What Literacy Really Looks Like—in Policy, in Classrooms, and in the Communities Kids Call Home (Dr. Susan B. Neuman)

📘 Episodic SynopsisIn this powerful episode, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with Dr. Susan B. Neuman—NYU Professor of Childhood Education, former U.S. Assistant Secretary for Elementary & Secondary Education, and one of the most influential voices in early literacy. Together they trace the complex landscape of American reading practices, the politicization of literacy, and what it truly takes to build lifelong readers.Dr. Neuman challenges traditional narratives about literacy by reframing it as both a social experience and a community-driven practice, while naming the systemic forces that shape how children learn. From laundromats to grocery stores, from multilingual classrooms to policymaking tables, she reminds us that literacy lives everywhere—and that teachers hold powerful keys to shaping children’s futures.This episode is essential listening for educators, literacy advocates, and anyone who believes reading is both a right and a relationship.