Students who meet the criteria for developmental language disorder (DLD) are often categorized as “speech only” in the school systems. 

In many cases, these students qualify for special education services under the eligibility category of “speech and language impaired”, which puts speech-language pathologists who serve as case managers in a difficult position ethically. 

Sometimes students may qualify for services under other eligibility categories, but there’s still a lack of awareness about the diagnosis; especially relating to how we serve students in schools. 

The impact on literacy and overall academic performance can be substantial; not to mention life outcomes outside of school. 

Unlike other diagnoses that have other pathways to diagnosis in the early years, signs of DLD are often not identified until students start school. 

Therefore, DLD is an essential part of conversations surrounding literacy (even though it can impact way more than just reading). 

That’s why I invited Dr. Karla McGregor to episode 181 of De Facto Leaders to talk about DLD as part of the National Literacy Month RIF series. 

Dr. Karla K. McGregor, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is a Senior Scientist at Boys Town National Research Hospital in Omaha, NE, USA, where she also serves as the Senior Director of the Center for Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning. She is a Professor Emerita at the University of Iowa and a founding member and Chair of DLDandMe.org. Dr. McGregor’s scholarly work on developmental language disorder is funded by the National Institutes of Health and she has also benefited from the support of the National Science Foundation and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She is the former Editor for the Journal of Speech-Language-Hearing Research. Her awards include Honors of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Kawana Award for Lifetime Achievement in Publishing. She has been fortunate to mentor 12 doctoral students, six post-doctoral scholars, and numerous early-career scientists.

This episode is part of the National Literacy Month series of podcasts, presented in partnership between the Be Podcast Network and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).

In this episode, we discuss:

✅Developmental language disorder: Characteristics and overlaps with conditions like ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and auditory processing disorder.

✅School teams are “permitted” to use the term “DLD” in the schools. What does that mean in practice?

✅How language disorders impact important life skills such as the driver’s test or understanding your Miranda rights. 

✅Universal screeners: Reading screeners are an opportunity to identify DLD, but will they catch every child who needs services?

You can learn more about Dr. McGregor’s work in DLD advocacy along with her colleagues here: https://dldandme.org/

Learn more about her scholarly work on her Wix site here: https://karlamcgregor.wixsite.com/my-work

Connect with her via email at [email protected]

Dr. McGregor mentioned this article she wrote with Dr. Tiffany Hogan for Reading Rockets: https://www.readingrockets.org/helping-all-readers/neurodiversity-and-children-learning-differences/developmental-language

I mentioned the following conversation about high school language therapy and helping students with language disorders pass the driving exam: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-147-high-school-language-therapy-do-we-still-have-time-to-make-an-impact-with-tiffany-shahoumian-ruiz/

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here.

In this episode, I mention Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here.

You can get 25% off either program when you join between September 15-October 15. Just enter coupon code RIF25 on the checkout page to get this special rate. 

*If you’re already a member of either program and you refer a friend, tell them to email me at [email protected] if they join and let me know you referred them and I’ll send you a $100 referral bonus. 

Here’s what you can do right now to support this campaign and ensure you don’t miss any of these amazing interviews/commentary. 

1. Go to Apple, Spotify, or any other directory you use for podcasts and subscribe to the De Facto Leaders podcast.
2. Once you listen to an episode or two, leave me a rating and review. This helps get my show into the hands of people who need the information.
3. Do you have a colleague or friend who needs to learn more about the research surrounding language and literacy? Do you want to spread the word about practices and ideas you’d like to see in your school, community, or state? If so, tell them about the De Facto Leaders podcast so they can listen to all the episodes in this special campaign. 

Reading Is Fundamental is a nonprofit that focuses on connecting educators and families with materials and training aligned with evidence-based literacy instruction. Not only is their model aligned with the science of reading; they also offer unique book ownership solutions for professionals and families to address book equity issues. You can learn more about Reading Is Fundamental here. 

You can also learn more about the other BE Podcast Network shows at https://bepodcast.network

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 H...

There is a disproportionate number of individuals with communication disorders and reading disabilities involved with the justice system for both children and adults.

Past research suggests that more than 40% of incarcerated people have some type of nonpsychiatric disability (Berzofsky et al., 2015; Bixby et al., 2022; Thompson, 2022)

Additionally, once youth are involved in the justice system, it becomes more difficult for them to access the education and therapeutic services they need. 

Both literacy and language skills will impact someone’s ability to comprehend employee or disciplinary handbooks, to read language in legal documents, fill out job applications, and or explain past events during job interviews, when interacting with school staff or with law enforcement. 

