Literacy Talks

This episode of Literacy Talks explores the persistent challenge of bridging the research-to-practice gap in literacy education. Hosts Stacy Hurst, Donell Pons, and Lindsay Kemeny examine the complexities of translating research findings into effective classroom practices, highlighting the crucial role of implementation science and the need for collaborative partnerships between researchers and practitioners. 

The discussion emphasizes the importance of systemic support, empowering teachers with the knowledge and resources to apply research-based strategies, and leveraging technology and AI to facilitate the research-to-practice pipeline. Throughout the conversation, the hosts offer practical insights and strategies for educators to navigate this divide and ensure that the latest literacy research positively impacts student outcomes.

Show Notes

Literacy Leaders:

• Margaret Goldberg
• Julie Washington
• David Kilpatrick
• Tiffany Hogan
• Barbara Wilson
• Stanislas Dehaene
• Stephanie Stollar
• Linda Diamond
• Mark Seidenberg

Resources:

• Doubt Crept In: Questioning My Faith in Reading Research by Margaret Goldberg
• Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read

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Core Instruction and Reading Intervention. One System. One Path Forward.

From Pre-K readiness to advanced fluency, Ascend®️ gives educators a consistent, needs-based approach to literacy—helping every teacher deliver the right instruction and every student build lasting mastery, one skill at a time. Coherent literacy for lasting impact.

See how Ascend works.

Do you teach Structured Literacy in a K–3 setting?
Sign up for a free license of Reading Horizons Discovery® LIVE and start teaching right away—no setup, no hassle. Sign-up Now.

This episode of Literacy Talks delves into the unique strengths and needs of multilingual learners (MLLs). Hosts Stacy Hurst, Donell Pons, and Lindsay Kemeny share valuable insights and practical strategies for effectively teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, and reading comprehension to MLLs. They emphasize the importance of honoring students' home languages, building on their existing linguistic knowledge, and creating a welcoming, celebratory environment that empowers all students. 

Listeners will appreciate the cognitive advantages of learning multiple languages and come away with concrete ideas for supporting the literacy development of this rapidly growing student population. Whether you're a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, or administrator, this episode offers essential guidance for ensuring multilingual learners thrive.

Show Notes
Literacy Leaders:

• Stanislas Dehaene

Resources:

• What’s the Difference Between ESL, EFL, ESOL, ELL, MLL, and ESP?—Reading Horizons Blog
• English Learners in Public Schools—NCES
• What Languages Do We Speak in the United States?—US Census Bureau
• Mylanguages.org
• Colorin Colorado
• Acadience
• Wordsmyth
• Stanislas Dehaene Summit 2024 Virtual Keynote
• The Syntax Project

Terms:

• ELL: English Language Learners
• ESL: English as a Second Language
• ESOL: English for Speakers of Other Languages
• ML/MLL: Multilingual Learners
• BIC: Basic Interpersonal Communication
• Text engineering: a strategy that modifies grade-level texts to help students understand them better. The goal is to make the text more accessible without simplifying it or lowering its complexity.

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Core Instruction and Reading Intervention. One System. One Path Forward.

From Pre-K readiness to advanced fluency, Ascend®️ gives educators a consistent, needs-based approach to literacy—helping every teacher deliver the right instruction and every student build lasting mastery, one skill at a time. Coherent literacy for lasting impact.

See how Ascend works.

Do you teach Structured Literacy in a K–3 setting?
Sign up for a free license of Reading Horizons Discovery® LIVE and start teaching right away—no setup, no hassle. Sign-up Now.

In the Season 6 premiere of Literacy Talks, hosts Stacy Hurst, Donell Pons, and Lindsay Kemeny dive into their experiences at the Big Sky Literacy Summit 2024. They discuss standout moments, including John Maxwell’s transformative keynote and Dr. Tiffany Hogan’s insights on bridging research and practice. 

The trio also covers practical takeaways on oral language, dyslexia, and classroom routines, emphasizing the need for intentionality in teaching and data-driven decisions. Tune in for a reflective look at the conference and a peek into plans for the next Big Sky event.

Show Notes
Literacy Leaders:

• John Maxwell
• Dr. Danielle ‘Nell’ Thompson
• Dr. Tiffany Hogan
• Dr. Holly Lane
• Dr. Leslie Laud
• Dr. Julie Washington

Resources:

• Big Sky Literacy Summit 2024
• EdReports
• The Reading League

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Core Instruction and Reading Intervention. One System. One Path Forward.

From Pre-K readiness to advanced fluency, Ascend®️ gives educators a consistent, needs-based approach to literacy—helping every teacher deliver the right instruction and every student build lasting mastery, one skill at a time. Coherent literacy for lasting impact.

See how Ascend works.

Do you teach Structured Literacy in a K–3 setting?
Sign up for a free license of Reading Horizons Discovery® LIVE and start teaching right away—no setup, no hassle. Sign-up Now.

Switching between different cognitive tasks is critical in the classroom. Students learn one word can have multiple meanings. They move from one subject to another. This episode of Literacy Talks focuses squarely on cognitive flexibility, its role in executive function, and how literacy educators can help students build these skills to be confident, capable thinkers and readers.

