What happens when schools treat academics and behavior as two completely separate systems? Dr. Dawn Miller and Dr. Pamela Radford of MTSS Innovations help us explore what it really means to build an integrated Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS): one that recognizes that students’ academic, behavioral, social, and emotional needs don’t exist in isolation. We…
Dr. Sarah Brown and Dr. Kelly Powell-Smith, co-authors of Routines for Reading Results: A Practical Approach for Accelerating Growth, alongside Dr. Stephanie Stollar and Beth Madden unpack the principles of Direct Instruction and explain why effective reading instruction depends not only on what we teach, but on the intentional design and delivery of instruction. They…
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) affects approximately 1 in 14 people, yet many educators have never heard of it. So what might DLD actually look like in the classroom? How can we better support students when difficulties with language intersect with dyslexia, ADHD, executive function, reading, spelling, and writing? Speech-language pathologists, Kathleen Love and Beth Coppoc…
Decodable texts are an important tool for helping readers apply their phonics knowledge, but are we squeezing everything we can out of them? Dr. Wiley Blevins – longtime educator, researcher, author, and one of the most recognized voices in phonics instruction – shares all about choosing and using decodable texts. When it comes to choosing…
Before we get into what the research currently says about teaching phonological awareness and the alphabet, this episode begins by breaking down some key terminology. What makes a practice evidence-based? What’s the difference between research-based and research-tested? What should we consider when implementing instruction aligned with the Science of Reading? Dr. Shayne Piasta, Distinguished Professor…
What if one of the richest language opportunities in your literacy block is already hiding inside your phonics word list? Even the simplest decodable words can carry surprisingly rich meanings. A word like “cap” might be something you wear on your head, the top of a bottle, an action you perform when you cover something,…
What happens after students master single-syllable words in phonics, but the words in their books keep getting longer? Dr. Devin Kearns takes us for a deep dive into polysyllabic word reading and what the research tells us about helping students tackle increasingly complex words. He explains why the transition into longer words presents challenges that…
What does it actually mean for a word to become “stored” in the brain – and how do we design instruction that helps that happen for every student? In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Katie Pace Miles, associate professor at Brooklyn College, founder of The Reading Institute, co-founder of CUNY Reading Fellows, and one…
Transitioning from classroom teacher to literacy coach is exciting, but it can also be overwhelming. How do you build trust? Support veteran teachers? Know when to offer advice…and when to simply listen? Today’s episode is part Coaching Conversation, as literacy coach Leah Ruesink shares about her transition to coach and what coaching really looks like…
One of the most influential voices around “the reading brain”, Dr. Maryanne Wolf, joins the show to tackle that very subject. Our brains were never wired to read. Reading is a learned, plastic circuit that develops through instruction – and how we teach profoundly shapes how that circuitry is built. Dr. Wolf explains dyslexia, why…