just look at cognitive science. We also have to look at the science of engagement, the science of motivation, the science of efficacy, and the science of goal setting. These all matter.Fourth, authentic texts should support skill development. A lot of resources strip away rich, relevant text in service of isolated skill practice — and we know that doesn't work.Fifth, programs do not equal responsive instruction. I've heard this called “solutionitis” — the idea that buying a program will automatically raise reading scores. We know that's not the case.I sent that email and waited a few weeks without hearing back. I eventually reached out to my colleague and learned the administrator had left the position. My first assumption was that the complexity of the topic had scared them off — but actually, they'd landed a dream job. Still, the experience got me thinking about all the new administrators coming into these roles without much background in this area. That's what I want to address through both this presentation and the ebook.My Beliefs — A DisclaimerWhat follows is based on my current beliefs, grounded not just in my own experience but also in research and in conversations with colleagues who know more than I do in certain areas. These beliefs are evolving. I hold them with humility.Belief 1: Teaching Reading Is Not SimpleThere's been a lot of conversation lately about the “simple view of reading.” I'd argue that teaching reading is anything but simple. It takes a long time to become highly skilled at teaching readers.I recently came across a New York Times article titled “Kids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore — Even in English Class.” I found it striking because when I taught fifth and sixth graders 25 years ago, we were reading multiple novels a year as a class. Then we moved away from that — toward anthology series, excerpts, comprehension questions, skill packets. I'm not saying whole-class novel study is a best practice across the board. But it's worth asking: we introduced all these programs, and the result is that kids aren't reading books anymore. How do we find the balance — where resources support instruction without becoming the curriculum? As Peter Afflerbach likes to say: How do we teach readers, not just reading?The Simple View of Reading — from Gough and Tunmer — reads like an equation: decoding + language comprehension = reading. There's research that supports this. The problem is that it's incomplete. It doesn't account for all the other ways kids become readers.One of the biggest promoters of this simplified narrative has been Emily Hanford's Sold a Story podcast. I counted the transcripts of the first eight episodes: phonics is mentioned 48 times, comprehension 10 times, and engagement 0 times. You can see how media shapes the public's understanding of reading instruction — and how that narrative flows into legislation. Wisconsin's Act 20, for example, is heavily phonics-focused. Some of the assessments it prioritizes, like oral reading fluency, can be useful indicators — but they don't even measure comprehension.An Active View of Reading — introduced by Duke and Cartwright — is what I promote instead. It still values word recognition and language comprehension, but adds important components: bridging processes (print concepts, fluency, vocabulary knowledge), and active self-regulation (motivation, engagement, executive functioning, strategy use). These aren't extras — they're prerequisites for students to become highly effective, engaged readers. Notably, this is a reader model, not a reading model. It recognizes that reading is also shaped by the texts we choose, the tasks we design, and sociocultural context — including diverse authorship, representation, and the absence of bias.A practical implication: expand your assessments. As a principal and teacher, I learned that what we measure is what matters. Right-to-read legislation may mandate oral reading fluency screening, and that's fine — but we can also look at attendance and behavior as root causes, consider whether language barriers rather than reading skill are the real challenge for some students, and include teacher observations and student voice. Think about what it means to take a fuller picture of a reader.Belief 2: The Science Is Anything But SettledI once posted this on Twitter:“I don't know who needs to hear this. Teaching a literacy curriculum program like a script, lesson by lesson, to all kids without considering their current interests, abilities, and needs is not scientific, drains the joy out of learning, and leads to inequities.”It got significant engagement — many positive responses, but also real pushback. Someone at the higher ed level responded that teachers actually love the script because it gives them structure. I understand that perspective. But the insistence that the science is settled — and that it's simply a matter of implementing the right program — is not only factually wrong; it's intellectually closed.Notice even the language: the science of reading. That definite article is essentialist, exclusive — like “the Olympic Games” or “The Ohio State University.” If you're for the science of reading, you believe X. If you don't, you're outside the movement. People have been pushed to the margins of these communities simply for raising questions. That doesn't feel very scientific.Any professional field that considers itself a science goes through paradigm shifts — a concept introduced by Thomas Kuhn. Normal science gives way to anomalies, then to a model crisis, then to revolution, then to a new paradigm. Copernicus gave us one example. I believe reading instruction is stuck in the model crisis — cycling through the same debates without genuine revolution. We can't change the whole profession, but we can make progress locally.One approach I've found effective: use professional journal articles to facilitate conversation — not to prove a point, but to create space for educators to engage with ideas. Rachel Gabriel's article “The Sciences of Reading Instruction” is a good one. It's balanced, uses helpful metaphors, and raises productive questions.Pair it with shared agreements (I use: stay engaged, experience discomfort, speak your truth, expect and accept non-closure) and a dialogue protocol — like the 4As — to make sure all voices get space, not just the loudest ones.Belief 3: Good Intentions Can Lead to Inequitable OutcomesWisconsin's Act 20 — our right-to-read law — was written in July 2023. Like many state laws of its kind, its language has been heavily influenced by certain think tanks, commercial providers, and media figures. It requires science-based early reading instruction, mandates universal screening and intervention systems, restricts certain curriculum approaches (no three-cueing in core reading curriculum starting in 2024–25), and requires professional development around structured literacy for K–3 teachers, principals, and reading specialists.There are also third-grade promotion policies. In some states — Ohio, Florida, Mississippi — students who are not deemed proficient can be retained. Up to a third of an entire third-grade cohort in some cases. The long-term effects of that are deeply concerning.I share this because I do believe most people involved in this legislation want kids to perform better. But good intentions can produce inequitable outcomes when:* Single scores become students' identities* A student who scored at the 24th percentile versus the 25th percentile on an ORF assessment receives a personal reading plan and a letter home — without anyone asking whether they had a rough night, or whether they still see themselves as a strong reader* We do things to students rather than with them, stripping away agency and voiceWhat I've observed as this movement plays out in schools: more scripted curricula, limits on responsive instruction, isolated skill practice, decontextualized text, and assessments that measure only what's easy to measure. The downstream effects include the removal of voice and choice, classroom and school libraries collecting dust, independent reading squeezed out, teacher professionalism diminished, and authentic tasks like project-based learning deprioritized.One counter-move: empower students to curate and organize their classroom or school library. This can be an ongoing project — lay the books out, let students decide the organization, identify gaps, and bring in culturally relevant titles. Use book order points and let kids choose. You'll see more engagement, more reading, and you'll free up some of your own time in the process.Belief 4: One Science Is Dependent on AnotherI was recently working with a team discussing teacher beliefs and their role in effective reading instruction. I posed this question: Imagine your principal removed all the core ELA resources from every classroom. Could your teachers still teach their students?After a pause, the group said — yeah, we could.So what would that look like?And that's when the real conversation started.I raise this because critics of the science of reading movement have pointed out that proponents often can't articulate a coherent theory. “Sequential and explicit direct instruction” is a process, not a theory. What's the actual theory of action for teaching readers? That question matters.One answer is an instructional model that allows teachers to be responsive. I've used Regie Routman's Optimal Learning Model from Literacy Essentials in two schools as a principal. What I like about it is the arrows going both directions — we move between whole-class demonstration, shared practice, guided reading, and independent reading based on real-time, informal assessment. If kids aren't ready, we go back. This takes significant professional development to build capacity, but it also inoculates schools against scripted program dependency.The larger point is this: teaching readers well requires holding multiple sciences in tension simultaneously. Cognitive science — comprehension, decoding, fluency. Affective science — motivation, engagement, identity. Metacognitive science — goal setting, self-efficacy, agency. These don't operate in isolation. When you weave them together — for example, using a classroom library project that builds both reading identity and cognitive engagement — you see real growth.How to build this knowledge in your staff: As a principal, I had to build my own curriculum. I subscribed to several journals — I didn't read every article, but I'd browse the table of contents, pull one article, read it with margin notes, and then summarize it in my Friday staff newsletter, linking to the original. I became an information distiller. That made it possible to walk into a classroom and have a research-grounded conversation with a teacher who held strong views — not as an expert telling them what's right, but as a colleague asking questions. What did you think about that article on Orton-Gillingham? It becomes a much more objective, productive exchange.Belief 5: You Can't Buy the Science of ReadingThis became real to me as a principal when a reading recovery interventionist was trying to get a first-grade student to come to his sessions. Reading Recovery is a highly evidence-based intervention — but she couldn't get him to come. We suspected executive functioning challenges and a history of reading struggle that made being singled out feel threatening.So she brought in a Venus flytrap. She told the student: if you come to my room, you get to feed it one fly.Eventually, I walked in, and there was a pile of dead flies next to the plant. This student had started bringing his own food supply. The teacher had to explain that they couldn't overfeed it. What started as external motivation — a Venus flytrap — gradually shifted toward internal, identity-forming reinforcement. She had the student, after reaching a benchmark, choose a few books he actually wanted to read. That was the celebration.You can't legislate this. You can't buy it. It's built over time through teachers developing deep knowledge — not just of reading, but of kids, of pedagogy, of motivation and engagement, of executive function, of the ways all these strands weave together into a reader's identity. It takes sustained investment in self-study and collective growth.This shakes out in school-level data as well. As a principal, I used to look at statewide scores and identify schools similar to mine demographically — Title I schools — that were doing better. Then I'd cold-call their principals and reading specialists and ask: what are you doing?Four themes emerged:* High expectations for every student. Inclusion was the default. Intervention was carefully integrated with Tier 1, not siloed.* Sustained investment in teachers. Not cutting PD days. Not just buying a program and saying good luck. Actually coaching and developing teachers over time.* Different programs, shared beliefs. Every school used something different — some used Units of Study, some used anthologies, one had developed their own materials. What they shared was a deep commitment to common beliefs and practices. One principal described respectfully but clearly inviting a teacher who wouldn't get on board to find a better fit elsewhere.* No superheroes. No one teacher stood out as exceptional. What they had was a willingness to have hard conversations and an evolving, collective commitment to what they knew to be effective.One practical strategy: develop shared beliefs as a staff. I used Regie Routman's Read, Write, Lead, which includes over 20 belief statements. Each year I'd put them in a Google form — agree or disagree. The first year, we had two shared beliefs. We celebrated. The next year, we focused our professional development on the areas of disagreement. The year after that, we had five. And we kept growing.As a principal, I could then walk into classrooms and reference those shared commitments — affirming what I saw that was aligned, and asking honest questions when something was missing. The expectations were clear. The conversations were respectful.You can also do this as a whole-group activity: post belief statements on chart paper, give staff colored dots, and ask them to place their dots on a spectrum from agree to disagree. Then have them talk about why. This builds not just shared beliefs but perspective-taking — recognizing that most people sit somewhere in the middle, and that the goal is to move together toward greater alignment over time.ClosingI want to close with a student I remember from third grade — a kid who by second grade saw reading as something you do in school, not something you love. A capable reader, but not a joyful one.In third grade, his teacher read aloud Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. He related to Peter Hatcher — oldest of three boys, with a younger sibling who was like Fudge. He read and re-read that book until the pages were falling out of his copy. He loved it so much that he wrote some not-so-great fan fiction trying to emulate Judy Blume.If you look closely at the bottom left of the fan fiction — you can see my name there.That's how I became a reader. Not through a script. I'm sure I learned some skills in kindergarten and first grade. But what unlocked reading for me — what helped me see myself as a reader and to love it — was one read-aloud by one teacher who knew her students and knew what would turn them on to reading.Closing question: How do you choose to see your readers? Take a moment to think about how you're seeing them now — and how you might choose to see them a little differently tomorrow.Thank you for watching What School Leaders Need to Know About the Science of Reading. Please reach out if you have any questions. And thank you for your work, your leadership, and your readership. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readbyexample.substack.com/subscribe

