In this episode, Jeffrey Bradbury hosts Laura Stewart, Chief Academic Officer at 95 Percent Group, and Robert Palazzo, Supervisor of Curriculum, Student, and Community Services in Panther Valley School District, on the program to discuss courageous leadership in education, particularly in the context of literacy transformation. 

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95 Percent Group is an education company whose mission is to build on science to empower teachers—supplying the knowledge, resources, and support they need—to develop strong readers. Using an approach that is based in structured literacy, the company’s One95 Literacy Ecosystem™ integrates professional learning and evidence-based literacy products into one cohesive system that supports consistent instructional routines across tiers and is proven and trusted to help students close skill gaps and read fluently. 95 Percent Group is also committed to advancing research, best practices, and thought leadership on the science of reading more broadly. For additional information on 95 Percent Group, visit: https://www.95percentgroup.com.

Laura Stewart is the Chief Academic Officer at 95 Percent Group. She is a nationally recognized Science of Reading and Structured Literacy advocate who has dedicated her career to improving literacy achievement at leading education companies. Stewart has more than 25 years of academic leadership experience. Most recently, she served as the Chief Innovation Officer for The Reading League and Chief Academic Officer for professional development with the Highlights Education Group. Other key education roles include vice president of professional development for the Rowland Reading Foundation and Zaner-Bloser, school district administrator and adjunct professor.

She is the author of several training guides and training workshops, as well as 12 children’s books, and the co-author of The Everything Guide to Informational Text, K-2: Best Texts, Best Practices (Corwin Press, 2014). She serves on several advisory boards, including The Path Forward for Teacher Preparation and Licensure in Early Literacy.

Mr. Robert Palazzo is the Supervisor of Curriculum, Student, and Community Services in Panther Valley School District. He previously served for 7 years as the Elementary School Principal. Palazzo holds a B.S. in Psychology, an M.S., and a Certificate of Advanced Study in School Psychology from SUNY Oswego, as well as an M.Ed. from Wilkes University in Educational Leadership. Mr. Palazzo was selected as the 2022 NAESP National Distinguished Principal for Pennsylvania and also the 2021 Rural Health Community Star for Pennsylvania from the  National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH). Most recently, Palazzo has worked with the International Dyslexia Association's Pennsylvania Chapter to organize the 2024 Pennsylvania Literacy Leadership Summit, which was held in October 2024.

As an administrator, Robert J. Palazzo has proven himself a resourceful leader dedicated to improving learning conditions for all students. When he first became principal, Mr. Palazzo noted low assessment scores among first graders and immediately set out to lobby the school to implement a full-day kindergarten program, highlighting how this would strengthen educational foundations while easing family child care burdens. In 2020-2021, Palazzo took the next step to launch a Pre-K program, the first registered childcare provider in the area, which has expanded to serve 64 students at this time. Palazzo has also worked creatively to build a new playground and innovate reading instruction at Panther Valley, even in the face of funding obstacles. While the school’s previous curriculum was not yielding significant skill growth, students are now exceeding the expected median growth between benchmark assessments on DIBELS thanks to a new literacy program implemented through grant funding. Drawing on 8 years’ previous experience as a school psychologist, Palazzo was quick to act in the wake of a tragedy in the school community and has added mentors, a school social worker, and licensed counselors to the school’s team to address mental health needs in the school community.

In the area of the Science of Reading/Structured Literacy, Palazzo has focused on ensuring that explicit instruction is being used across all tiers of the MTSS model. Over the past three years there has been a focus on ensuring that there is sound and high-quality instruction for the Word Recognition strand of Scarborough’s rope and are now moving forward with exploring how to better enhance our instructional practices for the Language Comprehension strand. One of the biggest areas of focus has been the implementation of a cross-grade level Walk to Intervention Model. During this time, all teachers and staff in the building work together to support the individual needs of students. Diagnostic phonics assessments are used every 20 days to monitor student progress and put together new instructional groups based on how students respond to the intervention. Palazzo believes it is crucial that all instructional leaders be knowledgeable and have an active role in the implementation of best practices in literacy.

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