Host Dr. Alison Leveque introduces the READ podcast and a conversation about effective professional development (PD), The Windward School’s PD structures, the “Mississippi Miracle,” and current PD trends. Betsy MacDermott-Duffy shares the COMPASS framework for research-based PD: tying learning to content, making it ongoing, modeling with metacognition, active participation, advice/feedback through coaching, shared collaboration, and self-reflection, emphasizing student outcomes and fragile transfer without sustained support. Colleen McGlynn describes Windward’s layered PD system, including assistant teacher training, weekly Friday PD, and monthly content meetings guided by teacher needs, coordinator coaching, and research trends, with time to practice and follow up. Dana Carr-Ford and Kinjal Nicholls discuss Mississippi’s fourth-grade reading gains, attributing success to structured literacy, preservice reform, universal screening, strong accountability including a third-grade gate, and sustained training, then highlight growing focus on writing, executive function, AI limits for struggling readers, and emerging “math wars.”

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:38 Meet Betsy MacDermott-Duffy

01:26 Why PD Often Fails

02:29 COMPASS Content Focus

04:50 Ongoing Follow Up

07:26 Modeling In Action

09:32 Practice And Participation

10:34 Feedback And Coaching

11:49 Collaboration And Reflection

16:34 Top PD Researchers

19:05 Windward PD Workshops Plug

19:18 Meet Colleen McGlynn At Windward

20:23 How Windward Plans PD

25:01 Measuring Impact And Iterating

28:35 Advice For Busy Teachers

30:39 Five Strategies Takeaway

31:28 Mississippi Miracle Explained

34:06 Marathon Mindset and PD

35:10 Accountability and Third Grade Gate

37:25 Structured Literacy Framework

38:35 Applying Lessons to New York

41:53 Writing Instruction Returns

44:42 Executive Function Skills

46:04 AI Limits in Learning Support

48:00 Math Wars and Explicit Teaching

49:39 PD Takeaways and Call to Action

51:47 Closing Summary and Courses

Produced by The Windward Institute, a division of The Windward School (NY).

www.thewindwardschool.org/wi

Head of School of The Windward School and Executive Director of The Windward Institute, Jamie Williamson, speaks to New York State Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon about Dyslexia Advocacy Day at the New York State Capitol, created to build understanding, center student stories, and connect families with legislators. They discuss progress in public awareness and funding, implementation fidelity, and misconceptions about individuals with dyslexia.

AM Simon highlights policy efforts including the Right to Read Act, universal screening, higher-ed teacher training requirements, revised exams/regulations, and supports like micro-credentials and communities of practice, emphasizing early screening paired with effective intervention and sustained, practical training.

Produced by The Windward Institute, a division of The Windward School (NY).

www.thewindwardschool.org/wi

In this special LEAD on READ edition of READ Podcast, Head of The Windward School and Executive Director of The Windward Institute, Jamie Williamson, sits down with former New York City Schools Chancellor Dr. Meisha Porter and Assemblymember Robert Carroll ’04, Windward alumnus and advocate for students with dyslexia. Together, they discuss why literacy must remain at the center of New York City’s educational priorities, especially as new leadership emerges. 

From personal stories to policy insights, this powerful conversation highlights the necessity of evidence-based literacy practices, screening for dyslexia, teacher support, and community advocacy, and how all of this can shape a more equitable, literate future for all New York City students and beyond.

Produced by The Windward Institute, a division of The Windward School (NY).

www.thewindwardschool.org/wi

The Windward Institute invites all new and returning READ listeners for a five-part Fall 2025 series, What We all Can Learn about Reading, Together. This series brings together 20 guests including researchers and educators. We’ll dive into reading research, practice, and lived experience. This series is for everyone, whether you’re just starting to learn about reading education or you’ve been immersed in it for years. 

In the final episode of this series, we dive into implementation where we bridge research, classroom, and systems. Our experts offer key pillars for supporting teachers and schools bring the evidence on literacy to practice. You will gain 

• takeaways from bringing Virginia's universal screening legislation to practice with Carlin Conner, PhD, Senior Research Scientist at Virginia Literacy Partnerships at UVA.
• implications for robustly building teacher knowledge and skills through professional development with Jasmine Rogers, EdD, researcher and professional development expert at DC Reading Clinic.
• a comprehensive synthesis on how to create effective systems for literacy change with Margie Gillis, EdD, founder of Literacy How.