Many times things are written off as “behavior problems” when the real underlying issue could be tied to language, reading, or writing. 

That’s why I invited Dr. Shameka Stewart to episode 180 of the De Facto Leaders podcast). 

Dr. Shameka Stewart is an Associate Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders and the Juvenile Forensic Speech-Language Pathologist(r). Dr. Stewart is also a special education advocate trained by the Wright's Law training center. Dr. Stewart’s clinical and scholarly work specializes in Juvenile Forensics, Law Enforcement Interaction with youth with CD, child language disorders, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Her primary research focuses on the Confluence and Impact of cognitive and communication disorders on the school-to-confinement pipeline, status offenses, involvement with the criminal justice system, law enforcement interaction, and criminal recidivism in youth placed at-risk for delinquency and crime (especially Black and Brown youth from under-resourced areas).

Dr. Stewart is also a clinically certified and licensed speech-language pathologist and is licensed to practice in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and multiple other states. Through her work, Dr. Stewart has created cutting edge social justice and juvenile justice specialty courses for graduate CSD students, nationally known training programs for law enforcement and legal counsel, and national and international CE workshops and training for licensed SLP clinicians, students, and families of children with special needs.

This episode is part of the National Literacy Month series of podcasts, presented in partnership between the Be Podcast Network and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).

In this conversation, we discuss:

✅The relationship between reading challenges and the school-to-confinement pipeline.

✅Why “behavior problems” could be related to language processing, reading, or writing challenges.

✅When youth become involved with the justice system, how do they get access to special education services (including language therapy)? 

✅“They should know better”: Why we can’t assume kids comprehend language in the school discipline handbook. 

✅A case for continuing direct language therapy in high school (and why therapists need support from school leaders in making this happen).

You can connect with Dr. Stewart on her website here: www.juvforensicslp.com

Connect with her on Instagram @drjuvenile_forensicslp

Join her Facebook group SLPs 4 Juvenile Justice here.

References for this episode’s show notes:

Berzofsky, M., Bronson, J., & Maruschak, L. L. (2015). Disabilities among prison and jail inmates, 2011–12. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Bixby, L., Bevan, S., & Boen, C. (2022). The link between disability, incarceration, and social exclusion. Heath Affairs, 41,10. doi: https://.doi.org/10.1377.hlthaff.2022.00495

Thompson, E. (2022). Reading through the lines; The correlation between literacy and incarceration. Retrieved from: https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2022/03/21/reading-through-the-lines-the-correlation-between-literacy-and-incarceration/

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here.

In this episode, I mention Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here.

You can get 25% off either program when you join between September 15-October 15. Just enter coupon code RIF25 on the checkout page to get this special rate. 

*If you’re already a member of either program and you refer a friend, tell them to email me at [email protected] if they join and let me know you referred them and I’ll send you a $100 referral bonus. 

Here’s what you can do right now to support this campaign and ensure you don’t miss any of these amazing interviews/commentary. 

1. Go to Apple, Spotify, or any other directory you use for podcasts and subscribe to the De Facto Leaders podcast.
2. Once you listen to an episode or two, leave me a rating and review. This helps get my show into the hands of people who need the information.
3. Do you have a colleague or friend who needs to learn more about the research surrounding language and literacy? Do you want to spread the word about practices and ideas you’d like to see in your school, community, or state? If so, tell them about the De Facto Leaders podcast so they can listen to all the episodes in this special campaign. 

Reading Is Fundamental is a nonprofit that focuses on connecting educators and families with materials and training aligned with evidence-based literacy instruction. Not only is their model aligned with the science of reading; they also offer unique book ownership solutions for professionals and families to address book equity issues. You can learn more about Reading Is Fundamental here.&n...

How can school leaders make informed decisions about reading curriculum when they know the home environments among their student body vary widely?

I don’t envy people tasked with these kinds of decisions.

My opinion is that schools should ensure students get their instructional needs met during the school day, because it’s difficult to control what happens to students once they leave the school campus.

Direct instruction of reading has to fall on the plate of educators. If we assume certain practices will be done at home consistently, we create huge equity issues.

With all that being said, school staff can work to create a shared partnership with families and communities. Even though they might aim to include the essentials during the school day, they can provide opportunities and tools for students and families to support literacy outside formal classroom instruction.

I invited Susan Brady, a reading specialist from Illinois, to De Facto Leaders episode 179 to discuss how she’s helped her community get access to books and extracurricular activities that support literacy.