So, get set to learn more about cognitive flexibility and why it matters. You can help students learn about changing their minds, switching from one idea to another, and simultaneously holding multiple viewpoints and thoughts. This episode gives us all a great deal to think about!

Show Notes
Literacy Leaders:

• Hollis Scarborough

Resources:

• Change of Mind: Cognitive Flexibility in the Classroom. International Dyslexia Association, Perspectives on Language and Literacy, Spring 2014

Literacy Lexicon:

• Cognitive flexibility: the mental ability to switch between thinking about two different concepts, according to the context of a situation.
• SRSD: Self-Regulated Strategy Development

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Core Instruction and Reading Intervention. One System. One Path Forward.

From Pre-K readiness to advanced fluency, Ascend®️ gives educators a consistent, needs-based approach to literacy—helping every teacher deliver the right instruction and every student build lasting mastery, one skill at a time. Coherent literacy for lasting impact.

See how Ascend works.

Do you teach Structured Literacy in a K–3 setting?
Sign up for a free license of Reading Horizons Discovery® LIVE and start teaching right away—no setup, no hassle. Sign-up Now.

Our trio of experts takes a deep dive into statistics, looking at the data and trends in general education and what those numbers might mean for literacy instruction. An example? The average student-to-teacher ratio in elementary grades is 15 students to 1 teacher. What does that point to? As our hosts see it, smaller class sizes can reduce some of the need for small-group instruction because teachers have more time to spend with students individually as needed.

That’s just the start of this eye-opening, number-crunching episode. You can count on gathering some insightful data from this episode of Literacy Talks.

Show Notes
Literacy Leaders

• Maryanne Wolf

Resources

• Acadience
• ESGI

References

• Statista. “Average Salary of Classroom Teachers in Public Schools in the U.S. From 1980 to 2021.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “Back-to-School Statistics” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “Educational Institutions.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• CER. “K-12 Facts.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• U.S. News. “High School Teacher Salary.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• Statista. “Estimated Average Salary of Public School Teachers in the United States in 2020-2021, by State.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• We Are Teachers. “12 Powerful Statistics That Prove Why Teachers Matter.”Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• Learning Policy Institute. “A Coming Crisis in Teaching? Teacher Supply, Demand, and Shortages in the U.S.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “Digest of Education Statistics.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Outlook Handbook: Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Outlook Handbook: High School Teachers.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “National Teacher and Principal Survey: Average and Median Age of Public School Teachers and Percentage Distribution of Teachers by Age Category, Sex, and State: 2017-18.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “Teacher Characteristics and Trends.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “Characteristics of Public School Teachers.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “Data Point: Race and Ethnicity of Public School Teachers and Their Students.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• AdoptAClassroom.org. “How Much Do Teachers Spend on Supplies?” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “National Teacher and Principal Survey: Number and Percentage of Public School Teachers Who Are Regular Full-Time Teachers a&

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Core Instruction and Reading Intervention. One System. One Path Forward.

From Pre-K readiness to advanced fluency, Ascend®️ gives educators a consistent, needs-based approach to literacy—helping every teacher deliver the right instruction and every student build lasting mastery, one skill at a time. Coherent literacy for lasting impact.

See how Ascend works.

Do you teach Structured Literacy in a K–3 setting?
Sign up for a free license of Reading Horizons Discovery® LIVE and start teaching right away—no setup, no hassle. Sign-up Now.

As we work to improve how we teach phonics, phonemic awareness, and word recognition while adding in writing instruction and content knowledge, we’re all working toward a key goal. It’s reading comprehension.

In this episode of Literacy Talks, we turn our attention to comprehension and the tapestry of skills that come together for readers and learners of all ages as they read for meaning, knowledge, and the sheer joy of learning and discovery.

This episode delivers best practices for building knowledge and will give you a new understanding of—that’s right—understanding what we read!

Show Notes
Literacy Leaders

• Dr. Hugh Catts

Resources

• Rethinking How to Promote Reading Comprehension—Hugh W. Catts, Winter 2022
• Developing an R&D Program to Improve Reading Comprehension RAND Reading Study Group (RRSG) 2003
• The Big Sky Literacy Summit
• NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress)
• Ending the Reading Wars: Reading Acquisition From Novice to Expert—Castles, Rastle, and Nation
• Reading for Understanding Toward an R&D Program in Reading Comprehension—Catherine Snow, RAND

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Core Instruction and Reading Intervention. One System. One Path Forward.

From Pre-K readiness to advanced fluency, Ascend®️ gives educators a consistent, needs-based approach to literacy—helping every teacher deliver the right instruction and every student build lasting mastery, one skill at a time. Coherent literacy for lasting impact.

See how Ascend works.

Do you teach Structured Literacy in a K–3 setting?
Sign up for a free license of Reading Horizons Discovery® LIVE and start teaching right away—no setup, no hassle. Sign-up Now.