This is a story about passion, emotions and sheer determination. Listen to Deborah's story, as she talks about being the teacher she needed, her mother needed and her daughter needed.Through her determination to help the next generation, she set up her franchise, The Reading Doctor, and in this episode, she tells us exactly how she did it, and the kind of leap of faith it took.Enjoy :-) SumanthaAbout DeborahDeborah began teaching in 1993. With a background as an intervention lead and Reading Recovery teacher, she has always specialised in helping children who find reading difficult.In January 2012, she founded The Reading Doctor, offering bespoke, one-to-one reading support. Six years ago, Deborah franchised the model to fulfil her mission of unlocking the potential in as many struggling readers as possible. Today, there are over 30 Reading Doctors across the UK, all qualified teachers, supporting nearly 1,000 pupils each week. The franchise was proud to win an award at The 2025 National Tutoring Awards.____________________

Send us a textListen Again-The One About…The Reading Recovery Lawsuit with Steve DykstraThe Reading Recovery Council of North America filed a lawsuit against Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. Dr. Steve Dykstra joins us to discuss this breaking news!We also asked Steve to respond to Bruce Howlett's revised blog that originally appeared on the Learning by Design website. Howlett and Jan Wasowicz have joined  forces to ignite a “Reading Shift” that pulls the best practices from both Balanced Literacy and Structured Literacy. Dr. Steve Dykstra has worked as a psychologist for  over thirty years in the public sector. He is a founding member of the Wisconsin Reading Coalition and Vice President of the Coalition for Reading Excellence.Reading Recovery Press Release https://readingrecovery.org/press-release/“The Reading Shift – Elevating Literacy Goals, Methods, and Discourse, in Unison”By Bruce Howlett and Jan Wasowicz, Ph.D.Memorable Quote:“We have a choice – continue to debate traditional methods that haven't produced widespreadand enduring literacy gains or excitedly embrace newer and deeper methods that provide apath to near universal literacy gains across the English-speaking world.”BREAKING News: A revolutionary breakthrough in dyslexia intervention is HERE!/Dysolve-Created By Dr. Coral HohIt's bold. It's brain-based. It's changing lives.And it's available for schools, districts and individual families.This is next-level literacy.Listen now. Then email us: FaithandJudy@gmail.comLet's bring this cutting-edge work to YOU!

For episode 206 of De Facto Leaders, I share a Q & A session where I discuss Reading Recovery and cueing strategies for decoding, and I make some recommendations for additional information that will give you more information on this topic.I also share what you can do if you're in a district that uses Fountas and Pinnell reading levels, which often don't give detailed or consistent information about a kid's language skills. You'll also hear commentary on the Matthew Effect and vocabulary development. Finally, I discuss the role of executive dysfunction and mental health, a guide I created that dives into this topic further, and what clinicians can do to support executive functioning in schools.This Q & A session was done in the member's group for Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs build a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapyAdditional resources mentioned in this episode:You can find Angie Neal's Presentation on Speechpathology.com about using a collaborative approach to language and literacy here (you need a paid subscription to access): https://www.speechpathology.com/slp-ceus/course/language-and-literacy-collaborative-approach-9342You can listen to Sold a Story here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sold-a-story/id1649580473You can download the Executive Functioning Implementation Guide here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/efguide We're thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL's comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers' timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments

Have you ever wondered if you're doing enough to help your child learn to read? In this conversation, I sit down with Margaret Craig, an award-winning Reading Recovery teacher and author of The Young Reader. With decades of experience teaching literacy in public and private schools, Margaret shares simple, effective strategies that parents can use to help their children become confident readers. In this episode, you'll learn: How to teach reading at home—even if you're not a teacher The best reading strategies for early learners and struggling readers How to avoid common mistakes parents make when teaching reading Why Reading Recovery techniques can help any child, regardless of age Practical reading tips you can start using today This episode is packed with actionable insights to support your child's reading development, so be sure to listen through to the end. Check the show notes for helpful reading resources and to watch the video version of this interview. https://homeschoolthinktank.com/teaching-reading/ Whether you're homeschooling, supplementing your child's education, or simply want to make reading a joyful experience, this episode is for you. HomeSchool ThinkTank, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Established, 2018.

For the past 30 years, Georgia State University has run a program for experienced teachers to learn a curriculum called Reading Recovery, which is intended to help children learn how to read.Reading Recovery is one-on-one instruction in the classroom for the lowest performing students in first grade struggling to read. School districts in Georgia and across the country used its teaching methods for decades.Once hailed as one of the most effective intervention models, a study published in the Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness in 2023 raises questions about its effectiveness. While the results show the short-term impact to students “largely positive,” researchers say the results completely flipped once the children reach third and fourth grade.Read the full story here: https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2024/12/10/georgia-state-university-accused-teaching-debunked-reading-methods/

Questions to Ministers DEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? STUART SMITH to the Minister of Finance: What recent announcements has she made about the Budget? Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS to the Prime Minister: Does he agree with the then Leader of the Opposition, Christopher Luxon, who stated on 19 September 2023, regarding the National Party's proposed tax cuts, that "for an average household income family with young kids, that would mean $250 a fortnight"? CHLÖE SWARBRICK to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his Government's statements and actions? RIMA NAKHLE to the Minister of Housing: What announcements has he made regarding social housing places? Hon BARBARA EDMONDS to the Minister of Finance: Does she stand by her statement, "These savings and revenue initiatives are the same as those in the National Party's tax plan, with some adjustment to reflect coalition agreements"? LAURA TRASK to the Associate Minister of Education: What progress has he made in making student attendance data more available? Hon KIERAN McANULTY to the Minister of Housing: Does he stand by his statement that the review into Kainga Ora was "thorough"? Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his Government's statements and actions? CARL BATES to the Minister of Education: What recent pre-Budget education announcements has she made? Hon JAN TINETTI to the Minister of Education: How many, if any, teachers will lose their jobs due to cuts to Reading Recovery? Dr CARLOS CHEUNG to the Minister for Mental Health: What comments has he seen regarding his recent announcement about Gumboot Friday?

Research shows children taught to read using an updated version of Reading Recovery make double the normal progress. Education correspondent John Gerritsen reports.

Out with Reading Recovery; in with structured literacy. There's a big change coming for New Zealand's young readers 

Send us a Text Message.The One About…APM Journalist Christopher Peak Breaking News Episode!Sold a Story Christopher Peak joins us to discuss his THREE APRIL articles with us about the collapse of literacy giants: Reading Recovery, Lucy Calkins, and Fountas and Pinnell, along with Heinemann Publishing.Christopher Peak Bio:Christopher Peak is an investigative reporter who covers education for APM Reports. He co-reported “Sold a Story,” a podcast about a disproven approach to teaching reading used inmany elementary schools. The series was one of Apple's most shared podcasts in 2023. It won a DuPont-Columbia, a National Edward R. Murrow Award, an IRE Award, a Third Coast Award andtwo Scripps Howard awards, and it was nominated for a Peabody. Following its release, at least 16 states passed new laws about reading instruction, and school districts nationwide, including New York City, announced they would no longer use programs covered in the podcast. Peakpreviously covered schools for the New Haven Independent. He was a finalist for the EducationWriters Association's national award for beat reporting, and he won numerous regional awards,including Connecticut SPJ's First Amendment Award. Peak has also written for Nation Swell, the Point Reyes Light, Newsday and the San Francisco Public Press.Christopher Peak APM Reportshttps://www.apmreports.org/profile/christopher-peakApril 4, 2024As states refocus reading instruction, two universities stick with a discredited ideaOther schools are backing away from a disproven theory about how kids learn to read, but programs started by Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell train literacy coaches to believe in it.https://www.apmreports.org/story/2024/04/04/retraining-science-of-reading-ohio-state-Lesley-UniversityApril 11, 2024Reading Recovery organization confronts financial difficultiesas schools around the country are dropping Reading Recovery, the nonprofit that advocates for the tutoring program tapped into its cash reserves to push back against journalists and legislators.https://www.apmreports.org/story/2024/04/11/reading-recovery-financial-difficultiesApril 30, 2024‘Science of reading' movement spells financial trouble for publisher HeinemannThe educational publisher raked in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue during the 2010sselling reading programs based on a disproven theory. The company now faces financial fallout, as schools ditch its products.https://www.apmreports.org/story/2024/04/30/publisher-heinemann-financial-trouble-science-of-readingFaith Borkowsky's books:Amazon Author Pagehttps://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07YM3X395Support the Show.The Literacy View is an engaging and inclusive platform encouraging respectful discussion and debate about current issues in education. Co-hosts Faith Borkowsky and Judy Boksner coach teachers, teach children to read, and hold master's degrees in education.Our goal is to leave listeners thinking about the issues and drawing their own conclusions.Get ready for the most THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND DELICIOUSLY ENTERTAINING education podcast!

The One About…Is Reading Recovery the Science of Reading?Article:“Reading Recovery IS the Science(s) of Reading and the Art of Teaching”Debra Semm Rich, Saint Mary's Collegehttps://readingrecovery.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JRR_23-2_Spring_2024_Rich.pdfQuote from the article:“The purpose of this article is to compare and contrast the media version of the Science ofReading (SOR) Movement with the comprehensive, researched Sciences of Reading to whichReading Recovery ascribes.”A former Reading Recovery teacher and an attorney share their views with us.Bio:Catherine Cook, B.Ed., Library Diploma, is a recently recently retired teacher with experienceteaching Kindergarten to Grade 12, ESL, and Reading Recovery. She used a Balanced Literacyapproach for 15 years before she discovered the Science of Reading and made the shift toStructured Literacy. Catherine is currently working as a Reading Tutor.John McGrath is a New York attorney representing parents and their children in meetings ofschool district Committees on Special Education and section 504. He also represents them inspecial education and section 504 due process hearings and appeals. He was a member of theMineola School Board from 1997 to 2012.Email address: johnmcgrath@educationlawyer.comSupport the Show.The Literacy View is an engaging and inclusive platform encouraging respectful discussion and debate about current issues in education. Co-hosts Faith Borkowsky and Judy Boksner coach teachers, teach children to read, and hold master's degrees in education.Our goal is to leave listeners thinking about the issues and drawing their own conclusions.Get ready for the most THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND DELICIOUSLY ENTERTAINING education podcast!