Susan Brady has been in the teaching profession for over 40 years. She worked in a private school where she taught first grade and kindergarten. Sixteen years ago she began work in the public schools as a kindergarten teacher. In 2008, she received her Master’s Degree in Reading from Governors State University and became a Reading Specialist. She moved to middle school 5 years ago and works with small groups, large groups, and push-ins. She also has started and run engaging book clubs for her students to help get them excited about reading.

This episode is part of the National Literacy Month series of podcasts, presented in partnership between the Be Podcast Network and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).

In this conversation, Susan shares:

✅Are reading teachers getting the pre-service training they need to critically evaluate research and implement instructional practices?

✅Relying a curriculum versus leveraging a curriculum to guide your practice

✅How to start a book club and get students excited about reading

✅Where to find inexpensive or free books for schools and families

✅Navigating logistical and equity issues when hosting community events and running extracurriculars.

The following resources were mentioned in this episode:

Our partner for the National Literacy Month Campaign, Reading Is Fundamental (https://www.rif.org)

Better World Books (https://www.betterworldbooks.com/)

First Book (https://firstbook.org)

BookShare (https://www.bookshare.org)

United for Literacy (https://www.bookshare.org)

Little Free Library (https://littlefreelibrary.org)

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

In this episode, I mention Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/

You can get 25% off either program when you join between September 15-October 15. Just enter coupon code RIF25 on the checkout page to get this special rate.

*If you’re already a member of either program and you refer a friend, tell them to email me at [email protected] if they join and let me know you referred them and I’ll send you a $100 referral bonus.

Here’s what you can do right now to support this campaign and ensure you don’t miss any of these amazing interviews/commentary.

Go to Apple, Spotify, or any other directory you use for podcasts and subscribe to the De Facto Leaders podcast.

Once you listen to an episode or two, leave me a rating and review. This helps get my show into the hands of people who need the information.

Do you have a colleague or friend who needs to learn more about the research surrounding language and literacy? Do you want to spread the word about practices and ideas you’d like to see in your school, community, or state? If so, tell them about the De Facto Leaders podcast so they can listen to all the episodes in this special campaign.

Reading Is Fundamental is a nonprofit that focuses on connecting educators and families with materials and training aligned with evidence-based literacy instruction. Not only is their model aligned with the science of reading; they also offer unique book ownership solutions for professionals and families to address book equity issues. You can learn more about Reading Is Fundamental here. 

You can also learn more about the other BE Podcast Network shows at https://bepodcast.network

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 technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

In 2015, the Office of Special Education Programs published a letter stating that school teams were “not prohibited” from using the term “dyslexia”. 

Unfortunately, this letter left many questions unanswered and is often misinterpreted.

Parents seeking out services for their children are still unsure how to advocate for appropriate services in their schools and communities.

School teams are still unsure about what they’re “permitted” vs. “required” to do.

Professionals are unsure who is qualified or responsible for identifying students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. 

That’s why I invited Tom Parton to episode 178 of De Facto Leaders to discuss legal mandates, ethical obligations, and factors school teams should consider when making decisions about curriculum and assistive technology. 

Tom Parton is a private Speech Language Pathologist in Normal, Illinois. He retired after 35 years of public-school practice. Tom is President of Everyone Reading Illinois and is a member of ERI’s Legislative Committee. Tom has presented on autism and language/literacy topics at local, state, and national conferences. Tom participated in the ISBE Reading Instruction Advisory Group and Teachers of Reading Certification task forces. He is currently a member of the ISBE Dyslexia Handbook revision team. He is past-president of the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is ISHA Honors Committee co-chair and a member of ISHA’s Leadership Development Committee. Tom is the 2024 chair of the American Speech Language Hearing Association Committee of Ambassadors.

This episode is part of the National Literacy Month series of podcasts, presented in partnership between the Be Podcast Network and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).

In this conversation, we discuss:

✅What do federal guidelines require when it comes to identifying and serving students with reading/writing disabilities?

✅Picking the right battles to fight: Do we focus on the labels or the services and curriculum?

✅Who is qualified or responsible for diagnosing dyslexia?

✅The ethical problem with giving up on word-decoding in secondary school.

✅What skills do students need to effectively use assistive technology for reading, writing, and spelling?

