S4E1 /// The State of Literacy: What We're Really Living With

We begin Season 4 not with policy — but with harm. This episode centers the children and families who have borne the greatest cost of reading failure. Before we examine systems, infrastructure, and preparation, we must confront what literacy breakdown actually feels like in homes and classrooms. Reading failure is not neutral. And it is not rare. In This Episode, You’ll Hear From: Jamie Beck – Kansas mother sharing the emotional toll of watching her son shrink himself to avoid being called on to read. Marietta Wetzel – Parent describing how high grades masked deep anxiety and self-doubt in her son. Alana McWilliams – Mother reflecting on the duality of dyslexia: brilliance and shutdown — and what changed when instruction aligned with how the brain learns to read. Charlie Beck – High school senior describing what it felt like to avoid school altogether. Payton Siemens – Speech-Language Pathologist recalling the moment she realized she was “behind” her siblings. Cooper Phillips – Adult professional reflecting on childhood guilt and internalized failure. Milo Swanson – Sixth grader sharing what undiagnosed dyslexia felt like — and how understanding changed his identity. Hadlie Swanson – Eighth Grade student describing what it felt like to repeatedly ask for help and be ignored. Emmie Johnston – Young adult reading instructor and literacy advocate explaining how effort was misread as laziness — and the lasting damage that caused. Michelle Schmidt – Structured literacy teacher describing the confidence shift that occurs when children are explicitly taught the code. Dr. Janelle Tideman – Clinical psychologist explaining the consequences of delayed identification and what parents are legally entitled to request. Dr. Stone – Retired Psychologist describing how dyslexic strengths are often overshadowed by classroom focus on weaknesses. Dr. David Hurford – Researcher at The Center for Reading at Pittsburg State explaining why reading is not mysterious — and how explicit decoding instruction works. 📚 Resources Mentioned Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz Evaluation rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Structured literacy and explicit decoding instruction research Resource Links: International Dyslexia Association (IDA) Science of Reading, dyslexia fact sheets, structured literacy info The Reading League Research-backed resources on the Science of Reading National Center on Improving Literacy (NCIL) Parent-friendly literacy screening and intervention guidance National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Reading development research Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) Guidance on Requesting School Evaluations Understood.org – How to Request an Evaluation Step-by-step guide for parents Wrightslaw – Requesting an IEP Evaluation (Sample Letters Included) SPED Boss® (Karen Mayer-Cunningham) Parent advocacy education, IEP guidance, documentation tools. 👉 Listen to Season 3 conversation with SPED Boss® on navigating school evaluations and advocacy.” The Reading League – Defining Guide to Evidence-Based Reading Instruction What Works Clearinghouse – Literacy Interventions Center for Parent Information & Resources (CPIR) State-by-state parent centers Kansas Special Education Services (KSDE)   PODCAST MUSIC - SOUNDSTRIPE.COM Cody Martin - Innovation, LNDO - Even So, Cody Martin - Keeper of Keys, Cody Martin - Living Tapestry, Michael Briguglio - Fallen, Cody Martin - Lutra, Cody Martin - Infinitive, Caleb Etheridge - Road to Nowhere This podcast is produced by KB PODCASTS