In this episode of Literacy Now Together, Brett Tingley of Parents for Reading Justice and Kareem Weaver of FULCRUM talk with Mike Duffey, Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education, about Ohio’s bold effort to ensure that every new teacher enters the classroom prepared to teach children to read. Duffey explains how Governor Mike DeWine’s literacy initiative has extended beyond K-12 schools into higher education, requiring teacher preparation programs to align with the Science of Reading and eliminate discredited practices such as three-cueing. The conversation takes listeners inside Ohio’s unusually rigorous approach: 73 faculty-developed measures of evidence-based reading instruction, comprehensive audits of teacher preparation programs, public reporting of results, and real consequences for programs that fail to come into alignment. Duffey also discusses why higher education can be slow to change, why transparency and parent advocacy matter, and how bipartisan leadership can help reforms endure beyond a single administration. Connecting literacy to civil rights, workforce development, and economic opportunity, Duffey argues that lasting reform requires more than legislation: Ohio must build a culture in which evidence-based reading instruction becomes an enduring expectation. Ultimately, the discussion offers both a roadmap for other states seeking to strengthen teacher preparation and a reminder that every child, especially the most vulnerable, deserves a teacher equipped with the knowledge, skills, and passion to teach them to read.Social Media Handles:Facebook: @OhioHigherEdX: @OhioHigherEdLinkedIn: @Ohio-Department-of-Higher-EducationYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/OhioHigherEd Resources mentioned:ODHE Website: https://highered.ohio.gov/ODHE Science of Reading webpage: https://highered.ohio.gov/educators/academic-programs-policies/academic-program-approval/educator-preparation/science-of-reading/science-of-readingODHE 2025 Science of Reading Audit: Statewide Report: https://dam.assets.ohio.gov/image/upload/highered.ohio.gov/science-of-reading/2025/Statewide_Report_2025_FINAL.pdfODHE Science of Reading Audit Metrics: https://dam.assets.ohio.gov/image/upload/highered.ohio.gov/ed-prep/Literacy/ODHE_Science_of_Reading_Audit_Metrics.pdfThe Meadows Center For Preventing Educational Risk: https://meadowscenter.org/Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Ohio: https://highered.ohio.gov/students/more-resources/imagination-librarySold A Story podcast: https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/The Right to Read Film: https://www.therighttoreadfilm.org/____________________________________________________________Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you "Literacy Now, Together" — a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country. Parents for Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. About Brett Tingley: ⁠⁠https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bio⁠⁠About Kareem Weaver: ⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/KareemWeaverBio⁠⁠About Parents for Reading Justice: ⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjustice⁠⁠About FULCRUM:⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy⁠⁠ DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, to help others understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice for their circumstances. Thank you for your continued support!

In this insightful episode of Literacy Now Together, hosts Brett Tingley of Parents for Reading Justice and Kareem Weaver of FULCRUM welcome education journalist and author Karin Chenoweth for a wide-ranging conversation about what truly drives school improvement. Drawing on nearly two decades of studying high-performing schools serving students from low-income backgrounds and communities of color, Chenoweth challenges the notion that poverty and race determine academic outcomes. She argues that success begins with a shared belief that all children can learn—but that belief must be matched by coherent systems, strong instructional leadership, collective responsibility, and a relentless commitment to continuous improvement. Through stories from extraordinary schools and districts across the country, she illustrates how educators use data to learn rather than blame, work together rather than in isolation, and continually refine their practice based on evidence and student results. The conversation explores the critical role of principals in building cultures of improvement, the importance of learning from successful schools, and why reading failure should never be accepted as inevitable. Ultimately, Chenoweth offers a hopeful but challenging message: extraordinary outcomes are possible when educators stop making excuses, start studying success, and commit to doing the hard, systematic work required to ensure every child learns to read.Books:It's Being Done: Academic Success in Unexpected Schools (Harvard Education Press, 2007)https://hep.gse.harvard.edu/9781891792397/its-being-done/