Thank you for joining our special READ Podcast series: What We All Can Learn About Reading, Together. You can also tune into this series at The Windward Institute's YouTube page.

We invite you to share your top bookmarks from this episode by connecting with us on Instagram @thewindwardinstitute, or Facebook.  Subscribe to READ's newsletter for access to monthly episodes: Subscribe

Until next time READers! 

Produced by The Windward Institute, a division of The Windward School (NY).

www.thewindwardschool.org/wi

The Windward Institute invites all new and returning READ listeners for a five-part Fall 2025 series, What We all Can Learn about Reading, Together. This series brings together 20 guests including researchers and educators. We’ll dive into reading research, practice, and lived experience. This series is for everyone, whether you’re just starting to learn about reading education or you’ve been immersed in it for years. 

This episode brings the research on reading development into the classroom as we examine effective reading instruction. You will learn about

• evidence-based reading instruction through an integrated lens with Young Suk-Kim, EdD, Professor at UC Irvine. 
• a deeper dive into multicomponent instruction with Maryanne Wolf, EdD, Professor-in-Residence and Director of the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice at UCLA.
• the implications for interventions for children who continue to have difficulty learning to read with Stephanie Al Otaiba, PhD, Patsy and Ray Caldwell Centennial Chair in Teaching & Learning and Professor at Southern Methodist University
• approaches to empower multilingual and bidialectal learners with Young Suk-Kim, EdD, and Jasmine Rogers, EdD, researcher and professional development expert at DC Reading Clinic.

Thank you for joining our special READ Podcast series: What We All Can Learn About Reading, Together. You can also tune into this series at The Windward Institute's YouTube page.

We invite you to share your top bookmarks from this episode by connecting with us on Instagram @thewindwardinstitute, or Facebook.  Subscribe to READ's newsletter for access to monthly episodes: Subscribe

Until next time READers! 

Produced by The Windward Institute, a division of The Windward School (NY).

www.thewindwardschool.org/wi

The Windward Institute invites all new and returning READ listeners for a five-part Fall 2025 series, What We all Can Learn about Reading, Together. This series brings together 20 guests including researchers and educators. We’ll dive into reading research, practice, and lived experience. This series is for everyone, whether you’re just starting to learn about reading education or you’ve been immersed in it for years. 

This episode explains the research on universal screening for risks of reading difficulties. As states around the country continue to introduce universal literacy screening programs in schools, you will learn about the evidence supporting the rationale and benefits through a public health lens. In this episode, you will learn about

• a definition of universal literacy screening and its benefits on student outcomes with Jay Russell, EdD, Associate Director of the Haskins Global Literacy Hub at Yale University.
• the characteristics of effective literacy screeners with Marilu Gorno-Tempini, MD, PhD, Director of the Language Neurobiology laboratory of the UCSF Memory and Aging Center and the UCSF Dyslexia Center.
• the role of screening and progress monitoring within coherent assessment and data systems with Jamie Williamson, EdS, Head of School at The Windward School and Executive Director of The Windward Institute.
• the research on screening for emergent bilingual students learning to read in English with Laura Rhinehart, PhD, Assistant Researcher at the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice at UCLA.
• implications for translating screening policy into practice with Carlin Conner, PhD, Senior Research Scientist at Virginia Literacy Partnerships at UVA.

Thank you for joining our special READ Podcast series: What We All Can Learn About Reading, Together. You can also tune into this series at The Windward Institute's YouTube page.

We invite you to share your top bookmarks from this episode by connecting with us on Instagram @thewindwardinstitute, or Facebook.  Subscribe to READ's newsletter for access to monthly episodes: Subscribe

Until next time READers! 

Produced by The Windward Institute, a division of The Windward School (NY).

www.thewindwardschool.org/wi

The Windward Institute invites all new and returning READ listeners for a five-part Fall 2025 series, What We all Can Learn about Reading, Together. This series brings together 20 guests including researchers and educators. We’ll dive into reading research, practice, and lived experience. This series is for everyone, whether you’re just starting to learn about reading education or you’ve been immersed in it for years. 

