On this special episode of Leading Literacy, Mara interviews Leslie and Dr. Kathryn Edwards, the Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at LACOE. Leslie and Kathryn recently completed a year-long project in collaboration with UCLA and the Center for Powerful Public Schools and Riverside County Office of Education, on a document entitled, Supporting the African American Learner: A Guide for Transforming Beliefs, Systems and Practices for Black Students. Leslie and Kathryn's passion will inspire and motivate as they discuss how this document can be put into practice to ensure better outcomes for Black students. You won't want to miss it!

Leading Literacy welcomes UC Irvine School of Education professor, Dr. Julie Washington. Dr. Washington's research is focused on the intersection of literacy, language variation, and poverty. Her work pays a particular focus on understanding the role of cultural dialect in the identification of reading disabilities in school-aged African American children. We hope you enjoy this gem of a conversation as much as we did.

Leading Literacy welcomes Margaret Goldberg for a chat about all things science of reading, coaching, and evidence-based reading instruction. Currently, Margaret is a first grade teacher in a Title 1 school in Oakland and has served in her district in a variety of literacy leadership roles. She is the co-founder of The Right to Read Project, a group of teachers, researchers, and activists committed to the pursuit of equity through literacy. Margaret has tons of knowledge to share! Check out her amazing blog, reading resources, and infographics at https://righttoreadproject.com/ and on Reading Rockets https://www.readingrockets.org/blogs/right-to-read.

Ricky Robertson stops by Leading Literacy to discuss the importance of student trauma and adversity and how it impacts their educational experience and outcome. As a former teacher, Ricky provides a unique lens through which to serve students who have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACES). Currently as an author, consultant, and coach, Ricky supports schools and districts to develop multi-tiered social-emotional and behavioral supports that are both trauma-informed and culturally responsive. Ricky is a co-author of the book, Building Resilience in Students Impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Whole Staff Approach. You can learn more about Ricky and his work on his website: www.buildingresilienceinstudents.com

Leading Literacy is super thrilled and honored to welcome Dr. Katie Novak and Mirko Chardin to the podcast to talk about their new book, "Equity by Design: Delivering on the Power and Promise of UDL." Katie is a world-known educator, college professor, author, and has done extensive work around Universal Design for Learning. Mirko Chardin is also an educator and founding head of a school in Massachusetts as well as a hip-hop artist. Katie and Mirko both bring their authentic selves, knowledge, and passion around social justice, equity, and UDL. This conversation elevates the pairing of: will and skill. Your equity-educator-self will LOVE this episode!

Click here to learn more about Katie and Mirko, their work, and their latest book.

We have a very special episode of Leading Literacy - our very first teacher roundtable discussion! We are thrilled to welcome Xochitl Morales (K teacher, Los Altos Elem., South Whittier SD), Andrea Castaneda (SPED Autism Spectrum Disorder Mod/Sev. teacher, Lone Hill MS, Bonita USD), Ella Farinas (Instructional Coach & 6-8 AVID Coordinator, Washington STEAM Multilingual Academy, Pasadena USD), Curtis Duong (8th grade teacher, Garfield Elem., Alhambra USD), and Jenna Kamp (12th grade English teacher, University Prep. Value Charter HS). Listen in to hear their experiences and how educators are adjusting and coping during the pandemic. We are so proud of our hard-working educators and we couldn't be more excited to highlight these rockstars!

Leading Literacy welcomes Jessica Hamman, founder and CEO of Glean Education. Jessica has worked in education for close to two decades. She started Glean Education to empower educators with best practices to support struggling students. Jessica has much to share during our conversation, including her deep knowledge and experiences with dyslexia. You won't want to miss it!

Leslie and Mara welcome Dr. Maryanne Wolf on Leading Literacy. Dr. Wolf is the director for the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice at the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. She is an author and advocate for children and literacy around the world. Dr. Wolf shares her knowledge and passion on how to help build "the reading brain" for all of our students.

Leading Literacy is over-the-moon excited and honored to welcome THE Dr. Louise Moats. Dr. Moats has dedicated her entire career to literacy education as a teacher, researcher, psychologist, graduate school faculty member, and author. Dr. Moats was kind enough to drop in and have a chat with us about the importance of the science of reading. You won't want to miss what she has to share!

Leslie and Mara are delighted to welcome UCLA professor, Dr. Jeff Share, co-author of The Critical Media Literacy Guide: Engaging Media and Transforming Education. In a world full of "fake" news and information over-load, Jeff shares his passion and insights into the field of critical media literacy and how educators can help students analyze memes, verify sources, and investigate biases.