Additional resources mentioned in this episode:

The Dyslexia Handbook from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) (https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Dyslexia-Handbook.pdf)

ISBE Comprehensive Literacy Plan (https://www.isbe.net/literacyplan)

The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) (https://dyslexiaida.org)

The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) Dyslexia Handbook (https://dyslexiaida.org/ida-dyslexia-handbook/)

The Reading League of Illinois (https://il.thereadingleague.org)

The Illinois SLD Support Project (https://sldsupports.org)

Dyslegia: State Dyslexia Laws (https://www.dyslegia.com/state-dyslexia-laws/)

Williams, V. (2023) Letter from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services on the use of “Developmental Language Disorder” for special education eligibility. Office of Special Education Programs. Retrieved from: https://www.asha.org/siteassets/advocacy/comments/OSEP-Response-Letter-to-ASHA-on-DLD-5.30.23.pdf

Yudin, M. K. (2015). Letter from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services on the use of “Dyslexia” for special education eligibility. Office of Special Education Programs. Retrieved from: https://sites.ed.gov/idea/files/policy_speced_guid_idea_memosdcltrs_guidance-on-dyslexia-10-2015.pdf

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

In this episode, I mention Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/

You can get 25% off either program when you join between September 15-October 15. Just enter coupon code RIF25 on the checkout page to get this special rate. 

*If you’re already a member of either program and you refer a friend, tell them to email me at [email protected] if they join and let me know you referred them and I’ll send you a $100 referral bonus. 

Here’s what you can do right now to support this campaign and ensure you don’t miss any of these amazing interviews/commentary. 

1. Go to Apple, Spotify, or any other directory you use for podcasts and subscribe to the De Facto Leaders podcast.
2. Once you listen to an episode or two, leave me a rating and review. This helps get my show into the hands of people who need the information.
3. Do you have a colleague or friend who needs to learn more about the research surrounding language and literacy? Do you want to spread the word about practices and ideas you’d like to see in your school, community, or state? If so, tell them about the De Facto Leaders podcast so they can listen to all the episodes in this special campaign. 

Reading Is Fundamental is a nonprofit that focuses on connecting educators and families with materials and training aligned with evidence-based literacy instruction. Not only is their model aligned with the science of reading; they also offer unique book ownership solutions for professionals and families to address book equity issues. You can learn more about Reading Is Fundamental here: https://www.r...

There are many “science of reading” terms being used right now (including the “science of reading” itself).

Yet debates about how to help kids become literate continues; and part of that is because of common logical fallacies applied to education.

That’s why I invited Anna Geiger to episode 177 of De Facto Leaders to define important literacy terms and discuss myths associated with teaching reading.

Anna Geiger is a former teacher, mom of six, the founder and owner of The Measured Mom, host of the TripleR Teaching podcast, and author of books such as “Reach all Readers”. She was a balanced literacy advocate for twenty years. As both a classroom teacher and teacher educator, she promoted three-cueing using leveled texts. She taught phonics, but didn’t use a scope and sequence. She provided very little direct instruction because she was sure it would bore students.

Fast-forward to 2019, when she began to realize that many of her teaching practices weren’t backed by research. Anna became Orton-Gillingham certified and earned a Science of Reading graduate certificate. She currently runs The Measured Mom website, which includes easy-prep resources that your students will love so much they’ll forget they’re learning.

This episode is part of the National Literacy Month series of podcasts, presented in partnership between the Be Podcast Network and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).

In this conversation, we discuss:

✅The difference between balanced literacy and structured literacy

✅Decodable texts vs. predictable texts.

✅What is three-cueing and why does it encourage poor reading habits?

✅Using syntactic and context clues: Necessary, but not sufficient for decoding.

✅Early literacy instruction: Play-based learning vs. playful learning

✅Finding the joy in reading and teaching: Can you find joy in something if you haven’t been given the skills to do it? 

You can learn more about Anna Geiger’s resources on her website here: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/

Order Anna’s book, “Reach all Readers” here.

Listen to my interview with Anna on her podcast, TripleR Teaching here: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/how-to-help-students-improve-language-comprehension-a-conversation-with-dr-karen-dudek-brannan/

Listen to Anna’s conversation about scaffolding early writing skills with Dr. Sonia Cabell here: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/how-to-scaffold-preschoolers-early-writing-skills-with-dr-sonia-cabell/

Listen to Anna's conversation with Dr. Susan Neuman about evidence-based instruction for preschoolers here: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/what-does-research-say-about-teaching-preschoolers/

Listen to Anna’s commentary on decodable texts here: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/dos-donts-decodable-texts/

Listen to my conversation with Mary Saghafi and Shannon Betts about reading advocacy here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-165-turning-litigious-situations-into-reading-reform-initiatives-with-mary-saghafi-and-shannon-betts/

Other books mentioned in this episode:

“Learning to Read: The Great Debate” by Jeanne Chall

“Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children 1st Ed.” by Susan Neuman, Carol Copple, & Sue Bredekamp

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here. 

