What if we stopped thinking about literacy development as a staircase of isolated skills to master – and started seeing it as an upward trajectory, with each component influencing the next? Dr. Molly Ness returns to the show to introduce The Upward Spiral of Literacy, a new framework designed to bring greater coherence, integration, and…
Dyslexia doesn’t end in elementary school. So what happens when students with dyslexia enter middle school, high school, college, and eventually the workforce? In this special Dyslexia Awareness Month bonus episode, I’m joined by Mallary Lattanze, a Certified Academic Language Therapist, Licensed Dyslexia Therapist, and Vice President of School and District Partnerships at Neuhaus Education…
Happy 2nd Birthday, Literacy in Color! 🎂🌈 Two years, countless conversations, incredible friendships, and one very COLORFUL literacy community! We’re celebrating TWO years of Literacy in Color, and what better way to mark the occasion than by bringing together some of my favorite people in the literacy space for a very special birthday roundtable? I’m…
What does dyslexia look like across languages? How can educators distinguish between the challenges of learning a new language and an underlying reading disability? In this special Dyslexia Awareness Month episode of Literacy in Color, I’m joined by Karina Cruz, a speech and language specialist, reading interventionist, and Orton-Gillingham-trained educator from Puerto Rico, to explore…
How long should a child struggle before we recognize that the instruction they’re receiving simply isn’t enough? Also, why are so many students with dyslexia still caught in cycles of intervention without meaningful progress? In this Dyslexia Awareness Month bonus episode, I’m joined by two returning guests, Dr. Brennan Chandler and Missy Purcell, who are…
Are we scaffolding complex texts for students — or unintentionally lowering the intellectual demands of what we ask them to do? Dr. Mitchell Brookins, author of Scaffolding Complex Texts joins the show to share how intentional planning and strategic scaffolding can help students navigate challenging texts, construct meaning, and engage in deeper intellectual work. For…
What happens when parents start fighting for every child’s right to learn to read? I’m joined by Brett Tingley, President of Parents for Reading Justice, for a powerful conversation about parent advocacy, dyslexia, and the role families can play in transforming literacy instruction across the country. Brett’s journey began as a mom searching for answers…
Phonics is foundational — but it’s not the finish line! You’ve learned about phonemic awareness, phonics, and decodable text — but what happens when words get longer? When spelling gets more complex and sound alone doesn’t tell the whole story? When students can read a word but don’t fully understand how it works? There’s a…
What if the English spelling system isn’t nearly as irregular as we’ve been led to believe? What if the letters we sometimes call “silent” are actually telling us something important about a word’s structure, identity, or history? Sue Scibetta Hegland, author of Beneath the Surface of Words: What English Spelling Reveals and Why It Matters…
All 50 states now have dyslexia legislation on the books. So why are so many students with dyslexia still caught in a “wait to fail” system? Dyslexia advocate, Missy Purcell joins the show to explore the gap between passing legislation and actually changing outcomes for students. Missy shares the deeply personal story of advocating for…