As momentum continues to build for instructional practices and strategies rooted in the science of reading, sometimes controversies can arise. In this episode of Literacy Talks, Stacy, Donell, and Lindsay tackle some of the little disagreements among well-meaning, well-informed educators, all from the perspective of sharing information, supporting colleagues, and strengthening our literacy community. From best practices in introducing the alphabet’s letters and sounds to the concepts of blends and blending, get in touch with the topics and ideas that keep the literacy community talking.

Show Notes
Literacy Leaders:

• Dr. Shayne Piasta
• Dr. Steve Dykstra
• Dr. Sally Shaywitz
• Dr. Louisa Moats

Resources:

• Acadience
• Leap Frog Letter Factory

💬 Want more insights like this?
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Core Instruction and Reading Intervention. One System. One Path Forward.

From Pre-K readiness to advanced fluency, Ascend®️ gives educators a consistent, needs-based approach to literacy—helping every teacher deliver the right instruction and every student build lasting mastery, one skill at a time. Coherent literacy for lasting impact.

See how Ascend works.

Do you teach Structured Literacy in a K–3 setting?
Sign up for a free license of Reading Horizons Discovery® LIVE and start teaching right away—no setup, no hassle. Sign-up Now.

Dyslexia is often misunderstood, missed altogether, and surrounded by myths. In this episode of Literacy Talks, our literacy experts revisit the state of dyslexia. From gaps in professionals’ knowledge to challenges in early identification and intervention, we need more and better conversations, bolder advocacy, and strong systemic support. In short, there’s work to do, and this episode will enrich and deepen the path forward.

Show Notes
Literacy Leaders:

• Dr. Tim Odegard
• Dr. Sally Shaywitz

Resources

• Scientific American—Too Many Schools Are Misdiagnosing Dyslexia
• International Dyslexia Association—Dyslexia in the Classroom: What Every Teacher Needs to Know
• The Reading League—Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines
• Overcoming Dyslexia, Second Edition (2020) by Dr. Sally Shaywitz M.D. and Jonathan Shaywitz M.D.

💬 Want more insights like this?
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Core Instruction and Reading Intervention. One System. One Path Forward.

From Pre-K readiness to advanced fluency, Ascend®️ gives educators a consistent, needs-based approach to literacy—helping every teacher deliver the right instruction and every student build lasting mastery, one skill at a time. Coherent literacy for lasting impact.

See how Ascend works.

Do you teach Structured Literacy in a K–3 setting?
Sign up for a free license of Reading Horizons Discovery® LIVE and start teaching right away—no setup, no hassle. Sign-up Now.

As literacy instruction evolves and improves and the science of reading informs classroom practice more and more, we all need to make room for each other’s ideas, perspectives, and expertise. In this episode of Literacy Talks, our hosts ask themselves and teachers everywhere if we’re being too judgmental. How can we approach conversations with colleagues as we strive to improve students’ reading proficiency together? From guidelines for productive conversations to kinder, gentler ways to share best practices and insights, this episode will inspire you to think about ways to help colleagues and grow professionally.

Show Notes
Literacy Leaders:

• Dr. Steve Dykstra
• Emily Hanford
• Dr. David Kilpatrick
• Mitchell Brookins
• Leslie Laud
• Dr. Tracy White-Weeden

Resources:

Think Again by Adam Grant

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Core Instruction and Reading Intervention. One System. One Path Forward.

From Pre-K readiness to advanced fluency, Ascend®️ gives educators a consistent, needs-based approach to literacy—helping every teacher deliver the right instruction and every student build lasting mastery, one skill at a time. Coherent literacy for lasting impact.

See how Ascend works.

Do you teach Structured Literacy in a K–3 setting?
Sign up for a free license of Reading Horizons Discovery® LIVE and start teaching right away—no setup, no hassle. Sign-up Now.

There is much to know as we teach foundational and more advanced literacy. Here’s where questions arise. How much do teachers need to know about the science of reading to be effective and successful in the classroom? A related question: How much do students need to know about technical reading and language terms to develop and grow their literacy skills and confidence? 

In this episode, our trio of literacy experts looks at reading terminology and who needs to know what so learners become readers. Take away some insight and perspective every educator can use to hone their practice.

Show Notes
Literacy Leaders:

• Hollis Scarborough
• Christopher Such
• Louisa Moats

Resources:

• The misunderstood limits of folk science: an illusion of explanatory depth by Leonid Rozenblit and Frank Keil
• Scarborough's Reading Rope
• Teaching Reading Is Rocket Science by Louisa Moats

💬 Want more insights like this?
Subscribe to the Literacy Talks Podcast Digest for episode recaps, resources, and teaching takeaways delivered straight to your inbox!

Core Instruction and Reading Intervention. One System. One Path Forward.

From Pre-K readiness to advanced fluency, Ascend®️ gives educators a consistent, needs-based approach to literacy—helping every teacher deliver the right instruction and every student build lasting mastery, one skill at a time. Coherent literacy for lasting impact.

See how Ascend works.

Do you teach Structured Literacy in a K–3 setting?
Sign up for a free license of Reading Horizons Discovery® LIVE and start teaching right away—no setup, no hassle. Sign-up Now.