In this episode, I mention Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here.

You can get 25% off either program when you join between September 15-October 15. Just enter coupon code RIF25 on the checkout page to get this special rate. 

*If you’re already a member of either program and you refer a friend, tell them to email me at [email protected] if they join and let me know you referred them and I’ll send you a $100 referral bonus. 

Here’s what you can do right now to support this campaign and ensure you don’t miss any of these amazing interviews/commentary. 

1. Go to Apple, Spotify, or any other directory you use for podcasts and subscribe to the De Facto Leaders podcast.
2. Once you listen to an episode or two, leave me a rating and review. This helps get my show into the hands of people who need the information.
3. Do you have a colleague or friend who needs to learn more about the research surrounding language and literacy? Do you want to spread the word about practices and ideas you’d like to see in your school, community, or state? If so, tell them about the De Facto Leaders podcast so they can listen to all the episodes in this special campaign. 

Reading Is Fundamental is a nonprofit that focuses on connecting educators and families with materials and training aligned with evidence-based literacy instruction. Not only is their model aligned with the science of reading; they also offer unique book ownership solutions for professionals and families to address book equity issues. You can learn more ...

The “science of reading” is trending; but in order for professionals to engage in effective instruction, they need to understand that literacy also includes spelling and writing.

Writing, spelling, and reading are interconnected, and the growing body of research continues to show us that these skills need to be taught explicitly. 

That’s why I invited Dr. Jan Wasowicz to episode 176 of the De Facto Leaders podcast to discuss the Language Literacy Network
(Link here: https://learningbydesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/TLLN_11x8.5.pdf); a framework she’s created to help professionals better understand the connections between reading, writing, spelling, and language. 

Dr. Jan Wasowicz has more than 40 years of experience as a speech-language, literacy, and learning specialist working with students in a variety of educational settings, including public schools, Head Start programs, and private practice. Dr. Wasowicz is frequently invited to speak about best practices in literacy assessment and instruction and has taught numerous undergraduate and graduate courses, holding faculty positions at Northwestern University, Elmhurst College, Rush–Presbyterian–St. Luke’s Medical Center, and Governors State University. Her credits include articles published in scholarly journals and U.S. patents for her inventions of literacy software programs including Earobics® and Spelling Performance Evaluation for Language and Literacy (SPELL-3). 

Dr. Wasowicz is an author of SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing and lead moderator of the SPELLTalk multi-disciplinary professional listserv. She also currently serves as an advisory board member of The Reading League of Illinois and an external consultant for Purdue University’s inter-disciplinary initiative to strengthen teacher preparation using science-based methods. Dr. Wasowicz is an ASHA-certified, IL-licensed, and FL-licensed speech-language pathologist and an ASHA Board Certified Specialist in Child Language and she holds a professional educator license with multiple endorsements from the State Teacher Certification Board of Illinois. She is the founder, president and CEO of SPELL-Links | Learning By Design, Inc., and she maintains a small private practice in IL via tele-practice and in FL serving students with oral and written language disorders.

This episode is part of the National Literacy Month series of podcasts, presented in partnership between the Be Podcast Network and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).

In this conversation, we discuss:

✅Do we need a “writing rope” to supplement the “reading rope”? Or should reading, writing and language be woven in to one literacy framework?

✅Pragmatics, executive functioning, and metalinguistic awareness: How do these components fit in to effective literacy instruction?

✅Does working on reading improve spelling? Does working on spelling improve reading? 

✅Should professionals work on linguistic skills in stages? When/how should professionals start working on morphology in elementary school?

✅Defining “print to speech” and “speech to print” approaches (with specific examples).

You can find the infographic for the Language Literacy Network framework Dr. Wasowicz discussed here: https://learningbydesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/TLLN_11x8.5.pdf

To engage in professional discussions with leading literary experts, join the SPELL-talk ListServ here: https://lists.learningbydesign.com/mailman/listinfo/spelltalk

Connect with Dr. Jan Wasowicz on the Learning By Design, Inc website here: https://learningbydesign.com, on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-wasowicz-phd-02917a/ or @spell-links here: http://@spell-links

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

In this episode, I mention Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/

You can get 25% off either program when you join between September 15-October 15. Just enter coupon code RIF25 on the checkout page to get this special rate. 