How It's Being Done: Urgent Lessons from Unexpected Schools (Harvard Education Press, 2009)https://hep.gse.harvard.edu/9781934742280/how-its-being-done/

Getting It Done: Leading Academic Success in Unexpected Schools (Harvard Education Press, 2011), co-authored with

Christina Theokashttps://hep.gse.harvard.edu/9781612501017/getting-it-done/

Schools That Succeed: How Educators Marshal the Power of Systems for Improvement (Harvard Education Press, 2020)https://hep.gse.harvard.edu/9781682530290/schools-that-succeed/

Districts That Succeed: Breaking the Correlation Between Race, Poverty, and Achievement (Harvard Education Press, 2021https://hep.gse.harvard.edu/9781682536261/districts-that-succeed/Podcast:ExtraOrdinary Districts: Ordinary Districts that Get ExtraOrdinary Results (The Education Trust)https://edtrust.org/rti/extraordinary-districts/Website:https://www.karinchenoweth.com____________________________________________________________Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you "Literacy Now, Together" — a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country. Parents for Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. About Brett Tingley: ⁠⁠https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bio⁠⁠

About Kareem Weaver: ⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/KareemWeaverBio⁠⁠

About Parents for Reading Justice: ⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjustice⁠⁠

About FULCRUM:⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy⁠⁠ DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, to help others understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice for their circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!

In this compelling episode of Literacy Now Together, Brett Tingley of Parents for Reading Justice and Kareem Weaver of FULCRUM interview ClariceJackson, a nationally recognized literacy advocate and founder of The Voice Advocacy Center and Black Literacy Matters. Clarice recounts how her journey began with her daughter’s struggle to learn to read, leading her to challenge ineffective systems, master special education law, and ultimately create resources and pathways for other families. She emphasizes that parents are not peripheral to education, they are essential partners whose voices must be respected and amplified in decision-making spaces. The discussion explores the intersection of dyslexia, race, and access, including Clarice’s leadership in advancing a national NAACP resolution on dyslexia and her efforts to reframe literacy as both a civil rights issue and a community responsibility. With candor and urgency, the episode calls out gaps in teacher preparation, the misuse of ineffective curricula, and the need for leadership that prioritizes evidence-based instruction. Above all, Clarice offers a message of empowerment and action: families must not wait for the system to change, they can be the force that ensures children learn to read. 

Clarice's advocacy work, including her efforts to help her daughter Latecia learn to read, are featured in this 2014 KETV news video- https://www.ketv.com/article/woman-determined-to-help-children-escape-trap-of-dyslexia/7154270.

It ends with wise words from Latecia, "Don't give up, keep reading, keep trying, read everything you see." 

Resources:

Article- "Dyslexia Advocacy, Borne of Love and Tragedy, Drives Clarice Jackson"

https://www.noiseomaha.com/culture/2021/10/6/vt7ep6201r60lmftd0907sy6w65323-etzl8 

Voice Advocacy Center

https://www.voiceadvocacycenter.org/

Black Literacy Matters

https://blackliteracymatters.org/

Decoding Dyslexia NE

https://www.voiceadvocacycenter.org/decoding-dyslexia-nebraska/ 

The Reading League of Nebraska

https://ne.thereadingleague.org/ 

NAACP 2014 Resolution on Dyslexia

https://naacp.org/resources/dyslexia

Social Media:

Instagram: 

@blackliteracymatters_official
@decodingdyslexiane

@ladyclaricejackson

X:

@voiceadvocacy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/voiceadvocacycenter http://facebook.com/dispellingdyslexia@Decoding Dyslexia-NE

@Black Literacy Matters Conference

@The Reading League Nebraska

@Clarice L. Jackson

LinkedIn:

@Voice Advocacy Center
@Black Literacy Matters
@Clarice Jackson

____________________________________________________________

Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you "Literacy Now, Together" — a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country. Parents for Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction.

