In this episode, George Couros and literacy advocate Karen Vaites take a deep look at the science of reading, why strong foundational skills matter, and how states and districts can accelerate achievement. They explore the rise of the Southern Surge, the impact of coaching and high quality curriculum, and why third grade proficiency must be treated as a system wide priority.

The conversation also highlights how domain knowledge fuels comprehension, how technology and AI can support literacy without replacing core skill development, and practical moves school and district leaders can make to strengthen reading and writing instruction. This episode is a helpful guide for educators who want to build sustainable and scalable literacy improvement.

Check out Karen's substack: https://www.karenvaites.org/

X account: https://x.com/karenvaites

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👉 Share your thoughts in the comments or connect with me on social media using #InnovatorsMindset

🌐 More at: https://georgecouros.com

🎙 Full audio podcast: https://linktr.ee/gcouros

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📚 Books by George Couros:

The Innovator's Mindset: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0986155497?ref=exp_gcouros_dp_vv_d

What Makes a Great Principal: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1948334739?tag=onamzgeorge0f-20

Because of a Teacher: https://www.amazon.com/dp/194833433X?ref=exp_gcouros_dp_vv_d

Because of a Teacher 2: https://www.amazon.com/dp/194833450X?tag=onamzgeorge0f-20

Innovate Inside the Box: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1948334127?ref=exp_gcouros_dp_vv_d

Music from Bensound - http://bensound.com/