Messy Work for Meaningful Change feat. Cherie Kent

What happens when educators realize the way they were taught to teach reading may not have served their students well?In this episode of Reading Realities, Cherie Kent, a literacy coach and consultant based in Auburn, Massachusetts, discusses her realization about the instructional and emotional shifts involved in adopting evidence-based instructional practices.She reflects on her own ah-ha moments from whole language instruction, grief and growth that came with learning more how to teach reading, and how she now supports teachers today through change. Rose and Cherie talk about coaching, data-informed instruction, and why explicit teaching can be motivating for students. They also explore what a literacy leader can do — from building teacher confidence to creating systems of support — to help entrench change beyond a single event, person, or program to drive reading outcomes.References and Resources:Sold a Story podcast hosted by Emily HanfordThe Big Beautiful Book of Questions by Warren BergerScience of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz Credits:Guest: Cherie Kent, Literacy Coach, Consultant, and Doctoral Student based in Auburn, MassachusettsHost: Rose Else-Mitchell, Executive Director of the Science of Reading Center at SUNY New PaltzProduced by the Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz, Rose Else-Mitchell, and Onalee SmithOriginal music and audio editing by Ross Gentry***Keywords: science of reading, structured literacy, literacy coaching, teacher professional learning, balanced literacy, reading fluency, phonics instruction, literacy leadership, explicit instruction, educational change, oral language development, reading assessment, teacher mindset shifts, literacy systems, early literacy instruction***Get in Touch:Have a question or topic you’d like us to cover? Interested in being on a future episode of Reading Realities? Contact us at [email protected]. If this episode resonated with you, please:Follow Reading RealitiesLeave a rating and reviewShare with a colleague or educator in your networkVisit our website to learn more.