About Brett Tingley: ⁠

https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bio⁠

About Kareem Weaver:

⁠https://tinyurl.com/KareemWeaverBio⁠

About Parents for Reading Justice: ⁠

https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjustice⁠

About FULCRUM:

⁠https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy⁠

DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, to help others understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice for their circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!

In this episode of Literacy Now Together, hosts Brett Tingley of Parents for Reading Justice and Kareem Weaver of FULCRUM talk with Dr. Louise Bay Waters, retired superintendent in Oakland, California, and Dr. Kelly Carvajal Hageman, Chief Academic Officer in Milford, Delaware, about what it takes to move district reading outcomes at scale. Drawing on leadership experience in both a large urban system and smaller rural districts, they explain how sustained literacy gains only became possible with a superintendent who took ownership of literacy as a system responsibility, shielding schools from initiative overload, aligning resources, and protecting the time and focus required for deep implementation. From there, their districts moved from low literacy rates to high-impact classrooms by selecting evidence-aligned core curricula, using formative data to guide instruction, and developing principals as hands-on instructional leaders. The conversation also tackles the controversy over so-called “scripted” programs, emphasizes choosing programs based on results over ratings, and the importance of starting small and scaling carefully to build genuine teacher buy-in. The episode underscores a central theme: literacy is a social justice issue, and durable gains require coherent systems, inclusive and supported Tier 1 instruction, and leadership at every level committed to ensuring all children learn to read.

Resources:

Open Court- https://www.mheducation.com/prek-12/program/microsites/MKTSP-THA19M01?srsltid=AfmBOorHRMbb2afYKZT31G1cryNrUuSSnT_KmB6uw6qT1tmZcg-fp2g7

Bookworms- https://access.openupresources.org/curricula/bookworms-k5

Dr. Sharon Wapole- https://www.cehd.udel.edu/faculty-bio/sharon-walpole/

Ed Reports- https://edreports.org/

Socials:

Louise Bay Waters

LinkedIn: @Louise Waters

Kelly Carvajal Hageman

LinkedIn: @Kelly Carvajal Hageman

X: @CarvajalHageman

____________________________________________________________

Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you "Literacy Now, Together" — a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country. Parents for Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.

About Brett Tingley: https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bio

About Kareem Weaver: https://tinyurl.com/KareemWeaverBio

About Parents for Reading Justice: https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjustice

About FULCRUM:https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy

DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, to help others understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice for their circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!

In this powerful episode of Literacy Now Together, Brett Tingley of Parents for Reading Justice and Kareem Weaver of FULCRUM sit down with Winifred Winston and LeDerick Horne, co-hosts of the Black and Dyslexic podcast, for an unflinching conversation about dyslexia, race, power, and advocacy. Winston and Horne share how the Black and Dyslexic podcast emerged from lived experiences and a lack of representation in the dyslexia advocacy movement, and why centering Black families is essential to dismantling stigma and low expectations that too often harm Black children. Together, the guests and hosts explore the realities Black parents face navigating schools, IEPs, and special education systems; the importance of culturally grounded storytelling and community-specific outreach; and what true partnership looks like beyond good intentions. The episode underscores that literacy justice requires intentionality in teacher preparation, curriculum, leadership, and inclusion, and also that dyslexia awareness, when paired with evidence-based instruction and authentic partnerships, can be a powerful lever for healing families and transforming schools.