*If you’re already a member of either program and you refer a friend, tell them to email me at [email protected] if they join and let me know you referred them and I’ll send you a $100 referral bonus. 

Here’s what you can do right now to support this campaign and ensure you don’t miss any of these amazing interviews/commentary. 

1. Go to Apple, Spotify, or any other directory you use for podcasts and subscribe to the De Facto Leaders podcast.
2. Once you listen to an episode or two, leave me a rating and review. This helps get my show into the hands of people who need the information.
3. Do you have a colleague or friend who needs to learn more about the research surrounding language and literacy? Do you want to spread the word about practices and ideas you’d like to see in your school, community, or state? If so, tell them about the De Facto Leaders podcast so they can listen to all the episodes in this special campaign. 
4. You can also learn more about the other BE Podcast Network shows at https://bepodcast.network 

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 technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet T...

In this episode, I’m revisiting an older episode in honor of a special event that I'm doing in the month of September, 2024.

I'm so excited to participate in the National Literacy Month series of podcasts, which we're presented in partnership between the Be Podcast Network and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).
 
De Facto Leaders is part of the BE Podcast Network (Link here: https://bepodcast.network/), so I’ll be participating in this effort.
 
About Reading Is Fundamental (RIF):
 
Reading Is Fundamental is a nonprofit that focuses on connecting educators and families with materials and training aligned with evidence-based literacy instruction. Not only is their model aligned with the science of reading; they also offer unique book ownership solutions for professionals and families to address book equity issues. You can learn more about Reading is Fundamental here: https://www.rif.org/
 
What’s happening on De Facto Leaders as part of the Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) campaign:
 
In September, I’ll be featuring a series of guests to talk about how we can improve the nationwide literacy crisis. As part of this effort, I’ll be publishing two episodes a week during the month of September. 
 
In October, I’ll resume the standard once a week schedule and will publish some shorter episodes that outline my key take-aways based on the September interviews. These shorter episodes will give you a chance to catch up on listening to the extra episodes; and will also give you the chance to hear my take on each interview. 
 
To celebrate this special partnership, I’m giving my listeners 25% off their tuition when they join either Language Therapy Advance Foundations (Link here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy) and the School of Clinical Leadership (Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership) between September 15 and October 15. 
 
To get access to this special rate, all you need to do is enter coupon code RIF25 on the checkout page. 
 
In this re-release episode, I share:

✅What the current literacy trends show as far as the impact of texting.

✅The 3 tenets of effective literacy intervention.

✅Common mistakes people make when teaching kids to use reading strategies.

✅Three essential skills kids need in order to become fluent readers and spellers.

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

In this episode, I mention the Word Study Toolkit, which comes with Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/

You can get 25% off either program when you join between September 15-October 15. Just enter coupon code RIF25 on the checkout page to get this special rate. 

Here’s what you can do right now to support this campaign and ensure you don’t miss any of these amazing interviews/commentary. 

1. Go to Apple, Spotify, or any other directory you use for podcasts and subscribe to the De Facto Leaders podcast.

2. Once you listen to an episode or two, leave me a rating and review. This helps get my show into the hands of people who need the information.

3. Do you have a colleague or friend who needs to learn more about the research surrounding language and literacy? Do you want to spread the word about practices and ideas you’d like to see in your school, community, or state? If so, tell them about the De Facto Leaders podcast so they can listen to all the episodes in this special campaign. 

Reading Is Fundamental is a nonprofit that focuses on connecting educators and families with materials and training aligned with evidence-based literacy instruction. Not only is their model aligned with the science of reading; they also offer unique book ownership solutions for professionals and families to address book equity issues. You can learn more about Reading Is Fundamental here: https://www.rif.org/

You can also learn more about the other BE Podcast Network shows at https://bepodcast.network

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 technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

I’m a huge supporter of professionals taking ownership of their careers; regardless of the systemic issues at play.

But having said that, I ALSO like to help educators get to a place where they can work towards addressing systems issues head on.

That’s why I was so excited to talk with Kurtis Hewson about the Collaborative Response Framework in episode 174 of De Facto Leaders.

Kurtis Hewson is an award-winning former administrator and teacher, as well as teaching faculty at the post-secondary level. He is the co-founder of Jigsaw Learning, a co-author of the text, “Collaborative Response: Three Foundational Components That Transform How We Respond to the Needs of Learners” (Corwin, 2022), and currently works with districts and schools nationally and internationally establishing Collaborative Response frameworks and interacting with thousands of educators annually.