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Dr. Jenny Donovan, CEO of the Australian Education Research Organisation. Jenny has led some of the heaviest hitting bits of research in Australia. In her current role with AERO and previous one with NSW Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation, Jenny has been behind the teams that brought cognitive load theory to prominence and highlighted the lack of evidence behind programs like Reading Recovery and Language Learning & Literacy or L3 as it is more commonly known.   Throughout this interview, she discusses her journey into education research and the importance of evidence-based practice. Jenny emphasises the importance of areas such as explicit instruction, classroom management, teacher training, standardised testing like NAPLAN, and accountability in educational practices. It also touches on controversial topics such as fads in education and how to spot and avoid them. Resources mentioned: AERO: Teaching for how students learn: A model of learning and teaching AERO: Engaged classrooms through effective classroom management NSW CESE: Cognitive load theory: Research that teachers really need to understand NSW CESE: Reading Recovery: a sector-wide analysis NSW CESE: Language, Learning & Literacy (L3) Review Project Follow Through You can connect with: Jenny  Twitter: @JennyDonovan2 Linkedin AERO   You can connect with Brendan: Twitter: @learnwithmrlee Facebook: @learningwithmrlee Website: learnwithlee.net   Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast:  https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

This week, Fika with Vicky welcomes Author Janet Trull. We'll be looking into her books End of the Line and Something's Burning. Quote from Janet: “The backroads are unpaved, unplowed and unpopular. All the best stories start here.” When I came into contact with End of the Line, I had to agree. It had found my sweet spot. Ordinary people living their lives become extraordinary stories of resilience when a pen is placed in the correct hands. Janet Trull has those hands. About End of the Line: Haliburton, Ontario, 1878. The new Victoria Rail Line delivers hundreds of immigrants to the last station in the Northern Townships. Some are wealthy, ready to take advantage of new opportunities. Most are poor and illiterate. The farmland is free. All you must do is build a cabin and raise crops out of Precambrian rock. The fortunate ones find their way up the ridge to the Nunnery where women practice traditions from mixed ancestries. They are skilled in midwifery and hunting. Are you hungry? Lonely? Do you need a cure for venereal disease? The nuns can help. Too bad the moral folk in the village disapprove. The ones who make laws and build churches and profit from felled trees. It takes a brutal murder to reveal the worst of human greed and the best of the human heart. The dead have much to teach the living at the end of the line. About Something's Burning: A collection of short fiction about betrayal and belonging in times of social upheaval. Small town settings. Big world themes. About Janet: Janet Trull lives in the Haliburton Highlands, a land of blue lakes and rocky shores. She is the author of two critically acclaimed collections of short fiction, Hot Town and Something's Burning, both published by At Bay Press , Winnipeg. With small town settings and big world themes, her stories examine the tension between neighbours, genders, and generations during times of social and cultural change. A graduate of English at McMaster University, Trull focused on literacy throughout her career as an educator. She was a Reading Recovery teacher, a Literacy Coach and a Student Achievement Officer for the Ontario Ministry of Education. Her essays, professional writing and short stories have appeared in a wide variety of publications, including the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Canadian Living Magazine, Prairie Fire, The New Quarterly, subTerrain Magazine, and Geist. Subscribers to the Haliburton County Echo recognize Trull as a frequent contributor, with nostalgic essays about skinny dips, campfires and lazy afternoons in hammocks. These are accessible on her website, trullstories.com Janet Trull is the recipient of several awards, including a CBC Canada Writes challenge, a Western Magazine Award nomination, and a Commonwealth Fiction prize. Terry Fallis, two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, says, “Janet Trull knows her way around people and communities as well as the issues that hold them together, and sometimes break them apart.”

This week, Fika with Vicky welcomes Author Janet Trull. We'll be looking into her books End of the Line and Something's Burning. Quote from Janet: “The backroads are unpaved, unplowed and unpopular. All the best stories start here.” When I came into contact with End of the Line, I had to agree. It had found my sweet spot. Ordinary people living their lives become extraordinary stories of resilience when a pen is placed in the correct hands. Janet Trull has those hands. About End of the Line: Haliburton, Ontario, 1878. The new Victoria Rail Line delivers hundreds of immigrants to the last station in the Northern Townships. Some are wealthy, ready to take advantage of new opportunities. Most are poor and illiterate. The farmland is free. All you must do is build a cabin and raise crops out of Precambrian rock. The fortunate ones find their way up the ridge to the Nunnery where women practice traditions from mixed ancestries. They are skilled in midwifery and hunting. Are you hungry? Lonely? Do you need a cure for venereal disease? The nuns can help. Too bad the moral folk in the village disapprove. The ones who make laws and build churches and profit from felled trees. It takes a brutal murder to reveal the worst of human greed and the best of the human heart. The dead have much to teach the living at the end of the line. About Something's Burning: A collection of short fiction about betrayal and belonging in times of social upheaval. Small town settings. Big world themes. About Janet: Janet Trull lives in the Haliburton Highlands, a land of blue lakes and rocky shores. She is the author of two critically acclaimed collections of short fiction, Hot Town and Something's Burning, both published by At Bay Press , Winnipeg. With small town settings and big world themes, her stories examine the tension between neighbours, genders, and generations during times of social and cultural change. A graduate of English at McMaster University, Trull focused on literacy throughout her career as an educator. She was a Reading Recovery teacher, a Literacy Coach and a Student Achievement Officer for the Ontario Ministry of Education. Her essays, professional writing and short stories have appeared in a wide variety of publications, including the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Canadian Living Magazine, Prairie Fire, The New Quarterly, subTerrain Magazine, and Geist. Subscribers to the Haliburton County Echo recognize Trull as a frequent contributor, with nostalgic essays about skinny dips, campfires and lazy afternoons in hammocks. These are accessible on her website, trullstories.com Janet Trull is the recipient of several awards, including a CBC Canada Writes challenge, a Western Magazine Award nomination, and a Commonwealth Fiction prize. Terry Fallis, two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, says, “Janet Trull knows her way around people and communities as well as the issues that hold them together, and sometimes break them apart.”

Reading Recovery support is becoming less common in schools.  The number of children receiving the intensive one-on-one literacy assistance has dropped by a third over the past three years.  Less than half the country's primary schools now offer the programme.  Education Hub Founder Nina Hood told Mike Hosking that many don't think it provides their students with the level of support they require.   She says they're now offering different programmes, which they find more effective.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The One About…An Attorney's View on the Reading Recovery LawsuitDo they have a case?What does this mean for Fountas and Pinnell?Will Ohio State University go in the same direction as Columbia University?John McGrath is a New York attorney representing parents and their children in meetings ofschool district Committees on Special Education and section 504. He also represents them inspecial education and section 504 due process hearings and appeals. He was a member of theMineola School Board from 1997 to 2012.Email address: johnmcgrath@educationlawyer.comThe Literacy View is an engaging and inclusive platform encouraging respectful discussion and debate about current issues in education. Co-hosts Faith Borkowsky and Judy Boksner coach teachers, teach children to read, and hold master's degrees in education.Our goal is to leave listeners thinking about the issues and drawing their own conclusions.Get ready for the most THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND DELICIOUSLY ENTERTAINING education podcast!

Really interesting article in the New Zealand Herald today about the number of schools offering Reading Recovery.   This system was developed in New Zealand in the 70s in order to support 6-year-olds struggling with literacy. It's been used around the world but now due to new research into how the brain works and learns, it's no longer as popular as it used to be, with less than 40% of schools now offering the programme.   There is no doubt the debate as to how to teach young kids the basics of reading has become more heated over the years, especially considering our literacy figures. A 2020 UNICEF report found over a third of our 15-year-olds did not have the basic proficiency in literacy and maths. This is one of the many reports that shows New Zealand kids are falling behind in core subjects of reading, writing, maths, and science.    So when it comes to reading, the debate has been around two different approaches to teaching reading: what we currently do now, which is whole language learning, learning through words and context, and structured literacy, a phonics-based system, where words are decoded by sounding out letters.    If you're around my age and was at school in the seventies, then that was probably the system you use. You learned through phonics.   Even though Reading Recovery has undergone a massive overhaul recently and has, I do believe, pulled in some of the structural literacy approaches. If you talk to schools which have implemented structural literacy as their way of teaching, you will hear about positive results and how their tale of non-achieving is reducing.   It's working for slow readers as well as the one-in-five children who are neurodivergent and often have learning disabilities like dyslexia. It's 20% of our kids, so talk to those who work in this field, and they'll tell you about the success of structured literacy.   So I think it's a good thing that National plans to mandate structured literacy in primary schools and offer this as a solution to those who need extra support. There are differing views as to why Reading Recovery is dropping, why it is less popular. Potentially teacher shortages, of course, it requires one-on-one work, more children needing help, and the politicisation of Reading Recovery has influenced parents, and these are all issues which are not going to go away.   They're still going to have to be addressed, but teaching our children shouldn't be led by politics. It should be led by what is best for our children, the latest research into neuroscience and an evidence-based approach, and all that points to structured learning.   So in your eyes, is it about how we teach our children to read? Is it about access to professional support when needed, or is it about parents picking up the slack at home and participating in their children's education? Quite frankly, it's all these things.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reading Recovery, the one on one literacy program in primary schools, has taken a dive. Fewer than 40% of schools are now offering it and many are looking at other ways of supporting students. NZEI president Mark Potter spoke to Tim Dower about it.   LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The One About…The Reading Recovery Lawsuit with Steve DykstraThe Reading Recovery Council of North America filed a lawsuit against Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. Dr. Steve Dykstra joins us to discuss this breaking news!We also asked Steve to respond to Bruce Howlett's revised blog that originally appeared on the Learning by Design website. Howlett and Jan Wasowicz have joined  forces to ignite a “Reading Shift” that pulls the best practices from both Balanced Literacy and Structured Literacy. Dr. Steve Dykstra has worked as a psychologist for  over thirty years in the public sector. He is a founding member of the Wisconsin Reading Coalition and Vice President of the Coalition for Reading Excellence.Reading Recovery Press Release https://readingrecovery.org/press-release/“The Reading Shift – Elevating Literacy Goals, Methods, and Discourse, in Unison”By Bruce Howlett and Jan Wasowicz, Ph.D.Memorable Quote:“We have a choice – continue to debate traditional methods that haven't produced widespreadand enduring literacy gains or excitedly embrace newer and deeper methods that provide apath to near universal literacy gains across the English-speaking world.”The Literacy View is an engaging and inclusive platform encouraging respectful discussion and debate about current issues in education. Co-hosts Faith Borkowsky and Judy Boksner coach teachers, teach children to read, and hold master's degrees in education.Our goal is to leave listeners thinking about the issues and drawing their own conclusions.Get ready for the most THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND DELICIOUSLY ENTERTAINING education podcast!