About Winifred Winston

Black & Dyslexic Podcast

https://rss.com/podcasts/black-and-dyslexic/

Dyslexia Word Search Puzzle Book

https://a.co/d/7XUGEG1

Dyslexia Advocation, Inc

https://www.soallcanread.org

Follow us on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/soallcanread

https://www.instagram.com/blackanddyslexic

Founding Board Member: The Institute for Black Literacy

https://blackliteracymatters.org

SEE US - Special Education Excellence for Underserved Students.

https://www.seeusadvocacy.org/

About LeDerick Horne

LeDerick’s website:

https://lederick.com

LeDerick’s new video course for families and educators

https://lederick.com/courses/

LeDerick is co-founder and board chairman at “All In for Inclusive Education”

https://www.allinforinclusiveed.org/

The book LeDerick co-authored: “Empowering Students with Hidden Disabilities: A Path of Pride and Success”

https://a.co/d/iE2n1Hh

Socials:

Instagram: @blackanddyslexic

X: @soallcanread

Facebook: @soallcanread (Dyslexia Advocation)

LinkedIn: @ Dyslexia Advocation IncResources:Black and Dyslexic podcast website

https://www.soallcanread.org/b-a-d-podcast.html

On Apple Podcasts

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/black-and-dyslexic/id1588272642

___________________________________________________________Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you "Literacy Now, Together" — a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country. Parents for Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.About Brett Tingley: https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bioAbout Kareem Weaver: https://tinyurl.com/KareemWeaverBioAbout Parents for Reading Justice: https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjusticeAbout FULCRUM:https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, to help others understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice for their circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!

In this timely and hard-hitting episode of Literacy Now Together, hosts Brett Tingley of Parents for Reading Justice and Kareem Weaver of FULCRUM are joined by parent advocates Lindsay Nofelt and Niki Sidler Richardson for a powerful coast-to-coast conversation on dyslexia, accountability, and the growing role of the courts in enforcing every student's right to learn to read. Drawing from landmark legal cases in California and Tennessee, the guests examine how school systems have promoted students without teaching them to read, how assistive technology and accommodations can mask, rather than remediate, reading failure, and why precedent-setting rulings matter for families, educators, districts, and colleges of education alike. Together, they unpack the tension between ideology and evidence, expose how inequities are reinforced by ineffective literacy instruction, and argue that reading is not a political issue but a civil right, one that demands urgency, fidelity to research, and unwavering accountability to children and their futures.RESOURCES

Reading For Berkeley

https://www.readingforberkeley.org/

Berkeley Parents Union

https://www.berkeleyparentsunion.org/

Berkeleyside article

https://www.berkeleyside.org/2023/06/01/opinion-actions-reading-success

EdSource article - TN Dyslexia Alliance

https://www.tndyslexiaalliance.com/

ClarksvilleNow.come article, 'This kid can't read'

https://www.tndyslexiaalliance.com/

SOCIALS

Lindsay:

Facebook- @read4berkeley

Instagram- @read4berkeley

LinkedIn- @Reading for Berkeley

X- @read4berkeley

Niki:

Facebook- @Niki-Sidler-Richardson

Instagram- @tndyslexiaalliance

LinkedIn- @Niki Sidler Richardson

X- @NikiSidlerCALT

____________________________________________________________

Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you "Literacy Now, Together" — a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country. Parents for Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.

About Brett Tingley:

https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bio

About Kareem Weaver:

https://tinyurl.com/KareemWeaverBio

About Parents for Reading Justice:

https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjustice

About FULCRUM:

https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy

Join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward, and DONATE!DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, to help others understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice for their circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!

#literacynow #readinginstruction #education #awareness #teacher #teaching #fyp #change

In this powerful episode of Literacy Now Together, hosts Brett Tingley (Parents for Reading Justice) and Kareem Weaver (FULCRUM) sit down with Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan and Dr. Antonio Fierro for an illuminating conversation on the science of reading and its vital application to multilingual learners. Drawing on decades of research and classroom practice, Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan and Dr. Fierro unpack how evidence-based instruction must integrate language and literacy development across all content areas—and across every grade level. This is beneficial for all students, and critical for multilingual learners. They call for teacher preparation programs to break out of silos, uniting speech-language, psychology, and education disciplines to equip educators with the knowledge and skills to support English Learners from day one. The discussion spans topics from linguistic responsiveness and dyslexia identification to higher education reform and economic mobility, underscoring that literacy is both a bridge to equity and a shared responsibility. As the guests remind us, all teachers are language teachers—and every child deserves instruction that honors their language, culture, and potential.Resources:Literacy Foundations for English Learners: A Comprehensive Guide to Evidence-Based Instruction, by Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan

