In this episode, Jeff Bradbury, Laura Stewart, and Kymyona Burk discuss the importance of literacy instruction and the levers that can improve literacy outcomes for students.

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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.

Kymyona Burk is a Senior Policy Fellow at ExcelinEd. In this role, she supports states pursuing a comprehensive approach to K-3 reading policy by assisting state leaders in building new or improving existing K-3 reading policies, with a heavy focus on supporting successful policy implementation.

Kymyona most recently served in Mississippi as the Executive Director for the Jackson Public School District’s Office of Teaching and Learning and led all aspects of the district’s instructional programming. Prior to this, she was the State Literacy Director at the Mississippi Department of Education where she led the implementation of Mississippi’s Literacy-Based Promotion Act. Kymyona began her career as an elementary reading teacher and has also taught middle and high school English. At Jackson State University, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Master of Arts in Teaching English, Master of Science in Education Administration and Supervision and a Doctor of Education in Early Childhood Education.

In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

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