My Child Can’t Read: A Heartland Crisis

What does it feel like to be the kid who can't read?

We've spent four seasons talking about reading—scores, science, instruction, dyslexia, teacher preparation, policy, and the systems that shape how children learn.

Now, we're going to listen.

Season 5 of My Child Can't Read: A Heartland Crisis turns the microphone toward the people who have lived the experience of struggling to read: students, former students, parents, educators, and others who remember what it felt like when learning became difficult, frustrating, or even a source of shame.

This season asks:

This is a season about reading, yes.

But also about identity.

Season 5, Episode 1: "When Learning Hurts" drops Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

From there, new Season 5 episodes will be released on the first Tuesday of every month.

Subscribe or follow My Child Can't Read: A Heartland Crisis wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss an episode.

Learn more about the Phillips Fundamental Learning Center in Wichita, Kansas and its work to help children learn to read:

https://funlearn.org

All kids reading. All kids succeeding.

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This podcast is produced by KB PODCASTS

What if the literacy crisis reveals something deeper than reading instruction alone?

In this reflective stand-alone episode, Jesica Glover sits down with David Boulton — creator of Children of the Code — to explore learning, shame, literacy, identity, and the systems surrounding children.

Together, they discuss:

This conversation follows our Season 4 investigation into literacy, responsibility, and systemic reform.

Some ideas presented in this episode are unconventional and debated. This episode is intended as an exploration and reflection — not an endorsement of every conclusion discussed.

Be watching for our Season 5: Voices launch in late August 2026.

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What happens after awareness?

One month after concluding Season 4 of My Child Can’t Read: A Heartland Crisis, Jesica Glover sits down with investigative journalist Emily Hanford for a thoughtful conversation about what comes next in the national literacy conversation—and what that means for Kansas.

Together, they explore:

This episode is not a recap of Sold a Story.

It’s a conversation about what comes after the awareness stage—and what it will take to continue moving forward for kids.

Emily Hanford is an investigative journalist with APM Reports and creator of the podcast Sold a Story, whose reporting helped spark a national conversation about reading instruction, literacy outcomes, and the Science of Reading movement.

Dyslexia advocacy movement includes many organizations like these: Decoding Dyslexia and International Dyslexia Foundation (IDA)

Resources & References:

Sit with it.

Then share this episode with someone—a parent, a teacher, a leader.

And if this conversation helped you see things differently, a quick rating or review helps more people find it—and helps this message reach the people who need it most.

PODCAST MUSIC - SOUNDSTRIPE.COM Marie - Help & Hope, Acreage - In My Head, Featherland - Growing Pains, Moments - Meridian Mood, Moments - Lost Love, Lost Ghosts - Celebrated Life, Matt Wigton - Year End.

This podcast is produced by KB PODCASTS

What if the question isn’t whether children can learn to read—

In this episode, we step inside a real example of what happens when research, instruction, leadership, and community support are aligned. Through the story of the Phillips Fundamental Learning Center, we explore what it actually takes to move from awareness to implementation—and what becomes possible when we do.

This isn’t theory.

And maybe more importantly—this episode asks us to sit with a harder truth:

We don’t need more awareness alone.

Because literacy is not a mystery.

And when we choose to build for it—

It becomes visible.

Resources & References:

Sit with it.

Then share this episode with someone—a parent, a teacher, a leader.

And if this conversation helped you see things differently, a quick rating or review helps more people find it—and helps this message reach the people who need it most.

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If we know how children learn to read—why hasn’t it reached every classroom?

In this episode, we examine who holds the power to shape education in Kansas—and what happens when policy, preparation, and practice aren’t aligned.

From state-level decision-making to classroom reality, this conversation explores why change is complex… and what it actually takes to ensure every child receives instruction that works.

This isn’t just about systems.

Understanding how children learn to read—and where systems have fallen short:

How education is structured—and who holds responsibility in Kansas:

Where research meets policy—and where gaps can still occur:

How resources are allocated—and why alignment matters:

These resources are here to help you better understand the systems shaping literacy in Kansas—and the role each of us can play in moving forward.

If this episode helped you understand the system behind the reading crisis—

Because when more people understand how the system works…

Student assessments

Evidence-based teaching resources

Teacher training grounded in the Science of Reading

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What if the problem isn’t that we don’t know what works—but that everything around it is out of sync?

In this episode, we explore the growing gap between policy and practice, where teacher preparation, curriculum, and classroom expectations often operate in silos. We unpack what happens when reading struggles go unidentified—and how those challenges extend far beyond the classroom, shaping behavior, confidence, and long-term outcomes.