Dr. Compton-Lilly is known for her work in the areas of early reading and writing, Reading Recovery, and family literacy practices in local and global contexts, particularly with families from underserved communities. Her current interests include examining how time operates as a contextual factor in children's lives as they progress through school and construct their identities as students and readers. She is engaged in longitudinal studies around these topics, several of which she has collected data for over a decade. Dr. Compton-Lilly holds emerita status at the University of Wisconsin Madison. She twice served as an Honorary Visiting Professor at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan and recently completed a Fulbright Research and Teaching Fellowship in Taiwan. Dr. Catherine Compton-Lilly is the John C. Hungerpiller Professor at the University of South Carolina.To cite this episode: Persohn, L. (Host). (2023, Sep 12). A conversation with Catherine Compton-Lilly (Season 4, No. 3) [Audio podcast episode]. In Classroom Caffeine Podcast series. https://www.classroomcaffeine.com/guests. DOI: 10.5240/7733-70C8-75AC-88C1-BC42-K Connect with Classroom Caffeine at www.classroomcaffeine.com or on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Education journalist Emily Hanford has spent years investigating why so many American kids are struggling to read. In the podcast series Sold a Story, she argues the early-intervention literacy programme Reading Recovery (developed by New Zealand educationalist Dame Marie Clay in the late '70s) is out of step with discoveries in cognitive science.

On this week's Education Gadfly Show podcast, Paul DiPerna of EdChoice joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss the results from the EdChoice survey on teacher satisfaction and wellness across the district, charter, and private school sectors. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber discusses a study that investigates the negative long-term effects of Reading Recovery.Recommended content:“Where are teachers thriving?”—Mike McShane“Teacher job satisfaction rebounds from last year's low. But there's still a ways to go” —Education WeekThe study that Amber reviewed on the Research Minute: Henry May et al., Long-Term Impacts of Reading Recovery through 3rd and 4th Grade: A Regression Discontinuity Study, Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness (May 2023) Feedback Welcome:Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Jeanette Luna at jluna@fordhaminstitute.org.

Tom Hopkins-Burke is joined by Nathan Gynn, Maxine Howells and Ben Thomas to discuss the biggest stories from this week in education.

Authors, speakers, presenters, and change agents, Cornelius and Kass Minor of Minor Collective share how they live in the space of possibility.Cornelius Minor is a Brooklyn-based educator and part-time Pokemon trainer. He works with teachers, school leaders, and leaders of community-based organizations to support equitable literacy reform in cities (and sometimes villages) across the globe. His latest book, We Got This, explores how the work of creating more equitable school spaces is embedded in our everyday choices — specifically in the choice to listen to kids.Cornelius has been featured in Education Week, Brooklyn Magazine, and Teaching Tolerance Magazine. He has partnered with The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, The New York City Department of Education, The International Literacy Association, Scholastic, and Lesley University's Center for Reading Recovery and Literacy Collaborative. Kass Minor is an inclusive educator and community organizer deeply involved in local, inquiry-based teacher research and school community development. Alongside partnerships with the University of Chicago, Teachers College Inclusive Classrooms Project, The Author Village, and the New York City Department of Education, since 2004, she has worked as a teacher, staff developer, adjunct professor, speaker, and documentarian. Kass reads books like other people listen to albums; the classroom is her concert space. While Kass's organizing work in school communities is inspired by her NorthStars Myles Horton and Fannie Lou Hamer, her pedagogy is centered on joy from the surrounding communities and motivated by the idea that every adult can teach and every student can learn. Teacherhood, paired with motherhood, has driven her love of information sharing and redefining who gets to be a knower in the fiery world we live in today. She is the author of, Teaching Fiercely: Spreading Joy and Justice in Our Schools.Twitter: @MsKass1Instagram: @MsKass1 @theminorcollective LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kass-minorClubhouse: @kassminor / House: Joyful NoiseNewsletter: bit.ly/TeachFierceUpdates Website: Kassandcorn.com

Dyslexia mom and former Balanced Literacy teacher, Missy Purcell, saw the Science of Reading light and now advocates for evidence-based literacy so that every child can learn to read.We asked Missy to speak with us and share thoughts about an infographic posted on the Reading Recovery website describing how Reading Recovery aligns to the Science of Reading (SoR) and Scarsborough's Reading Rope. Missy's youngest son, now eleven-years-old, was given the RR intervention in first grade, so she has a lot to say as a parent advocating for Structured Literacy.Judy Boksner, a co-host on The Literacy View, has been in the education field for over 25 years. She is still very active in her field and in the trenches on a daily basis. Judy was trained in Reading Recovery back in 2013.  She recognizes the inherent problems but also values certain aspects of her former training. She has devoted the last seven years diving deep into structured literacy and explicit instruction. Judy is trained in Orton Gillingham, Fundations, and additional  structured literacy programs and interventions. Faith Borkowsky taught first grade and has tutored Reading Recovery “graduates” who still needed intensive intervention.The focus of tonight's episode is based on the infographic: https://readingrecovery.org/scarboroughs-rope-and-reading-recovery/About Missy Purcell:Missy Purcell is the co-founder of Gwinnett Advocates for Dyslexia, a grassroots organization that advocates for evidenced based instruction in Gwinnett County. Additionally, she serves as the Education Chair with Decoding Dyslexia Georgia, DDGA, which advocates for change at the state level. Missy holds a degree in middle school education with 10+ years of experience in the classroom, grades 3rd-8th. She had stayed current in education practices by tutoring K-5 students in reading and writing using evidenced based instruction. Missy is married to Mark,the mother of three boys, Harrison, William, and Matthew and one furbaby, named Comet. When she's not working or advocating, she can be found with coffee in hand at the tennis courts or the baseball fields cheering on her boys!The Literacy View is an engaging and inclusive platform encouraging respectful discussion and debate about current issues in education. Co-hosts Faith Borkowsky and Judy Boksner coach teachers, teach children to read, and hold master's degrees in education.Our goal is to leave listeners thinking about the issues and drawing their own conclusions.Get ready for the most THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND DELICIOUSLY ENTERTAINING education podcast!

Today my guest is Dr. Henry May  who has studied the popular first grade intervention Reading Recovery. We discuss results of two robust studies he was involved in—one showing strong positive effects in first grade, and another showing students who received the intervention underperformed years later on their third and fourth grade tests. We discuss why that might be, and what lessons we can learn about short term and ongoing interventions, as well as the ways that reading needs change and develop across grades K-4. Later, I'm joined by my colleagues Gina Dignon and Macie Kerbs for a conversation about practical takeaways. ***To read a transcript of this episode and learn more about the show, visit jenniferserravallo.com/podcast.To read Dr. May's study: https://doi.org/10.1080/19345747.2023.2209092 ***About this episode's guest:Henry May, PhD, is Director of the Center for Research in Education and Social Policy(CRESP) and Associate Professor specializing in Evaluation, Measurement, and Statistics in the School of Education at the University of Delaware. Dr. May is the Principal Investigator (PI) with Elizabeth Farley-Ripple for the Institute of Education Sciences (IES)-funded Center for Research Use in Education, which is currently conducting a large-scale mixed methods study of how and when schools use research and how researchers strive to connect their work with practice. Other current and recent research projects include the 2011-2015 randomized field trial and an IES-funded efficacy follow-up study of Reading Recovery. Dr. May was also the primary author on an National Center for Education Evaluation technical methods report on the use of state test scores in education experiments from the IES.Since 2003, Dr. May has taught advanced statistics and research methods courses to graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Delaware.Special thanks to Scotty Sanders for audio editing this episode. https://www.scottysandersmedia.com/Support the show

Reading is a fundamental skill that builds the foundation for lifelong learning, so it is important to introduce reading early in your child's development.   With the right approach, you can help your young reader gain confidence and become a successful reader.   In this podcast episode, you'll meet Margaret Craig.  She's a retired Title 1 teacher, and Reading Recovery teacher turned author.   Miss Margie has taught hundreds of struggling students how to read and shares practical tips and strategies that parents can use to teach their kids how to read.   See the article below for helpful information… https://homeschoolthinktank.com/young-reader/

In the Phenomenal Students first live interview, Dr. Jamie Lipp discusses her session: Phonics and Phonological Awareness in the Reading Recovery lesson. She talks about why the session was needed, the response of the crowd and what she hopes for the future of Reading Recovery. Be Phenomenal, Mr. Short Check thephenomenalstudent.com or Subscribe to the podcast onhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-phenomenal-student-podcast/id1607341077 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3KxzpXy9ULoGIGeIYal9lP or an Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-phenomenal-student-podcast/id1607341077 Follow me on Tik Tok: @thephenomenalteacher and Twitter: @Mr100teacher #EduTok #TeacherLife #Education #TeachersofTikTok #BalancedLiteracy #Literacy #Classroom #foryou #phonics --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jeremiah-short0/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jeremiah-short0/support

A literacy programme for children created in New Zealand and used by thousands of schools around the world is undergoing a refresh - but will it be enough to satisfy its critics?