English Learners and Dyslexia

International Dyslexia Association Revised 2025 Definition of Dyslexia

International Dyslexia Association Spanish Version of the Knowledge and Practice Standards

Evidence Advocacy Center - Language Variations Resource Menu

Reading Universe

Multitiered System of Supports for English Learners

Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth

Report of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine: Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth Learning English, 2017

Valley Speech Language and Learning Center

95 Percent GroupSocialsElsa:LinkedIn / elsachaganX / @DrElsa_CHaganFacebook / @ValleySpeechAntonio:LinkedIn / antonio-a-fierroLinkedIn / 95-percent-group-incX / @aa_fierroX / @95percentgroupFacebook / @95percentgroupInstagram / @95percentgroupllc____________________________________________________________Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you "Literacy Now, Together" — a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country. Parents for Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.About Brett Tingley: https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bioAbout Kareem Weaver: https://tinyurl.com/KareemWeaverBioAbout Parents for Reading Justice: https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjusticeAbout FULCRUM:https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy Join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward, and DONATE!DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, to help others understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice for their circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!#literacynow #readinginstruction #education #awareness #teacher #teaching #fyp #change

This Dyslexia Awareness Month, we bring you a powerful conversation with two nationally recognized literacy advocates: Ameer Baraka has been a leading voice in national criminal justice reform; similarly, former Detroit Lion Deon Butler became a champion for Michigan’s literacy legislation.

Both men were failed by schools that never taught them to read. In adulthood, they reclaimed their stories — Ameer in Undiagnosed: The Ugly Side of Dyslexia, and Deon in The Gift & Curse: One Man’s Journey with Dyslexia. Their voices matter not because they’re rare, but because most like them never get the chance to speak, let alone lead.Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you “Literacy Now, Together,” a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country.

In this powerful episode, Kareem Weaver (FULCRUM) and Brett Tingley (Parents for Reading Justice) sit down with Ameer Baraka, actor, author and dyslexia advocate, and Deon Butler, former NFL player and author of The Gift & The Curse, for a deeply honest and moving conversation about overcoming illiteracy, breaking the pipeline of poor schooling to incarceration, and reclaiming ownership of their futures through learning to read. Ameer shares how he turned his experience with undiagnosed dyslexia and time in prison into a mission to teach literacy and pro-social values to incarcerated men, while Deon recounts his journey with hidden dyslexia through college and the NFL, and finally learning to read through Orton-Gillingham instruction. Together with their hosts, they spotlight how children in marginalized communities are especially vulnerable to low academic outcomes when early reading difficulties go unnoticed or unaddressed at school, emphasizing the urgent need for trained teachers, early intervention, informed families, and equitable access to evidence-based instruction.

Resources:

The Life I Chose: The Streets Lied to Me, by Ameer Baraka

https://www.amazon.com/Life-Chose-Streets-Lied-Me/dp/0578155710

Undiagnosed: The Ugly Side of Dyslexia, by Ameer Baraka

https://www.amazon.com/Undiagnosed-Ugly-Dyslexia-Ameer-Baraka/dp/1970146184

The Gift & The Curse: One Man's Journey with Dyslexia, by Deon Butler

https://www.amazon.com/Gift-Curse-Mans-Journey-Dyslexia-ebook/dp/B0F4Q1VNV2

Socials:

Ameer Baraka

Instagram / @ameerbaraka

LinkedIn / @ameer-baraka-968183149

X / @AMEERBARAKA

Facebook / @ameer.baraka/

Deon Butler:

Instagram / @thedyslexic_king

Facebook / @deon.l.butler

____________________________________________________________

Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you "Literacy Now, Together" — a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country.