Featuring a closer look at the role of the Kansas State Board of Education, this conversation reveals the limits of policy alone—and why real change depends on alignment, not blame. Because when systems begin to work together, every child has a real chance to learn to read.

In This Episode You’ll Hear:

Reid Lyon — National Institutes of Health researcher on reading science

Rob Eagan — Advocate and policy voice on dyslexia recognition and implementation in Kansas 

Tim Odegard — Why policy without systems, time, and tools fails to translate into classroom change

Dana Hensley — The gap between understanding reading science and actually applying it in real classrooms

Sheree Utash — What it means when 60% of students arrive needing remediation—and what that reveals about earlier instruction

Savannah Ball — How reading struggles show up in the community through avoidance, confidence, and access

Judge Richard Macias — The patterns he sees in juvenile court—and how reading difficulties connect to broader life outcomes

Jeanine Phillips — Without structured literacy training instructors will never know how much impact they could have had.

Betty Arnold — Why addressing literacy requires resources, awareness, and a system prepared to meet diverse student needs

If this episode helped you better understand the system behind reading outcomes—

Because change doesn’t happen in isolation—

In Episode 5, we go deeper into the question this episode leaves behind:

👉 Who actually holds the power to change literacy outcomes in Kansas—

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What does the research actually say about how children learn to read—and why hasn’t it reached every classroom?

In this episode, we examine decades of reading science alongside the real experiences of teachers, parents, and students. From the National Institutes of Health to classrooms across Kansas, the evidence is clear: we know how children learn to read.

So why are so many still being left behind?

As national organizations call for a $2.5 billion overhaul of teacher preparation, a deeper truth emerges—this isn’t just a reading crisis.

It’s a teacher preparation crisis.

If we know how children learn to read…

Dr. Reid Lyon (NIH): Decades of research showing we’ve long understood how reading develops

Neil Zoglmann (teacher): What it feels like to be trained in methods that don’t align with research

Dana Hensley (retired principal): Why teachers leave training without practical tools

Amy Nolan (professor): How literacy gaps show up in college students

Savannah Ball (Wichita Public Library): What struggling readers look like in real life

Tammi Hope (Rolph Literacy Academy): What happens when instruction finally aligns with the brain

Heather Mora (parent): How the right instruction changed her child’s life

Dr. Tim Odegard (researcher): Why preparation and classroom practice must align

Dr. Carolynn Carlson (Washburn University): What responsible teacher preparation should look like

Teacher Preparation & Policy

Science of Reading

National Reporting

Kansas Context

If this episode resonated with you, follow the podcast and share it with a parent, teacher, or policymaker.

Because change doesn’t start in systems—

In this episode of My Child Can’t Read: A Heartland Crisis, we move up the ladder of responsibility to examine the adults caught in the middle of the literacy crisis. Teachers, administrators, and community members care deeply and take action—but knowledge gaps, systemic limits, and bureaucratic obstacles often stop even the most well-intentioned efforts. From classroom struggles to a privately funded structured literacy pilot that transformed students’ reading outcomes, we explore how adult action can help—and how the system can still block progress. By the end of the episode, we ask the hard question: Then who is actually holding the power?

Resources & References:

Phillips Fundamental Learning Center: https://phillipsfundamental.org

BuzzFeed News: Teachers Reveal What No One Wants To Admit About Literacy Education

IDEA & Special Education Law Overview

Sold a Story Podcast by Emily Hanford and AMP Reports

We begin Season 4 not with policy — but with harm.

This episode centers the children and families who have borne the greatest cost of reading failure. Before we examine systems, infrastructure, and preparation, we must confront what literacy breakdown actually feels like in homes and classrooms.

Reading failure is not neutral. And it is not rare.

This podcast is produced by KB PODCASTS

 Next season on My Child Can’t Read: A Heartland Crisis…

For the past three seasons, we’ve told the stories of parents, teachers, and children fighting for the right to read —

We listened to the pain.

And along the way, something became clear.

This isn’t just a personal crisis.

It’s a systemic one.

What is the state of literacy in America — really?

Welcome to Season 4: The State of Literacy —

This season doesn’t start with debate.

It starts with harm.

Because once the evidence is clear,

neutrality disappears.

Season 4 traces a single arc:

From proof — to responsibility.

And finally —

Because here’s the truth:

We already know how to teach every child to read.

What we haven’t done — not yet — is build the will, the systems, and the courage

The State of Literacy.

New episodes begin March 3, 2026.