My Child Can’t Read: A Heartland Crisis

In this special bonus episode, Jesica Glover sits down with Dr. Joyce S. Pickering — a globally respected leader in literacy, learning differences, teacher training, and multisensory instruction. With more than fifty years devoted to helping children with language-based learning differences, Dr. Pickering’s wisdom offers a rare, grounding perspective in the midst of America’s literacy reform movement.

Through deeply personal stories and decades of experience across Montessori, speech-language pathology, and structured literacy intervention, Dr. Pickering reflects on what has changed, what still hasn’t, and what future generations of educators must carry forward. This conversation is equal parts history lesson, masterclass, and call to courage.

If you are a teacher, parent, policymaker, or advocate navigating a system in need of transformation, Dr. Pickering’s voice will feel like an anchor — steady, clear, and profoundly compassionate.

“If we don’t prepare teachers, we fail children. And when we fail children, it reverberates through their entire lives.” — Dr. Joyce S. Pickering

If Dr. Pickering’s message moved you, please share this episode with one teacher or one parent who needs encouragement right now. And if you’d like to support teacher training or structured literacy efforts in your community, visit the Shelton School & Evaluation Center’s resources to learn more about their impact.

This podcast is produced by KB PODCASTS

In rural Kansas, access to reading specialists, dyslexia services, and evidence-based literacy instruction can be limited — or completely unavailable. When schools say “wait and see,” families are often left navigating the system alone.

In this episode, we tell the story of what happens when the system says no — and communities rise.

You’ll hear how parents, teachers, and local advocates organize, train, and create solutions from the ground up — filling gaps left by underfunded systems and transforming reading outcomes for children who were once overlooked.

This is a story about grassroots advocacy, structured literacy, and the power of ordinary people refusing to accept that reading failure is inevitable.

Parents: Trust your instincts. Ask questions. Document concerns. Advocacy often begins at home.

Teachers: Seek structured literacy training. Partner with families. Change starts one classroom at a time.

Advocates: Organize, connect, and persist. Every conversation builds momentum.

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For more than fifty years, Joyce preserved and passed on structured literacy knowledge when few others would — reminding us that revolutions don’t start loud. They start small.

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This podcast is produced by KB PODCASTS

In this episode of My Child Can’t Read: A Heartland Crisis, we explore how dyslexia language finally entered Kansas law, the advocacy and relationships behind that change, and the reality that recognition alone does not fix instruction, training, or access.

You’ll hear from Rob Egan, longtime disability rights advocate, nonprofit leader, and former chair of the Kansas Commission on Disability Concerns, as he traces the unexpected path that connected legislative strategy, parent advocates, and literacy leaders — including advocates from Phillips Fundamental Learning Center — to meaningful policy change.

This conversation unpacks why advocacy is often quiet and persistent, why implementation matters as much as legislation, and why this moment is both a beginning and a challenge for literacy in Kansas.

“Recognition is not the end. It’s the beginning.” — Rob Egan

Parents, teachers, advocates, and policymakers each play a role in turning recognition into real support. Stay informed, align instruction with evidence-based practices, and share this episode with someone beginning their advocacy journey. Recognition matters — but follow-through changes outcomes.

🎧 Subscribe to continue Season 3.

This podcast is produced by KB PODCASTS

Even when families and teachers advocate for struggling readers, systemic blind spots in Special Education can lead to misdiagnosis, mislabeling, and emotional harm. In this episode, we examine how children with dyslexia are frequently misidentified as having behavioral or attention issues, the consequences of delayed intervention, and how parents and teachers can navigate the system to ensure children receive the instruction and support they need.

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This podcast is produced by KB PODCASTS

In this episode, we explore the essential role parents play in advocating for their children’s right to read. From early concerns to navigating school systems and special education processes, families and experts share how informed advocacy transforms fear and confusion into clarity and action.

Through parent stories, advocacy experts, and research voices, this episode shows how policy on paper only becomes real support when parents know their rights — and use them.

In This Episode, You’ll Hear:

Parents: Document concerns. Learn your rights. Put requests in writing. Seek advocacy support when needed.

Teachers: Partner with families. Advocacy isn’t an attack — it’s an invitation to do better.

Advocates & Policymakers: Share this episode. Mentor parents. Systems change when silence ends.

Subscribe to continue Season 3.

This podcast is produced by KB PODCASTS

 In this premiere episode of Season 3, Teacher Voices: What We Were Never Taught, we explore the stories of teachers who were never taught how the brain actually learns to read. From decades of classroom experience to the challenges of supporting struggling readers, our guests reveal the gaps in teacher preparation and the deep impact on children, parents, and educators alike.

We connect these experiences to the neuroscience of reading, highlighting how systematic, brain-aligned instruction is essential. Expert voices like Timothy Odegard explain how proper identification of dyslexia, effective policy implementation, and systemic supports are key to meaningful change. We also look back at historical approaches, like the McGuffey Readers, that aligned with the brain’s natural pathways for literacy.

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This podcast is produced by KB PODCASTS

This podcast is hosted by Jesica Glover

This podcast is produced by KB PODCASTS

In this special bonus episode of My Child Can’t Read: A Heartland Crisis, host Jesica Glover sits down with Tammy Kofford, whose 30-year journey from classroom confusion to literacy transformation captures the heart of our bonus title: When the Teacher Gets It, Literacy is Unlocked for Everyone.

Tammy’s story begins in the era of whole language, where teachers were told that reading would come “naturally.” It wasn’t until she discovered the Science of Reading — and her own dyslexia — that everything changed. From that moment, she dedicated her career to training other teachers and giving struggling readers the instruction they deserve.

“Teaching reading isn’t about giving teachers a program. It’s about giving them the knowledge to teach reading the way the brain learns.” — Tammy Kofford

If you’re an educator, parent, or policymaker, Tammy’s story is your reminder: teacher knowledge is the foundation of literacy. Share this episode with a teacher who’s ready to “get it.” When they do, everything changes.

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This podcast is produced by KB PODCASTS

Mississippi has gone from near the bottom to top 10 in the nation for fourth-grade reading — and other states are following its lead. In this episode, we explore the blueprint behind Mississippi’s success: statewide alignment, sustained professional learning, intensive coaching, strategic assessment, and university partnerships. We also look at what Kansas can learn from these models and the actions parents, teachers, and policymakers can take now to ensure literacy for all.

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This podcast is produced by KB PODCASTS

This podcast is produced by KB PODCASTS