In this special episode/post, I was joined by Sandy Brumbaum, Reading Recovery teacher leader and consultant, and Denise Johnson, a literacy professor at William & Mary, to kick off the book study for Teaching Readers (Not Reading): Moving Beyond Skills and Strategies to Reader-Focused Instruction by Peter Afflerbach (Guilford, 2022).In our conversation, we responded to and discussed three questions:* What are your greatest concerns about current trends and programs with teaching readers and literacy instruction in general?* Consider examples of effective reading instruction you've observed or participated in. What are the essential components of such instruction?* We agree with Afflerbach that schools need to teach readers more than skills and strategies. But what about reading?A key takeaway from our conversation is, just as we cannot separate the reader from reading instruction, one science of reading is dependent on its integration with another. Ryanne Deschane, also a teacher of readers and was not able to join us virtually, shared the following written response:Key components of effective literacy instruction include knowledgeable teachers who have a multitude of literacy resources, instructional strategies, and tools in their professional toolkit. These teachers can sit with a child, listen and engage immediately in responsive practices that address the specific learning needs of each child in their care. They honor each child in their unique learning needs and seek out resources and tools to support those needs. “In the most successful classrooms, teachers have long understood that effective reading instruction must be partnered with student awareness, enthusiasm, and a belief in self.”- Peter AfflerbachFrom November 7 through December 16, I will be responding to Teaching Readers (Not Reading) by Peter Afflerbach (Guilford, 2022) and inviting readers to join me.In this book study, you will develop a deeper understanding of the science(s) of reading and build greater confidence in conversing about literacy instruction with teachers and other colleagues.To participate:* Purchase the book on the publisher's website, Amazon, or wherever it is sold.* Subscribe to this space (if you haven't already) for future responses to the book.* Become a regular and active reader, such as posting your thinking around the text or linking to a response you wrote elsewhere in the comments.Here is the suggested schedule for (re)reading together:* November 7 - 11: Introduction, Chapters 1-3* November 14 - 18: Chapters 4-5* November 21 - 25: Chapter 6* November 28 - December 2: Chapters 7-8* December 5 - 9: Chapters 9-10* December 12 - 16: Chapter 11, Conclusion This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readbyexample.substack.com

In this episode, we chat with Kate Cole, a determined parent who managed to secure NDIS funding for her child living with dyslexia. Kate tells us exactly how she did it!   In this episode, we chat with Kate Cole, who tells her NDIS funding story. Kate tells us why she applied and how she navigated multiple rejections to ultimately have her funding approved. It's a story we hope you will find encouraging, useful and enlightening, as we did. So, if you live in Australia and know or support somebody living with a specific learning difficulty, this episode may be a game changer. What is the NDIS? The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is for people in Australia under 65, living with permanent and significant disability. Permanent means the disability will not go away. Significant means the disability affects how you live every day. Both of these criteria can apply to people living with specific learning difficulties.   NDIS and Dyslexia – Kate's story in her own words Our daughter is a bright, happy, funny girl who is just a joy to be around. We began to have concerns about her literacy skills when was quite young. While her peers were able to recognise letters of the alphabet, she struggled to recall common letters, including those in her name from a young age. This was in contrast to the skills she displayed when performing other tasks as part of daily life – which she really excelled at! Our daughter settled well into school but struggled with basic literacy tasks from the beginning. By the end of Year 1 we requested her school to allow her to repeat Year 1 again. We were told that repeating her would only be allowed upon completion of a psychometric assessment, an assessment by an independent speech pathologist, an assessment by an occupational therapist. We arranged the necessary tests. Through Year 1 and 2, her school provided some support – Reading Recovery and MiniLit. In addition, we organised speech pathology & tutoring to help her. But by the end of Term 3, Year 2 it was evident that the support available within her school was insufficient to enable her to continue learning in that environment. We had had our daughter “tested” for countless things based on recommendations from the school – ADHD, eyesight problems, intellectual delays etc. None were really helpful. Our daughter is very well behaved, is a gun at ball sports and excels at mathematics. It was as though her school really did not understand her strengths at all. We made the decision to enrol our daughter in a different school commencing in Year 3. From the start, her new teacher contacted us to discuss concerns with her literacy. She was great. A further assessment by a speech pathologist was recommended, as was a referral to a Neuropsychologist. We were blown away with his findings. Essentially it showed she had a Specific Learning Disorder that impacted reading and writing only (dyslexia). It was also very clear that this was not related to an intellectual disability and that there were certain interventions were never going to work given her condition. The Neuropsychologist also provided very specific and clear recommendations for both school and for at home which were very useful. From that point onwards, her new school helped by providing in-class support, free access to evidence-based literacy interventions, MaqLit, assistive technology (e.g. “C-pen”), and access to learning support and a scribe. We supplemented this with regular speech pathology every week. This is all amazing while our daughter is at school. But what I think some fail to realise is that children also need to access texts and write things down when they are not at school – supports are still needed outside of an educational setting. This is why we applied to the NDIS. Here is our Timeline: May 2019 We applied for access to the NDIS for our daughter's primary impairment of a Severe Specific Learning Disorder with impairment with reading and written expression. We explained that our daughter had received evidence-based treatment from speech pathologist(s) since the age of 4 targeting literacy development, all with minimal improvement. She had also participated in multiple literacy interventions at school. I sought access to the NDIS for continued targeted evidence-based literacy programs to lift basic literacy proficiency as much as is possible within the context of her SLD. In the context of functional impairments, I sought access to the use of assistive technology for her learning. July 2019 We were informed that our NDIS Access Request was not successful. Specifically, the requirements that were stated not to be met were: Section 24(1)(c) relating to an impairment” that results in substantially reduced functional capacity; and Section 25 relating to whether the early intervention supports are most appropriately funded by the NDIS. Those familiar with NDIS may know that in order to meet the Access Criteria, you have to satisfy the NDIS on many criteria. Our application was targeted at Section 21(1) which includes: 21(1)(a) age requirements (Section 22); and 21(1)(b) residence requirements (Section 23); and 21(1)(c)(i) disability requirements (Section 24); OR 21(1)(c)(ii) early intervention requirements (Section 25). The first 2 items above (Section 22 & 23) were easy for us. It's Section 24 or 25 that presented the challenge. August 2019 I applied to the NDIS for a review of the outcome of our Access Request. In response to the items noted above, I wrote the following: “In contrast to what has been stated, (Name's) SLD significantly impedes her functional capacity to both learn and communicate in society. This is a lifelong disorder which negatively affects her ability to read and write. The ability to do so is a skill that we need to function in life and society. Her disorder has demonstrated impacts on educational and occupational attainment, as well as limiting participation and productivity. (Name) needs ongoing help and assistance, and we want to be able to help her to function in society. (Name) requires assistive technology aids to allow her to access written texts and express herself in written format. In addition, she requires speech pathology intervention to limit the detrimental impacts of her Specific Learning Disorder. Without such, (Name's) ability to communicate is severely compromised, and she will be unable to fully participate in society. As such, I request a review of the access decision for (Name) “ October 2019 I received a phone call from the NDIS seeking more information. Nothing specific was requested, just an overview of her daily life which I provided. The NDIS also contacted my daughter's Neuropsychologist. A few weeks later, I received a letter informing me that the earlier decision to reject our request was upheld and that we were not successful. What was great about this rejection letter was that the NDIS went into much more detail on each of the Access sub-criteria on what had not been met. For example, we were informed that she did not meet the following criteria: 21(1)(c)(i) disability requirements (Section 24) Criteria (c) which means that the impairment must result in substantially reduced functional capacity in one or more areas; Criteria (e) which whether the condition is likely to require lifetime support of the NDIS. 21(1)(c)(ii) early intervention requirements (Section 25) Criteria 25(3) that the NDIS is the most appropriate support system. Therefore, based on this knowledge, I applied to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT), requesting a further external review of the decision. December 2019 Our first case conference with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) was scheduled, and in preparation, I was sent a “Respondent's Statement of Issues” (SOI), which summarised the decision under review. My daughter's Neuropsychologist attended the Case Conference by phone, which was a huge help. I used the Case Conference as my first opportunity to directly ask the NDIS what it was that they wanted or expected to be provided as evidence to satisfy the 3 areas that were deemed to be unacceptable. I explained what her daily life is like, and I was told I needed to provide a Statement of Lived Experience on what her life is like now and what it would be like if she was granted access to the NDIS. When it came to the discussion around how significant her disability affects her life, her Neuropsychologist was amazing at articulating the research available that demonstrates the need for early intervention for this SLD and the positive impacts on day-to-day life it brings. He explained the long-term outcomes of people who have a history of reading disorders or learning disabilities and how the literature shows that children and adults with reading difficulties have established poorer functional outcomes across a range of domains, and as such, need support to be able to participate in society. He was asked to provide a summary of that research. He also provided context to the need for supports around the use of assistive technology and the use of evidence-based literacy support. I went through what the education system provides and asked specifically what the NDIS expected “mainstream services” to provide to support her. I explained that I had already consulted with our GP on this and had access to all mainstream services available, including through a GP management plan and such were insufficient. I was asked to provide written evidence of this. The grounds on which I argued included that her SLD does have functional impacts and such is beyond mere educational needs in the classroom. While it is true that it is the role of education to support for her in the classroom, education is not responsible for providing her assistance when she is not in class. For example, her school is not responsible to provide a C-Pen for her when she is reading at home, to assist with reading a bus or train timetable, or provide talk-to-text at home. She requires tools to navigate the written world long term. I was specifically asked what support she needed for her daily life outside of school. Here is an extract of what I provided: “Every-day activities that rely on reading or writing restrict her ability to participate, unless she is provided with someone to read or scribe for her or if she has access to the use of assistive technology. As parents, we have tried to support her independence by providing a C-Pen Reader for use outside of school. The C-Pen Reader enables her to scan a line of words so that they can be read back to her. While the C-Pen Reader enables her to understand some written texts, it is limited in its support when the words she needs to read are on a noticeboard (behind glass), if they are on signage (such as for pedestrian access), if they are on the TV (such as words to a song, or a warning sign etc.), or on packaging where the colours behind the words change. The latter is a good example of the challenges presented if she tries to “shop” for something, as labels on products are typically written over multi-coloured backgrounds. Some examples of day-to-day things that she requires support for that she is unable to perform independently include: Unable to read the ingredients and the methods to follow in a cookbook; Unable to read cereal boxes, so if the packaging changes to unfamiliar colours, she cannot ascertain what is inside; Unable to decipher from shampoo, conditioner, or any other product such as body wash (or other products in the bathroom) unless she has become familiar with the coloured branding on the packaging over time; Unable to read packaged items from grocery shopping that she is not familiar with; If we go out for dinner, she is unable to read from the menu; Unable to participate in after-school extra-curricular activities such as drama or speech, as participating relies on creating texts and reading lines; Unable to decipher or create text messages or emails; Unable to read the bus or train timetable; Unable to read Christmas cards, birthday cards, or letters from family members; Unable to read notes that she brings home from school or permission slips; Unable to read sign-ups for community days at the local shopping centre; Unable to read road/pedestrian signs.” I was also asked to approximate the level of support (in dollars) that we were after. I sought support for participation in evidence-based literacy interventions to build her literacy skills; and provision of assistive technology for reading and writing. Such should include technology that enables her to read from text, but also read words encountered in everyday life. Examples include a C-Pen Reader and technology that enables words to be read in any format, such as the OrCam MyReader. Based on these items, I estimated then to amount to approximately $10,000, consisting of ongoing weekly speech pathology ($3,500) and assistive technologies such as the Orcam MyReader ($5,695). We were given until February to compile all requested information. The respondent (NDIS) was given around 2 weeks to respond afterwards, and another case conference was scheduled for March 2020. February 2020 I sent the following info to the ATT:  Statement of Lived Experience Medical report from our GP (who was fabulous). Her letter explained the support available through mainstream services for children with dyslexia through Medicare consisted of 5 x subsidised Speech Therapy or Occupational Therapy sessions per year – and that such was totally inadequate to deal with the complex issues involved. Summary report from our Neuropsychologist Progress reports from my daughter's school. We were contacted in late Feb from the lawyers representing the NDIS to ask us if they could have more time to review our documentation. I refused. I figured I have 3 kids and work full time – why am I giving lawyers who are paid to do this more time? Soon after, we received an email stating that the NDIS agreed that our daughter now met the access criteria under Section 21(1)(a); 21(1)(b) and 21(1)(c)(i) disability requirements (Section 24). The key things that helped me throughout this process that I think made the most difference: 1. An amazing Neuropsychologist who specialises in this area and could be called upon to provide independent information to the NDIS at any time. 2. Keeping very detailed records of every phone call with the NDIS, taking the time to read the Operational Guideline behind the NDIS (Becoming a Participant) Rules…and not giving up. I had countless conversations where I was told that it's a good idea to “get a lawyer” to help me because Disability law can be complicated. The idea of paying for legal advice on top of everything else was a really big deterrent. But I did all of this without any of it. Yes, it took time, but I actually think it probably took less time (definitely less money) than if I had to explain it to someone else all the time and review everything they wanted to send out. This way I felt (marginally) in control. 3. Knowing that if the situation was different, and it was actually me that was dyslexic, that it would have been very unlikely that my parents could have afforded the sheer amount of therapy, assessments, intervention, and private school fees that we have spent to help our daughter with her condition…and that my adult life would be very different. I feel very lucky that I was able to go to University. It infuriates me that help for dyslexia mainly relies on parents that can afford it. Every child deserves support for dyslexia – and such should be supported through the NDIS. I really hope this post helps someone else access the NDIS for their child, or for themselves. From: https://www.facebook.com/groups/220307061381034/search/?q=ndis Since then This is just a follow-up to my post on April 16, where I went through the process we took to get our daughter on the NDIS (which was recently accepted). I had lots of questions on what was included in her plan, and I couldn't answer them because it hadn't been approved yet. I'm very happy to say that her plan has now been approved and is made up of the following: CORE/Consumables budget= $200 – For the purchase of low-cost Assistive technology to assist with her communication support needs Capacity Building- Improved Daily Living – $8,373.36 – Access to Speech therapy support + parent training. I can't tell you how much of a difference this makes to us – the ability to have funded speech pathology is absolutely amazing. I hope this post further inspires others to seek funding through the NDIS for themselves or their children, and please don't give up. I'm happy to help anyone on their journey.

