Literacy Now

In this compelling episode of Literacy Now Together, Brett Tingley of Parents for Reading Justice and Kareem Weaver of FULCRUM interview ClariceJackson, a nationally recognized literacy advocate and founder of The Voice Advocacy Center and Black Literacy Matters. Clarice recounts how her journey began with her daughter’s struggle to learn to read, leading her to challenge ineffective systems, master special education law, and ultimately create resources and pathways for other families. She emphasizes that parents are not peripheral to education, they are essential partners whose voices must be respected and amplified in decision-making spaces. The discussion explores the intersection of dyslexia, race, and access, including Clarice’s leadership in advancing a national NAACP resolution on dyslexia and her efforts to reframe literacy as both a civil rights issue and a community responsibility. With candor and urgency, the episode calls out gaps in teacher preparation, the misuse of ineffective curricula, and the need for leadership that prioritizes evidence-based instruction. Above all, Clarice offers a message of empowerment and action: families must not wait for the system to change, they can be the force that ensures children learn to read. Clarice's advocacy work, including her efforts to help her daughter Latecia learn to read, are featured in this 2014 KETV news video- https://www.ketv.com/article/woman-determined-to-help-children-escape-trap-of-dyslexia/7154270. It ends with wise words from Latecia, "Don't give up, keep reading, keep trying, read everything you see."      Resources:Article- "Dyslexia Advocacy, Borne of Love and Tragedy, Drives Clarice Jackson"https://www.noiseomaha.com/culture/2021/10/6/vt7ep6201r60lmftd0907sy6w65323-etzl8 Voice Advocacy Centerhttps://www.voiceadvocacycenter.org/Black Literacy Mattershttps://blackliteracymatters.org/Decoding Dyslexia NEhttps://www.voiceadvocacycenter.org/decoding-dyslexia-nebraska/ The Reading League of Nebraskahttps://ne.thereadingleague.org/ NAACP 2014 Resolution on Dyslexiahttps://naacp.org/resources/dyslexiaSocial Media:Instagram: @blackliteracymatters_official@decodingdyslexiane@ladyclaricejacksonX:@voiceadvocacyFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/voiceadvocacycenter http://facebook.com/dispellingdyslexia@Decoding Dyslexia-NE@Black Literacy Matters Conference@The Reading League Nebraska@Clarice L. JacksonLinkedIn:@Voice Advocacy Center@Black Literacy Matters@Clarice Jackson____________________________________________________________Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you "Literacy Now, Together" — a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country. Parents for Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. About Brett Tingley: ⁠https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bio⁠About Kareem Weaver: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/KareemWeaverBio⁠About Parents for Reading Justice: ⁠https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjustice⁠About FULCRUM:⁠https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy⁠ DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, to help others understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice for their circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!

In this episode of Literacy Now Together, hosts Brett Tingley of Parents for Reading Justice and Kareem Weaver of FULCRUM talk with Dr. Louise Bay Waters, retired superintendent in Oakland, California, and Dr. Kelly Carvajal Hageman, Chief Academic Officer in Milford, Delaware, about what it takes to move district reading outcomes at scale. Drawing on leadership experience in both a large urban system and smaller rural districts, they explain how sustained literacy gains only became possible with a superintendent who took ownership of literacy as a system responsibility, shielding schools from initiative overload, aligning resources, and protecting the time and focus required for deep implementation. From there, their districts moved from low literacy rates to high-impact classrooms by selecting evidence-aligned core curricula, using formative data to guide instruction, and developing principals as hands-on instructional leaders. The conversation also tackles the controversy over so-called “scripted” programs, emphasizes choosing programs based on results over ratings, and the importance of starting small and scaling carefully to build genuine teacher buy-in. The episode underscores a central theme: literacy is a social justice issue, and durable gains require coherent systems, inclusive and supported Tier 1 instruction, and leadership at every level committed to ensuring all children learn to read.Resources:Open Court- https://www.mheducation.com/prek-12/program/microsites/MKTSP-THA19M01?srsltid=AfmBOorHRMbb2afYKZT31G1cryNrUuSSnT_KmB6uw6qT1tmZcg-fp2g7Bookworms- https://access.openupresources.org/curricula/bookworms-k5Dr. Sharon Wapole- https://www.cehd.udel.edu/faculty-bio/sharon-walpole/Ed Reports- https://edreports.org/Socials:Louise Bay WatersLinkedIn: @Louise WatersKelly Carvajal HagemanLinkedIn: @Kelly Carvajal HagemanX: @CarvajalHageman____________________________________________________________Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you "Literacy Now, Together" — a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country. Parents for Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.About Brett Tingley: https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bioAbout Kareem Weaver: https://tinyurl.com/KareemWeaverBioAbout Parents for Reading Justice: https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjusticeAbout FULCRUM:https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, to help others understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice for their circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!