This episode explores why some children struggle to read and dives into diagnosed disabilities including dyslexia and developmental language disorder. You will learn about 

• factors that can contribute to reading difficulty through a whole child lens with Cynthia U. Norris, PhD, a researcher at Florida State University.
• the role of language in reading development and variability with Kate Cain, PhD, professor at Lancaster University.
• the characteristics of dyslexia and developmental language disorder (DLD) with Tim Odegard, PhD, Murfree Chair of Excellence in Dyslexic Studies and
  Professor of Psychology at Middle Tennessee State University and Norma Hancock, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at SAiL Literacy Lab at MGH Institute.
• ways to understand reading difficulties in readers learning to read in English with Laura Rhinehart, PhD, Assistant Researcher at the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice at UCLA.

Thank you for joining our special READ Podcast series: What We All Can Learn About Reading, Together. You can also listen to this series at The Windward Institute's YouTube page.

We invite you to share your top bookmarks from this episode by connecting with us on Instagram @thewindwardinstitute, or Facebook.  Subscribe to READ's newsletter for access to monthly episodes: Subscribe

Until next time READers! 

Produced by The Windward Institute, a division of The Windward School (NY).

www.thewindwardschool.org/wi

The Windward Institute invites all new and returning READ listeners for a five-part Fall 2025 series, What We all Can Learn about Reading, Together. This series brings together 20 guests including researchers and educators. We’ll dive into reading research, practice, and lived experience. This series is for everyone, whether you’re just starting to learn about reading education or you’ve been immersed in it for years. 

This episode dives into the reading brain and the development of reading skills over time. You will learn about the

• reading brain with Dr. Joanna Christodoulu, Director of the BEAM Lab at MGH Institute of Health Professions.
• brains of children who struggle to read with Dr. Nicole Landi, Director of the Landi Lab at University of Connecticut.
• stages of reading development with Alexis Pochna, Director of The Windward Institute.
• role of language in literacy development with Dr. Mindy Bridges, Associate Professor, Hearing and Speech at University of Kansas Medical Center.
• reading and multilingual learners with Dr. Claude Goldenberg, Nomellini & Olivier Professor of Education, Emeritus, at Stanford University

Thank you for joining our special READ Podcast series: What We All Can Learn About Reading, Together. You can also listen to this series at The Windward Institute's YouTube page.

We invite you to share your top bookmarks from this episode by connecting with us on Instagram @thewindwardinstitute, or Facebook.  Subscribe to READ's newsletter for access to monthly episodes: Subscribe

Until next time READers! 

Produced by The Windward Institute, a division of The Windward School (NY).

www.thewindwardschool.org/wi

The Windward Institute invites all new and returning READ listeners for a five-part Fall 2025 series, What we all can learn about reading, together. This series brings together 20 guests including researchers and educators. We’ll dive into reading research, practice, and  experience. This series is for everyone, whether you’re just starting to learn about reading education or you’ve been immersed in it for years. Episodes will dive into

• the reading brain and literacy skills develop over time.
• why some children struggle to read, dyslexia, and other language-based learning disabilities. 
• the power of early screening for reading difficulties, why it matters, and what it looks like in action.
• high quality reading instruction and intervention.
• implications for school systems and professional development.

You can also tune into this series at The Windward Institute's YouTube page or subscribe wherever your get your podcasts.

We invite you to share your top bookmarks from this episode by connecting with us on Instagram @thewindwardinstitute, or Facebook.  Subscribe to READ's newsletter for access to monthly episodes: Subscribe

Until next time READers! 

Produced by The Windward Institute, a division of The Windward School (NY).

www.thewindwardschool.org/wi

Kate Cain, PhD, joins the READ Podcast to explain the latest research on reading comprehension and shares practical, daily ways that teachers can promote critical literacy skills. Dr. Cain reflects on her research journey and expertise, exploring the multidimensional nature of reading comprehension and the role of oral language development in literacy. In this episode, you will learn about:

• Reading comprehension as an active, integrated process
• Critical markers of oral language and comprehension development from early childhood through adolescence
• Ways teachers can intentionally model and foster comprehension skills like comprehension monitoring, making inferences, and critical thinking
• Considerations for EdTech tools and apps that support planning and instruction

Dr. Cain offers concrete, feasible insights about comprehension and oral language that educators can apply across any grade or content area.

The Windward Institute invites you to share your top bookmarks from this episode by connecting with us on Instagram @thewindwardinstitute, or Facebook.  Subscribe to READ's newsletter for access to monthly episodes: Subscribe

Until next time, READers! 

Produced by The Windward Institute, a division of The Windward School (NY).

www.thewindwardschool.org/wi