On this episode of The Report Card, https://www.aei.org/profile/nathaniel-n-malkus/ (Nat) interviews https://excelined.org/people/kymyona-burk-ed-d/ (Kymyona Burk), Senior Policy Fellow at ExcelinEd, and https://www.apmreports.org/profile/emily-hanford (Emily Hanford), Senior Producer and Correspondent at American Public Media. Nat, Kymyona, and Emily discuss the reading wars, what's wrong with balanced literacy, Mississippi's rising reading scores, why reading isn't natural, Lucy Calkins, phonics, HBCUs, the science of reading, spelling bees, three cueing, the importance of proper teacher education, and more. Show Notes: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/22/us/reading-teaching-curriculum-phonics.html (In the Fight Over How to Teach Reading, This Guru Makes a Major Retreat) https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2018/09/10/hard-words-why-american-kids-arent-being-taught-to-read (Hard Words: Why aren't kids being taught to read?) https://excelined.org/2022/06/22/new-resource-comprehensive-how-to-guide-approaches-to-implementing-early-literacy-policies/ (Comprehensive How-To Guide: Approaches to Implementing Early Literacy Policies) https://www.apmreports.org/story/2022/04/23/reading-recovery-negative-impact-on-children (New research shows controversial Reading Recovery program eventually had a negative impact on children) https://hechingerreport.org/opinion-struggling-readers-need-standards-and-structure-based-on-the-science-of-reading/ (Struggling readers need standards and structure based on the science of reading) https://www.apmreports.org/story/2021/11/19/fountas-pinnell-disproven-childrens-reading-theory (Influential authors Fountas and Pinnell stand behind disproven reading theory) https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2020/08/06/what-the-words-say (What the Words Say: Many kids struggle with reading – and children of color are far less likely to get the help they need)

In today's Phenomenal Conversations, I spoke with Dr. Jamie Lipp, who the lead for the Literacy Collaborative and Reading Recovery Council. We discussed her start in education, becoming a Reading Recovery Trainer, what is Reading Recovery, the Literacy Collaborative at The Ohio State, and the evolving and changing landscape in education. Listen. Learn. Grow. Be Phenomenal, Mr. Short Reading Recovery: https://readingrecovery.org/ Literacy Collaborative: https://lc.osu.edu/ Host Website: thephenomenalstudent.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/jeremiah-short0/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jeremiah-short0/support

Dr. Ann Shufflebarger is a seasoned educator who has worked for over 35 years in public education.  She has worked as a first grade teacher, elementary reading specialist, Reading Recovery teacher, curriculum specialist, reading coordinator, and elementary school principal.  She is an advocate for public education and passionate about promoting literacy.Ann earned her undergraduate degree and master's in reading at The College of William and Mary in Virginia. She received her educational doctorate from The George Washington University.A lifelong Virginia resident, Ann loves the mountains, beaches, and other natural beauty of her home state.  She currently lives in Virginia Beach where she can be found biking, walking, and reading on the beach.  She also loves to travel and explore new cultures.Reach Ann at: ashuffle4@gmail.com************************************************If you'd like to talk to Terry McDougall about coaching or being a guest on Marketing Mambo, here's how you can reach her:Website: https://www.terrybmcdougall.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terrybmcdougallEmail: Terry@Terrybmcdougall.comHer book Winning the Game of Work: Career Happiness and Success on Your Own Terms is available at Amazon. 

First created in New Zealand in the 1970s- reading recovery has helped more than 300-thousand children improve their reading abilities.  Perry Rush from The Learning Circle talks to Anna about expanding the programme.

http://masterfesto.comhttps://amzn.to/3dxWMj8May is the month for celebrating mothers and appreciating teachers. We have a very special guest on our show today, Shana Kidston, an outstanding mother and teacher. Shana has been teaching throughout her life. She started as a Tutor for the developmentally disabled when she was in high school, then as a Tutor in public school, and now as a teacher in San Bernardino the last 24 years. Shana has taught everything from preschool to adults. She has also worked as an Educational Therapist at the Learning Enhancement Center in La Verne. Most of Shana's teaching career has been on working with students with special needs. Currently she is teaching First Grade.For the last 24 years, Shana has taught for San Bernardino City Unified School District as a Resource Specialist, previously worked for Chaffey College as an Instructor in their Developmental Disabilities DepartmentShana has a degree in Psychology from Pitzer College. Her credentials include Education Specialist with Authorization in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Neurodiversity, and Inclusion Certification, Cross-cultural, Language, and Academic development.Shana has taken a plethora of courses to enhance her teaching including Neurodiversity and Mindfulness, Reading Recovery, Sensory Integration, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, Crisis Prevention, and many others…Support the show

Critics of the multimillion dollar Reading Recovery programme want it overhauled or even scrapped following new research showing it's left some children worse off. The United States study found those who went through the flagship New Zealand programme had lower test scores in third and fourth grade than similar children who did not get the help. Ruth Hill reports.

A new follow-up study into students who'd gone through the Reading Recovery programme in the US has found that initial gains may not last. 

Today on the podcast we have an excerpt from our new ForwardED slow conference series. Today's conversation features Irene Fountas, Gay Su Pinnell, and Cornelius Minor.Irene Fountas is the Marie M. Clay Endowed Chair for Early Literacy and Reading Recovery at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts and director of the Center for Reading Recovery and Literacy Collaborative in the Graduate School of Education. Gay Su Pinnell is Professor Emerita in the School of Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University and a member of the Reading Hall of Fame. Cornelius Minor is a Brooklyn-based educator. He works with teachers, school leaders, and leaders of community-based organizations to support equitable literacy reform. He is the author of We Got This.Together they discuss their vision and values around literacy instruction, providing encouragement to teachers and school leaders to always keep students at the center of their planning, teaching and decision-making.This conversation is part of Heinemann's new video series ForwardED: Forward, Together in Education. If you would like to watch the full videos of this and other conversations, you can find them on the Heinemann Publishing Facebook page or YouTube Channel.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This month, we're going back to school with stories of the most influential women educators in history. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn't help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Encyclopedia Womannica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we'll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know -- but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Encyclopedia Womannica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures. Encyclopedia Womannica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Sundus Hassan, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, and Ale Tejada. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.We are offering free ad space on Wonder Media Network shows to organizations working towards social justice. For more information, please email Jenny at pod@wondermedianetwork.com.Follow Wonder Media Network:WebsiteInstagramTwitter

