In this enlightening conversation, Kareem J Weaver discusses the critical importance of literacy in education, emphasizing its role in unlocking students’ potential and providing them with self-determination. He shares his extensive background in education, highlighting the connections between music and literacy, and the necessity for all educators to engage in teaching reading skills. Now, Kareem is NOT a music teacher. He is an activist, NAACP member, and long time literacy specialist. The discussion also delves into the ideological divides surrounding literacy education, the civil rights implications of illiteracy, and the need for a unified approach to ensure all students achieve excellence in reading.

Bonus: don’t miss the part where I ask Kareem about the time when I shared one of his Tweets and got in some trouble with colleagues for it…

Tune in now on YouTube or your favorite podcast app!

Tune in, and have your thinking stimulated and challenged. Then, weigh in yourself with your related ideas and experiences on Facebook in the Choralosophers group or over on choralosophy.substack.com Also, don’t forget to grab a reading rope for your classroom wall from the shop! Music Reading Rope

For future rehearsal clips, find me on TikTok, Insta and FB!

Kareem is the Co-Founder & Executive Director of FULCRUM. He is an award-winning educator and community advocate with extensive experience leading schools and systems in district, juvenile justice, and managed-care settings. His advocacy is featured in the 2023 documentary The Right to Read.

Kareem’s commitment to literacy is deep-rooted. He credits the quality of his education to a program through A Better Chance, a nonprofit that provides high-performing students of color access to the best schools, helping them become the nation’s next leaders. This program was foundational to Kareem’s understanding that education is the greatest equalizer. Kareem became a first-generation college graduate after obtaining a bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College and a master’s in clinical-community psychology from the University of South Carolina. At Morehouse, Kareem co-founded Students for the Children of Incarcerated Parents (SCIP), an endeavor that underlined illiteracy’s crushing impact on these families and their communication.

Armed with this knowledge, Kareem began his career in the classroom, rooting his approach in evidence-based methods exemplified by Marva Collins and the American Federation of Teachers—today, these strategies are referred to as the Science of Reading. Kareem taught grades spanning elementary to high school before becoming an administrator and eventually accepting the role of Executive Director—Western Region at New Leaders, an organization committed to developing technical, adaptive, and instructional leadership skills in educators serving high-needs schools.

Later, Kareem continued his community-based work as the Commissions Chair for the Oakland East Bay Alliance of Black Educators and provided financial and technical support to diverse schools from districts to reservations as a managing partner at a funding organization. He recently served as the 2nd Vice President of the Oakland NAACP and is the former Education Committee Chair.

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