Good teachers, therapists, and administrators often develop toolkits they can use to offer a continuum of support to students. But as Kurtis points out, they’re often operating in “silos of excellence”. 

What would happen if team members worked together to pool their resources? 

We discuss this topic in this episode, including:

✅People in education talk a lot about the problems with “the system”. But what is the “system” and how do we improve it?

✅Is talking about individual student needs always the best use of time at team meetings?

✅Meetings sometimes feel like an obligation or a waste of time. How do we change that?

✅What types of meetings should district level teams have and what’s the purpose of each?

✅Why school teams need 4 tiers of support rather than the traditional 3 tiers of RtI.

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. 

You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

You can learn more about how to connect with Kurtis and his work at: https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/

Read about the Overview of Collaborative Response here: https://bit.ly/CR-overview 

Read the Introductory Chapter of the text Collaborative Response - https://bit.ly/CR-intro

Learn about the Layers of Collaborative Teams Here: https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/publications/blog-posts/scaffolding-our-collaborative-response-purposeful-layering-t

Learn the Five Considerations to Transform Your Team Meetings here:  https://www.jigsawlearningonline.com/five-planning-considerations-to-transform-your-team-meetings

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 technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

A while back, I heard someone refer to school administrators and other public sector leaders as “middle managers”, and it really hit home for me.
 

As I’ve transitioned through different roles in my career, I’ve gotten into the trap of thinking that when I achieve the “next step”, I’ll finally have the influence I want. 

In my experience, telling myself that I’ll be satisfied with the level of impact I can make when I reach the “next step” is a recipe for disappointment.

In reality, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fix all the things I want to fix, and I’m slowly coming to terms with that; learning to pick which battles are worth fighting.

As I’ve talked with others who have transitioned to different administrative roles, this seems to be a common challenge faced by people in middle management positions. 

That’s why I invited Dr. Chris Jones and Chris Dodge to episode 173 of De Facto Leaders to talk about what it's like to be a middle manager in public sector systems like the schools. 

Chris Dodge has been a lead learner in elementary school settings for ten years and currently the principal at the Thorndyke Road School is Worcester, MA, Chris works to create collaborative structures and systems that bring stakeholder voice into school level decision making, as well as strategies that promote student success and achievement. His schools utilize these systems to promote a vision of serving the whole child, ensuring that students’ social-emotional and academic needs are being met. Most notably, in 2014, Christopher led the Dexter Park School in Orange, MA to become a MA Department of Education appointed Innovation School, awarded for its inclusionary practice work. Aside from the role as principal, Christopher has served on DESE’s Principal/Teacher Advisory Cabinet, Commissioner Riley’s Return to School Teaching and Learning Working Group during COVID19, as well as on the MSAA (Massachusetts School Administrators Association) Executive Board. He has been published in numerous blogs and publications such as “Rogue Leader” and “STOP Series: 100 No Nonsense Things Teachers and Leaders Should Stop Doing”, and is featured in podcasts such as “Seeing to Lead” and “Becoming Principal”. Passionate about supporting and mentoring leaders and educators, Christopher is also a consultant with Seaside Educational Consultants and an adjunct instructor at Assumption University in Worcester, MA.

Dr. Chris Jones has been an educator in Massachusetts for 22 years. His experience in the classroom ranged from 8th – 11th grade working in an urban setting. A portion of this was spent opening a high school division for an expanding charter school. He has just finished his 15th year as a building administrator. Chris is also the Vice President of the Massachusetts State Administrators Association (MSAA). True to his “why” of improving the educational experience for as many people as possible, he is currently the Principal of Whitman-Hanson Regional High School in Whitman, Massachusetts. 

He is the author of SEEing to Lead (https://drcsjones.blog/seeing-to-lead-podcast/), a book that provides strategies for how modern leaders can and must support, engage, and empower their teachers to elevate student success. Chris vlogs weekly about continuous improvement and is also the host of the podcast SEEing to Lead as a way to amplify teachers’ voices in an effort to improve education as a whole. His overarching goal is to positively model continuous improvement in all facets of life by being purposeful, acting with integrity, and building character.