In this special episode, I am joined by Gen Arcovio and Rhonda Precourt in a conversation around this summer’s book study selection: Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy by Dr. Gholdy Muhammad.We used the following three questions to guide our conversation:What resonated with you?What surprised you?What questions do you have?This kicks off the book study. We hope you can join us for the month of July as we read and respond in writing to this excellent and essential resource. Relevant ResourcesAudio + TranscriptAlso Listen on Apple Podcasts (and Give It a Rating!)Order Cultivating Genius from ScholasticDr. Muhammad’s WebsiteDedicated Page for Book StudyFull TranscriptMatt Renwick (00:04):We are here for a discussion around the book, Cultivating Genius, our book study for this summer. And I've got two colleagues with me here today, if you want to introduce yourselves.Rhonda Precourt (00:20):I'm Rhonda Precourt. I am a teacher in the upstate New York area. I have been for a big chunk of years previously been teaching in the literacy area, but this year I am teaching kindergartenMatt Renwick (00:40):And Rhonda, you've been blogging with us for a couple of years now, too.Rhonda Precourt (00:45):Yeah, we blog at literacypages.wordpress.com and that is also our Twitter handle @literacypages. We also have a Facebook group as well.Matt Renwick (01:01):And you brought along your esteemed colleague, Gen.Gen Arcovio (01:05):Hello, I'm Gen and I am a K through 2 literacy specialist also in upstate New York. I work with Rhonda and both of us are trained in Reading Recovery, active reading recovery teachers typically, although not this year. And like she mentioned, we blog together and we extend our learning together in all kinds of ways.Matt Renwick (01:33):Everyone's doing different positions this year, or it's just adding on new roles. I had our art teacher teaching second grade, our phy ed teacher teaching fifth, just to make these new times work. So it's great to have you both join the discussion and I found three questions that I think will start to get our thinking going about around the book, Cultivating Genius by Dr. Goldy Muhammed. And the first one is, what resonated with you? If anyone wants to start us off, otherwise I'm happy to chime in.Rhonda Precourt (02:17):I think what is resonating with me the most is just how far we haven't come in a long period of time. And it's a little bit depressing read it. I love reading about the history. I think it's so powerful, but then it just strikes you about how similar the times are that they're talking about to where we are right now.Matt Renwick (02:46):Yeah. She even mentioned the expectations were higher back then, back in the 1800s, at least for these literary groups. And the other thing that resonated for me was just how they combined everything and it wasn't, here's your reading, and then we're going to do some writing here, and we'll practice some speaking and listening. It was all integrated toward a kind of purpose, which was to empower themselves and cause change. So that was just something that resonated with me. It makes it easier for us to teach reading here and writing there, but it's not always conducive for kids, especially from what I understand from the book, students of color. It can make it more challenging. Well, what about you, Gen? What did you find just compelling?Gen Arcovio (03:43):I was thinking two things. One of them along the lines of what you were saying, and what Rhonda was saying, that the history that I'm reading in this book, a lot of it's new to me and that's astonishing to me and it's causing a significant amount of self-reflection. I think that's one of the more important pieces of this book, is the amount of self reflection that it causes you to do in your own teaching and everything they've done up till this point and what you want to be as a teacher starting today. And then also the integrated approach that Rhonda and I write about all the time, but to see it laid out in this way and how significant it is to teach literacy in that way, so that you have a way of teaching that is empowering everybody. Rhonda and I work in a district that is predominantly white, but when you reading, this has really brought to light the fact that if you teach in this way, you are preventing discrimination in the future for everybody that you teach. This is such an important read. I love it.Matt Renwick (05:15):And you and Rhonda, that's one thing I like about Reading Recovery. With my last school, we had it and it takes an integrated approach, right? I mean, you're doing some reading, some writing, you are doing word work and so you have some of that background. But even with your extensive background, you still found it surprising and caused you to really rethink some of your practices.Gen Arcovio (05:40):I think the purpose, having a purpose for what you're reading and writing is what stood out to me. And it's making me think a lot about what I've done and what I'm going to do. What is the significant purpose for the reading and writing that makes it engaging for them and helps them to grow in their own identities?Matt Renwick (06:03):Yeah, what's the why.Matt Renwick (06:05):The second question, as I mentioned was, what surprised you? I could go here. Tt didn't really surprise me, but I guess I realized how much I didn't know about how persons of color were prevented from, even in the Northern states, prevented from engaging in literacy practices. It was like an editorial, I think, or a column, an essay about, he was a free man, but he wasn't really a free man, because of all these limits that had been put on them because of their race. We have, at least in the elementary level, a kind of a simplistic view of history, like "In the Northern states, they did not have slavery and then the Southern did," but it's more complex than that. They had to contend with those challenges throughout. So that's one thing, I guess that surprised me just like you were saying, Gen, how much I didn't know. So glad we picked this book.Gen Arcovio (07:33):It's almost what's surprising is not necessarily how much you didn't know, but what you thought you did know that isn't aligned or lining up with what's really happened. You know, I think that's something we need to take a good, hard look at in our curriculum across the board. Because I think a lot of us walked away from our education with a different view of where we are in education, in equality, in everything.Matt Renwick (08:15):Okay.Rhonda Precourt (08:19):I was familiar with the term literacy societies, but honestly I had no idea about black literacy societies and how they grew from just a small number of people to these huge groups of hundreds of members. And I was looking at, I just kept reading those 10 lessons from black literacy society. I just was so blown away. I mean, these things that we can learn from them are just so amazing. Like there was the one about how we teach each other, how then they came together, they taught each other how to read. They taught each other how to become better writers. It was just such a collaborative environment. And we do try for that, but I think especially as kids move up in grades, the way our schools schools are set up in education is very competitive. You're always trying to get in the top 10, or you're trying to get the best grade there. It's not like this where you're, where you're looking out for each other, trying to teach each other so you can better each other.Matt Renwick (09:36):Yeah. It's definitely something to aspire to with our classrooms and school. Questions that you had?Rhonda Precourt (09:53):I keep asking myself, because there's a lot of examples so far of how to apply this. I picture more of a middle school or high school setting. So I keep questioning, how can I bring this down to the younger students that I work with? What would that look like there? Because I definitely think you can, you can start this really early from the beginning. What would it look like?Matt Renwick (10:21):Yeah. It had some nice examples in the back to reference, the lesson plans, but yeah that's a good question. How do you talk about this? I mean, I think third grade and lower. That's a good question.Gen Arcovio (10:37):I keep asking myself, how do we get everyone talking about this, and acting on it, I think is the key because early on, I think somewhere in chapter two, it talks about how cultural models and cultural curriculum can't be an add on. And I think we see that all the time, you know, let's just put these few books into our libraries or into our read alouds. This is saying literacy was always connected to social justice and you can't connect literacy to social justice with five new read alouds in your curriculum. She wants us to be asking ourselves, how does this help them understand their own identities and how does it lead to social justice in every lesson and in every piece of your curriculum. And so, how do I help move this where it needs to go actively?Matt Renwick (12:02):I think those are great questions for future articles in July, if it moves you that way. I wish I had a good answer for that. The question I just had is, how do we create safe spaces in which people can talk about it and, you know, not fear for making mistakes or saying something stupid and then it coming back on you as being insensitive or worse. I think about that, I guess even just now talking about it. I just want to make sure I'm being respectful and at the same time that's part of learning, is making mistakes. It just seems like a really charged atmosphere right now with everything going on, legislation coming through and what we can and cannot teach. It's a unique time. So this has been a great book so far. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of it and writing something around it. Again, thanks Gen and Rhonda for joining us. And I'm looking forward to what you have to share.Gen Arcovio (13:17):Thank you for having me. I'm really enjoying it. Such an important read.Rhonda Precourt (13:22):Thank you so much. I agree. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readbyexample.substack.com

Dr Jenny Donovan is head of the newly formed Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO). Prior to that Jenny has had an influential career in education which has included the founding of the Centre for Education Statistics (CESE) in New South Wales, Australia. In this episode, Jenny talks to Greg Ashman about her journey into education, the work of CESE, including its review of Reading Recovery and its publication of resources on cognitive load theory. Jenny and Greg then discuss AERO and its plans for the future.

There is often a misconception in public education that if a student has problems reading, special education services may be in order. After working in special education for 15 years, I can tell you that if a student can be support in general education, that is ideal. Some people think that reading specialists only exist in special education. The reality is that reading specialists actually support GENERAL EDUCATION, and special educators are the ones who support reading interventions once students are in special education. Reading specialists typically have significantly more training in teaching reading than special educators do. If your school district has reading specialists, and your child is struggling with reading, you are in luck!! I interviewed Susan Blanco, reading specialist at Encinal School in Menlo Park, CA, because I was giving a workshop on Dyslexia to school psychologists and I wanted some insight and perspective from a reading specialist. Susan is a Reading Recovery teacher and is also a trainer of Reading Recovery specialists. Susan shared so much valuable information about reading in this interview that I decided I should make the entire thing available for others to see and hear. Enjoy! I'm Jana Parker, a Licensed Educational Psychologist in Campbell, CA. I provide psycho-educational evaluation, wellness and executive function coaching, and educational/IEP coaching and consultation. Welcome to my passion project, EduSwitchboard, where I connect families to valuable community resources that can support us during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. More information for this interview as well as other community resources can be found at www.themindbydesign.com. You can find me at: https://www.themindbydesign.com/ Email: jana@themindbydesign.com Facebook: @themindbydesign Please subscribe to my channel, like, and comment, and listen to my podcast, EduSwitchboard! If you would like to be featured as a helping professional on this show, please reach out! I'd love to hear from you!

We continue our exploration of the creativity and ingenuity being used to support our “art world” during this crazy time of a pandemic.   We have lost so much over the past months – our children may not be in school, many people have lost their jobs or had to quickly pivot to working from home, technology has overtaken our world, AND we nearly lost our “world of art”!   However, the art community is strong and resilient!  During the spring we began to hear music – playing from someone's porch, or via Zoom, drive-in concerts, and musicians writing and producing new songs from their home.  TV show reunions were created, often supporting the art world's nonprofit organizations. Movies were released on alternative platforms. And plays began "Zooming" right into our living rooms.   Today we are continuing our exploration of how creative artisans have excelled with wonderful new ways to enjoy and experience the wonders of art! Our guests for this episode include Martha Cotton, Granville, OH. Martha has been a member and active volunteer of https://www.lickingcountyarts.net/ (Licking County Art Association) for many years. LCA celebrates over 50 years as a non-profit, all volunteer arts organization. Her involvement has included serving as president of the board as well as exhibiting her own artwork. Martha retired from a professional career in Human Resources but continues to offer consulting services.   We also welcome https://youtu.be/i1_WrqDm6d4 (Regina Belt-Daniels). She lives in Crystal Lake, IL. Gina is a retired teacher, with 28 years of serving children in special education with communications disorders and 5 years in Reading Recovery.  Gina is active in various theatre organizations, including the https://www.rauecenter.org/ (Rau Center for the Arts) as well as the Woodstock Opera House, The Independent RCLPC Theater and is currently working on “I Hate Hamlet” for the Cosman Theatre (April 2021).  She has been active in acting, directing, producing, managing, ticket sales and marketing. She has also written reviews on various productions in her region, including online productions during the pandemic. We have had to deal with incredible transformations over the past months. We likely did not even realize how much we were losing in every sector of our world. What has been the most dramatic adjustment you or your organization has made to keep the public engaged and interested in the arts?  We are finding that some modifications we have made, due to the pandemic, are actually giving us positive change. Have you seen positive change in your work and your arts organizations, that you believe was needed, even before the pandemic?  What are some of the innovative ways you have discovered that other artists created or adopted, when they could not have live, in-person events? Some artists and arts organizations have taken this opportunity to better utilize various social media outlets and technology to deliver art opportunities to students and the general public. How effective have audiences been in adapting to the technology? What are you hearing from those audiences – are they ready to adapt to the technology- or are they pleading for live performances and in-person exhibits? What other short-term and long-term changes might we expect in how we enjoy art performance, exhibits, and art education? How well do you believe the public will adapt to these changes? Technology has made a difference in our new normal. However, in your use of technology, do you see the need for additional tech tools, programs, software or hardware in order to increase the opportunities to provide and enjoy the arts? If you could change Zoom or the other programs you use, what changes would you need or wish for?  Can you suggest any lists of resources for locating (local, national,...