About Brett Tingley:

https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bio

About Kareem Weaver:

https://tinyurl.com/KareemWeaverBio

About Parents for Reading Justice:

https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjustice

About FULCRUM:

https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy

Join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward, and DONATE!

DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, to help others understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice for their circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!

#literacynow #readinginstruction #education #awareness #teacher #teaching #fyp #change

Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you “Literacy Now, Together,” a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country. In this enlightening episode, Kareem Weaver (FULCRUM) and Brett Tingley (Parents for Reading Justice) talk with three leaders from the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) about the steady, years-long work behind the state’s dramatic reading gains. Far from a "Mississippi miracle," they describe a "Mississippi marathon" driven by clear policies, science of reading training for every educator, a robust statewide coaching model, high-quality instructional materials, universal screening, and ongoing assessment. The discussion shows how Mississippi built a sustainable system of support for teachers and students, with a relentless focus on prevention and continuous improvement. MDE’s story offers powerful lessons and a roadmap for any state committed to ensuring every child learns to read.GUESTSKelli Crain, Assistant State Literacy DirectorJill Hoda, Assistant State Literacy DirectorKatie Williamson, Regional Literacy Coordinator RESOURCESMDE Coaching GuidelinesMDE List of 10 Things All Literacy Leaders Need to Know MDE Blueprint for Improving Literacy OutcomesMDE Literacy Professional Development and ResourcesLiteracy Based Promotion Act (2013)Mississippi Literacy-Based Promotion Act Implementation Guide (2016) AIM Institute: Pathways for MississippiHigh Quality Instruction Materials (HQIM)Guidance on Selection and Implementation of HQIMUniversal Screener Companion Guide Evidence Advocacy Center: States with Strong Literacy PoliciesNational Council on Teacher Quality: Reading Foundations GradesMDE Backstory and Key TakeawaysSOCIALSMDE’s Website: https://mdek12.orgMDE’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mdek12MDE’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mississippi-department-of-education/ MDE’s Facebook: @MissDeptEdMDE’s X: @MissDeptEd_____________________________________Parents for Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so all children learn to read.About Brett Tingley: https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bioAbout Kareem Weaver: https://www.fulcrumliteracy.org/kareem-weaverAbout Parents for Reading Justice: https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjusticeAbout FULCRUM:https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy Join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward, and DONATE!DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, with the intention of helping others to understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice pertaining to their individual circumstances. Thank you for your continued support!

In this moving episode of “Literacy Now, Together,” co-hosts Kareem Weaver of FULCRUM and Brett Tingley of Parents for Reading Justice sit down with Oliver James, a man who taught himself to read at 32 following a lifetime of hiding his illiteracy. During the COVID lockdown, Oliver set himself a personal challenge: learn to read. What began as a private goal became a transformative journey he now shares with hundreds of thousands online, rebuilding his confidence, deepening his relationships, and changing the course of his life. He speaks candidly about the decades he spent concealing his struggle—through incarceration, school expulsions, and personal hardship—before discovering that literacy can unlock freedom, choice, and self-respect. From embracing text-to-voice technology to working one-on-one with a reading specialist, Oliver’s story shows how literacy can open doors to opportunity and restore self-worth. His honesty inspires others to remove their own masks and seize the life-changing gift of reading.

Resources:

Oliver’s TikTok: @oliverspeaks1

Oliver’s Instagram: @oliverspeaks1

Oliver’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@oliverspeaks1

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Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you "Literacy Now, Together" — a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country. Parents for Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.

About Brett Tingley: https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bio

About Kareem Weaver: https://tinyurl.com/KareemWeaverBio

About Parents for Reading Justice: https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjustice

About FULCRUM:https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy

Join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward, and DONATE!

DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, to help others understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice for their circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!

#literacynow #readinginstruction #education #awareness #teacher #teaching #fyp #change