Chris is passionate about continuous improvement and the idea that success is not a destination, but a process. Chris is a teacher centered principal and his beliefs around the importance of a positive work environment, continuous growth, and a healthy family work-life integration can be seen in the presentations and workshops he has given for the Massachusetts School Administrators Association (MSAA), Massachusetts Computer Using Educators (MassCUE), Massachusetts Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (MASCD), the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP); and his participation in the Better Leaders Better Schools Mastermind group.

A finalist for the Massachusetts School Administrators Association’s Principal of the Year award and named the 2022 Massachusetts School Counselors Associaltion’s (MASCA) Administrator of the Year, Chris is described by his past Superintendent as being “…wholly invested in the success of the school…a creative problem-solver who is able to deliberate yet be decisive, be creative yet accountable…calm and clear-headed even under the most trying of times…has built a strong collaborative and collegial school culture…he is a positive influence on teachers, teaching, and learning.”

Chris’ education includes a BA from Bridgewater State University, an MA from Salem State University, and a Doctorate from Northeastern University. He currently resides in Southeastern Massachusetts with his wife, Mary (Bella) and two boys, Tommy and Scotty.

In this conversation, we talked about questions like:

✅What is it like to be a decision-maker who reports to other decision-makers? Are there times when it’s been difficult to give staff direction because you were waiting on a decision that was over your head?

✅What is the best way for people on the front-line (e.g., teachers, therapists) to provide you with information you can bring to your leadership to help move initiatives along?

✅How do you know when to escalate something vs. try to handle it on your own?

✅When bringing questions/concerns to leadership, how do you provide enough information that you give adequate context without getting in the weeds and overwhelming them?

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. 

You can learn more about that program here:  https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

You can connect with Chris Dodge on Instagram @principaldodge1 : (https://www.instagram.com/principaldodge1/), on Twitter @PrincipalDodge1 : (https://twitter.com/PrincipalDodge1), and on LinkedIn here:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-dodge-a33343204/

You can listen to my previous episode with Chris Dodge here: EP138: Increasing access to instructional programs in rural districts (with Chris Dodge): https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-119-teacher-centered-leadership-with-dr-chris-jones/

You can connect with Dr. Chris Jones on LinkedIn here : https://www.li...

How can districts reverse chronic absenteeism and gain a deeper understanding of why students don’t come to school? 

Can we measure how “connected” students are to their schools? How do we impact the level of connection they feel with potential mentors in their lives? 

I invited Jen Perry to episode 172 of the De Facto Leaders podcast to discuss this topic and explore ways schools can assess student engagement and put meaningful programs in place to increase it. 

Jen Perry is Senior Manager of Learning Design and Whole Learner at Edmentum. Jen has worked over 30+ years with youth in educational and community settings. As a teacher, administrator, and trainer, her passion has been to help educators develop an understanding of the importance of social emotional learning and build trauma-informed responses and systems. This work has included supporting youth, administrators, and schools in understanding behavior and implementing transformational change through strength-based approaches.

In this conversation, we discussed:

✅Using positive youth development models to support youth involved with the legal system.

✅Changing our assumptions about kids who have “risk factors” and resources. 

✅Helping youth build developmental assets through community navigation and academic support.

✅Research on the effectiveness of high-impact tutoring in increasing attendance and student engagement.

✅How do we help kids connect academic work to meaningful life goals? 

✅Giving students the language they need for self-advocacy and self-awareness.

In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

“The Poverty Problem: How Education Can Promote Resilience and Counter Poverty’s Impact on Brain Development and Functioning” by Horacio Sanchez  
Link here: https://www.amazon.com/Poverty-Problem-Resilience-Development-Functioning/dp/1071842927

Maguillie, L, Perry, J., Aiello, J. (2019). The impact of an Alternative to Detention Program on Developmental Assets for adolescents involved in the juvenile justice or legal system. Journal of Applied Juvenile Justice Services.
Link here: https://irp.cdn-website.com/45a58767/files/uploaded/2019-Alternative%20to%20Detention%20%28Maggiulli%29.pdf

Whole Learner Foundations: Understanding Behavior and our Default Setting
Link here: https://www.edmentum.com/intl/resources/webinars/whole-learner-foundations-understanding-behavior-and-our-default-setting/

Jen Perry on Students and Connection
Link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38EMkeKK96c

Jen Perry on Teacher Well-being
Link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMuiiq56bsY

Targeted Skills Instruction-Accelerate High-Impact Virtual Tutoring Services
Link here: https://www.edmentum.com/products/virtual-tutoring/

Learn more about where to connect with Jen on Linked here (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-perry-8aaa99204/) or at edmentum.com. 

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. 

You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

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 technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.