The Science of Reading is not a new idea, but it is currently trending in the literacy world today. What are some examples of how district leaders and educators can take the science from the Science of Reading research and apply it to their schools and classrooms?

Today, Maggie Luma and I sit down with fellow West Virginia Educator, Vanessa Harlow, to discuss some ways that Grant County Schools has been doing this over the past several years.

Science and Technology have contributed to many advancements in the way we live, learn, and work. One such advancement is the science behind how we develop as readers, known as the Science of Reading. The research and knowledge behind the Science of Reading have been gaining more and more attraction in the world of literacy education. But what does it mean and what implications does this have for educators?

Today, Maggie Luma and I sit down to discuss these questions regarding the Science of Reading as well as some key takeaways for educators.

In education, family engagement and family involvement are often used interchangeably; however, the distinction between these two terms is crucial to understand how to build strong, meaningful partnerships with parents and families.

Today, Blake Turley and I sit down with fellow West Virginia Educator, Amanda Peyton, to talk more about parent and family engagement. Amanda provides a great perspective on the difference between involving families and engaging them, along with some simple yet impactful examples of how McDowell County educators are building strong partnerships with their families.

Engaging parents and families and working to create strong partnerships is an important way for educators to enhance the overall well-being of the children in their classroom. During the recent unprecedented times we have experienced, the home-school connections and the strength of these partnerships may seem compromised. But what does the research say?

Today, Blake Turley and I sit down with Milagro Nores from the National Institute for Early Education Research to discuss family engagement. Join us as we talk about the research findings regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and early childhood education, along with the lessons that have been learned about the role of family engagement.

Engaging students in learning is a complex process that involves many different elements that are intricately woven together. Balancing these various elements can at times be overwhelming, regardless of the environment in which learning is taking place.

Listen as Dr. Doug Fisher joins the conversation today to talk about some of these elements and shares tips focused on how educators can promote student engagement.

It is no secret that the 2020 school year had its fair share of challenges. However, teachers across our state have experienced a number of “wonderfully unexpected” highlights over the course of the past year as well.  This very special bonus episode is not only a celebration of the one-year anniversary of this podcast, but also a celebration of the unexpected but certainly cherished moments West Virginia teachers have reported despite the very unfamiliar teaching and learning environment brought upon us by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Engaging students in a remote learning environment is a new challenge for many teachers. In this episode, fellow Early Literacy Specialist, Samantha Statler, joins me to discuss the importance of student engagement.  We talk about how teachers can monitor and promote student engagement in non-traditional learning environments by adapting some familiar strategies that are used in face-to-face lessons.

It is never too early to begin supporting the healthy growth and development of a child. The first years of a child’s life are a period of incredible growth and development.  By building relationships as well as social and emotional skills, caregivers can promote healthy brain development and set the stage for future learning success.

Today, Brandie and I are fortunate to sit down with Dan Torres, Senior Program Manager at the Bezos Family Foundation, and Cathryn Miller, Deputy Director for Save the Children West Virginia to continue our discussion on building foundational interactions to support child development. Listen as Dan and Cathryn share simple tools and tips that caregivers of young children can incorporate into their daily routines to begin developing these positive interactions from birth.

Building foundational interactions with young children is not only crucial to their development but it is also vital for future success. Building these foundational interactions to support a child’s development is not only limited to parents and caregivers but successful development of these foundational interactions is also dependent upon the types of interactions that young children receive from child-care centers, preschool teachers, and any adult who interacts with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

Today, fellow Early Literacy Specialist, Brandie Turner, joins us on the show to discuss why foundational interactions are so important to support child development. We talk about easy ways that we can foster these interactions during everyday routines.

Currently, educators are trying to balance the issue of remediating skills that resulted from last spring’s school closures with teaching grade-level content. It can seem like a daunting task but there’s hope. Accelerating student learning is the key to helping teachers balancing these two issues as well as making the overwhelming task manageable.

In this episode, Christy Schwartz and I will be continuing our conversation on accelerating student learning. We will be getting insight and advice on this critical topic from educator and social entrepreneur, Silas Kulkarni.