The decades-old Reading Recovery programme is about to be overhauled after years of criticism it's failing to help children struggling the most. However, critics are questioning how effective the changes will be and some are urging the Ministry of Education to dump it completely. Ruth Hill reports.

A new report that looks at ways to boost New Zealand's literacy levels is stoking a decades-old debate about how best to teach children to read. The report, The Literacy Landscape in Aotearoa New Zealand - considers what's needed across various age groups to help stop a decline in literacy levels - particularly among Maori and Pasifika students. In looking at the early learning period, it suggests systematic phonemic awareness is needed for SOME learners - in addition to what's often "business of usual". But advocates of systematic phonics instruction say ALL learners can benefit from that. Kathryn talks to Literacy Landscape report author Stuart McNaughton, who is Chief Education Scientific Advisor and a professor at the University of Auckland, and Professor James Chapman from Massey University, who has written a critique of the report.

Are we ready for the sensitive, complex discussions about race and social justice that will be coming to our schools next term? Black lives matter, policing, social justice, equitable education are the big themes, and the prevailing sentiment is no. Join us as we take the first step toward getting ready to manage the challenging road ahead. Follow on Twitter: @gustafsonbrad @benjamingilpin @MisterMinor @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork Cornelius Minor is a Brooklyn-based educator. He works with teachers, school leaders, and leaders of community-based organizations to support equitable literacy reform in cities (and sometimes villages) across the globe. His latest book, We Got This, explores how the work of creating more equitable school spaces is embedded in our everyday choices -- specifically in the choice to really listen to kids. He has been featured in Education Week, Brooklyn Magazine, and Teaching Tolerance Magazine. He has partnered with The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, The New York City Department of Education, The International Literacy Association, Scholastic, and Lesley University’s Center for Reading Recovery and Literacy Collaborative.

Are we ready for the sensitive, complex discussions about race and social justice that will be coming to our schools next term? Black lives matter, policing, social justice, equitable education are the big themes, and the prevailing sentiment is no. Join us as we take the first step toward getting ready to manage the challenging road ahead. Follow on Twitter: @gustafsonbrad @benjamingilpin @MisterMinor @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork Cornelius Minor is a Brooklyn-based educator. He works with teachers, school leaders, and leaders of community-based organizations to support equitable literacy reform in cities (and sometimes villages) across the globe. His latest book, We Got This, explores how the work of creating more equitable school spaces is embedded in our everyday choices -- specifically in the choice to really listen to kids. He has been featured in Education Week, Brooklyn Magazine, and Teaching Tolerance Magazine. He has partnered with The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, The New York City Department of Education, The International Literacy Association, Scholastic, and Lesley University’s Center for Reading Recovery and Literacy Collaborative.

Before the pandemic even hit, I was already worried about how much I was not reading with my children. Is it bad if I skip story time at bedtime? Is it okay that we only have a couple books in the house? And, now, in a pandemic where the library is closed, are my children progressing at the rate that they should be at all? In today's episode, I sit down with Katie Kurumada, Ph.D, who is a reading specialist, assistant professor at Georgia State University, and works in Reading Recovery. She greatly alleviated my concerns as a mother and was able to relate to the struggle between knowing what's best as a teacher and going with societal norms in education. Her children even made a little cameo in the episode. This is Katie Kurumada's teacher voice.Enjoy!Follow us on Facebook!www.facebook.com/eduliesuiteJoin The Educator's Book Club here!www.facebook.com/theeducatorsbookclubFollow us on Twitter@MyTeacherVoicePodcast

"A lot of times parents are fearful because they think "I'm not trained," or "I don't have any special background.", but they are the expert when it comes to their child, so we’re arming them with some good resources. If you have a child with dyslexia, then we're going to point you to resources and books and services for dyslexia or autism because knowledge is power and we battle fear by prayer and trusting in God..." - Faith Berens Faith Berens is a special needs education consultant with the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). As a special needs consultant for HSLDA, Faith helps families find educational solutions for their children’s learning challenges and disabilities. Faith has worked as a classroom teacher, in both public and private schools, a Reading Recovery® teacher, an NILD educational therapist, and as a private tutor. She specializes in child literacy and has a master’s degree in reading from Shenandoah University. Faith draws on her extensive experience with learning difficulties including her own struggle with dyscalculia and homeschooling her own children with unique learning challenges to help homeschool students facing their own learning struggles. Her areas of expertise are early childhood literacy, reading assessment, and the identification and remediation of reading difficulties and disabilities. Watch the video of this interview on the Schoolhouse Rocked Backstage Pass site. Save 10% on any Backstage Pass Membership by using the coupon code, "PODCAST10" at SchoolhouseRocked.com/members. Click here for the transcript of this episode Transcripts are provided by MakeCrate. MakeCrate provides your homeschooler with the STEM skills they need for the future! Fun, hands-on electronics kits paired with an online learning platform teach your middle or high schooler engineering and coding fundamentals right at home! No technical expertise is required. Order your MakeCrate today at MakeCrate.Club/SR. Recommended Resources: Homeschooling Children with Special Needs, by Sharon Hensley 7 Tools for Cultivating Your Child's Potential, by Zan Tyler A Beautiful Education for any Child, by Cheryl Swope Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner, by Kathy Kuhl  Encouraging your Child, by Kathy Kuhl HSLDA membership SPED Homeschool Listen to more on this topic from Peggy Ployhar of SPED Homeschool Connect with Faith:  HSDLA Education Consultants Facebook Page Faith Filled homeschooling This episode of the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast is brought to you by HSLDA. Home School Legal Defense Association defends and advances the constitutional right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children and protects family freedoms. Since 1983, they have provided homeschooling-related legal advice and representation to their more than 80,000 member families, promoting homeschool-friendly legislation at the state and federal levels, and offering information and resources to encourage and support all homeschoolers.    Do you believe in homeschooling? Here’s your chance to help spread the word that homeschooling is good for students. It’s good for families. It’s good for AMERICA! Go to SchoolhouseRocked.com/support and join the movement to spread the word about homeschooling through movie theaters nationwide.

WWJ's Laura Bonnell - State of Michigan Reading Recovery Program coming to Troy

CPRE Hub director Bobbi Newman speaks with CPRE senior researchers Henry May (University of Delaware), Abigail Gray (University of Pennsylvania), and Philip Sirinides (University of Pennylvania) about their monumental study of Reading Recovery, a national intervention designed to improve literacy achievement in struggling first-graders.

I was being evaluated by my supervisor who wanted "drill and kill." I knew better, but I didn't do better. I sold out my values and my kids. I learned how to quickly handle this conflict. Follow @DrMaryHoward @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork Dr. Mary Howard is a leading expert in literacy, presenting seminars as an independent consultant and for the Bureau of Education and Research. She is an educator for more than 30 years, combining years of classroom experience as an elementary grade 1-6 special educator, grade K-12 reading tutor, reading specialist and Reading Recovery teacher and author of several books, including RTI from All Sides: What Every Teacher Needs to Know and Moving Forward with RTI: Reading and Writing Activities for Every Instructional Setting.

"I don't want our conversations to be about strategies, I want them to be about practices." And this is probably that best summary of my discussion with Dr. Mary Howard. Every word Dr. Howard says is fueled with passion and insight. I can't tell you how much fun I had bringing this two-part episode to you all. In this episode, we continue our discussion about Fearless Learning, and how she is helping educators find that zone of fearlessness through Good 2 Great Twitter chats (#G2Great), as well as other tools for educators. Dr. Howard's insight into how to lead conversations among educators is the highlight of this talk. We spend so much time talking about agenda items, that we never, or rarely, get to the 'why' we do what we do, and what that should look like in our classrooms. It's my hope that every educator who listens to this episode, teacher or admin or academic coach, brings back some of her ideas to inspire their fellow teachers to do what they do best...learn and inspire others to do the same.   About Dr. Mary Howard: Dr. Mary Howard is known throughout North America as a leading expert in literacy, presenting seminars as an independent consultant and for the Bureau of Education and Research (www.ber.org) in all fifty states and across Canada. Mary has worked with countless educators to create a research-based literacy program grounded in the current brain research. An educator for more than forty years, she combines years of classroom experience as an elementary grade 1-6 special educator, grade K-12 reading tutor, reading specialist and Reading Recovery teacher with a multitude of experiences as a reading consultant, university reading instructor, professional storyteller, author and nationwide lecturer. Her blend of research and practical application has led many to describe her as a teachers’ teacher, demonstrating a clear understanding of the realities of the classroom by translating research into practice. Mary’s seminars are fast-paced and inspiring, filled with engaging strategies that can be immediately implemented into the existing curriculum. Her no-nonsense approach provides teachers with a deeper understanding of the learning process in order to transform the teaching process into a powerful tool to maximize the potential of every child. Get Mary’s Books here

Hello everyone! I can’t believe this show gets to release content like this... Dr. Mary Howard is a professional who is astounding in her insight, her dedication, and her effectiveness in communicating with educators. If you haven't run into her on Twitter, you've probably run into the hashtag she co-created, #G2Great. If not, you're in for a real treat for this two part epic. This episode is the piece that most clearly exemplifies why I created Teach Me, Teacher. It is an episode about empowering educators to grow, to learn, and to fight for their profession in the best way they can...by getting BETTER. I needed to hear what Dr. Mary Howard had to say on this episode, and so do you. Her literacy minded message, and her advice on how to grow professionally are among the best words I've heard on the subject. Enjoy and SHARE SHARE SHARE! About Mary: Dr. Mary Howard is known throughout North America as a leading expert in literacy, presenting seminars as an independent consultant and for the Bureau of Education and Research (www.ber.org) in all fifty states and across Canada. Mary has worked with countless educators to create a research-based literacy program grounded in the current brain research. An educator for more than forty years, she combines years of classroom experience as an elementary grade 1-6 special educator, grade K-12 reading tutor, reading specialist and Reading Recovery teacher with a multitude of experiences as a reading consultant, university reading instructor, professional storyteller, author and nationwide lecturer. Her blend of research and practical application has led many to describe her as a teachers’ teacher, demonstrating a clear understanding of the realities of the classroom by translating research into practice. Mary's seminars are fast-paced and inspiring, filled with engaging strategies that can be immediately implemented into the existing curriculum. Her no-nonsense approach provides teachers with a deeper understanding of the learning process in order to transform the teaching process into a powerful tool to maximize the potential of every child. Get Mary's Books here

Kira Beck is a Reading Recovery teacher and Literacy Coach who has taught Reading Recovery for eleven years. She currently teaches a class on using running records to help struggling readers in the Alpine School District. Today Kira shares her expertise on using running records effectively in the classroom. For more information visit www.kindergartenkiosk.com/podcast

Reading Recovery, Mind The Future, ANZAC & Quizzical Staff Rooms