In this powerful episode of Literacy Now Together, Brett Tingley of Parents for Reading Justice and Kareem Weaver of FULCRUM sit down with Winifred Winston and LeDerick Horne, co-hosts of the Black and Dyslexic podcast, for an unflinching conversation about dyslexia, race, power, and advocacy. Winston and Horne share how the Black and Dyslexic podcast emerged from lived experiences and a lack of representation in the dyslexia advocacy movement, and why centering Black families is essential to dismantling stigma and low expectations that too often harm Black children. Together, the guests and hosts explore the realities Black parents face navigating schools, IEPs, and special education systems; the importance of culturally grounded storytelling and community-specific outreach; and what true partnership looks like beyond good intentions. The episode underscores that literacy justice requires intentionality in teacher preparation, curriculum, leadership, and inclusion, and also that dyslexia awareness, when paired with evidence-based instruction and authentic partnerships, can be a powerful lever for healing families and transforming schools.About Winifred WinstonBlack & Dyslexic Podcast https://rss.com/podcasts/black-and-dyslexic/Dyslexia Word Search Puzzle Book https://a.co/d/7XUGEG1Dyslexia Advocation, Inc https://www.soallcanread.org Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/soallcanreadhttps://www.instagram.com/blackanddyslexic Founding Board Member: The Institute for Black Literacyhttps://blackliteracymatters.orgSEE US - Special Education Excellence for Underserved Students. https://www.seeusadvocacy.org/ About LeDerick HorneLeDerick’s website:https://lederick.comLeDerick’s new video course for families and educatorshttps://lederick.com/courses/LeDerick is co-founder and board chairman at “All In for Inclusive Education”https://www.allinforinclusiveed.org/The book LeDerick co-authored: “Empowering Students with Hidden Disabilities: A Path of Pride and Success”https://a.co/d/iE2n1Hh Socials: Instagram: @blackanddyslexic X: @soallcanreadFacebook: @soallcanread (Dyslexia Advocation)LinkedIn: @ Dyslexia Advocation IncResources:Black and Dyslexic podcast websitehttps://www.soallcanread.org/b-a-d-podcast.htmlOn Apple Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/black-and-dyslexic/id1588272642___________________________________________________________Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you "Literacy Now, Together" — a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country. Parents for Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.About Brett Tingley: https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bioAbout Kareem Weaver: https://tinyurl.com/KareemWeaverBioAbout Parents for Reading Justice: https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjusticeAbout FULCRUM:https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, to help others understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice for their circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!

In this timely and hard-hitting episode of Literacy Now Together, hosts Brett Tingley of Parents for Reading Justice and Kareem Weaver of FULCRUM are joined by parent advocates Lindsay Nofelt and Niki Sidler Richardson for a powerful coast-to-coast conversation on dyslexia, accountability, and the growing role of the courts in enforcing every student's right to learn to read. Drawing from landmark legal cases in California and Tennessee, the guests examine how school systems have promoted students without teaching them to read, how assistive technology and accommodations can mask, rather than remediate, reading failure, and why precedent-setting rulings matter for families, educators, districts, and colleges of education alike. Together, they unpack the tension between ideology and evidence, expose how inequities are reinforced by ineffective literacy instruction, and argue that reading is not a political issue but a civil right, one that demands urgency, fidelity to research, and unwavering accountability to children and their futures.RESOURCESReading For Berkeleyhttps://www.readingforberkeley.org/Berkeley Parents Unionhttps://www.berkeleyparentsunion.org/Berkeleyside articlehttps://www.berkeleyside.org/2023/06/01/opinion-actions-reading-successEdSource article - TN Dyslexia Alliancehttps://www.tndyslexiaalliance.com/ClarksvilleNow.come article, 'This kid can't read'https://www.tndyslexiaalliance.com/SOCIALSLindsay:Facebook- @read4berkeleyInstagram- @read4berkeleyLinkedIn- @Reading for BerkeleyX- @read4berkeleyNiki: Facebook- @Niki-Sidler-RichardsonInstagram- @tndyslexiaallianceLinkedIn- @Niki Sidler RichardsonX- @NikiSidlerCALT____________________________________________________________Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you "Literacy Now, Together" — a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country. Parents for Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.About Brett Tingley: https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bioAbout Kareem Weaver: https://tinyurl.com/KareemWeaverBioAbout Parents for Reading Justice: https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjusticeAbout FULCRUM:https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy Join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward, and DONATE!DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, to help others understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice for their circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!#literacynow #readinginstruction #education #awareness #teacher #teaching #fyp #change

In this powerful episode of Literacy Now Together, hosts Brett Tingley (Parents for Reading Justice) and Kareem Weaver (FULCRUM) sit down with Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan and Dr. Antonio Fierro for an illuminating conversation on the science of reading and its vital application to multilingual learners. Drawing on decades of research and classroom practice, Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan and Dr. Fierro unpack how evidence-based instruction must integrate language and literacy development across all content areas—and across every grade level. This is beneficial for all students, and critical for multilingual learners. They call for teacher preparation programs to break out of silos, uniting speech-language, psychology, and education disciplines to equip educators with the knowledge and skills to support English Learners from day one. The discussion spans topics from linguistic responsiveness and dyslexia identification to higher education reform and economic mobility, underscoring that literacy is both a bridge to equity and a shared responsibility. As the guests remind us, all teachers are language teachers—and every child deserves instruction that honors their language, culture, and potential.Resources:Literacy Foundations for English Learners: A Comprehensive Guide to Evidence-Based Instruction, by Elsa Cárdenas-HaganEnglish Learners and DyslexiaInternational Dyslexia Association Revised 2025 Definition of DyslexiaInternational Dyslexia Association Spanish Version of the Knowledge and Practice StandardsEvidence Advocacy Center - Language Variations Resource MenuReading UniverseMultitiered System of Supports for English LearnersReport of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and YouthReport of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine: Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth Learning English, 2017Valley Speech Language and Learning Center95 Percent GroupSocialsElsa:LinkedIn / elsachaganX / @DrElsa_CHaganFacebook / @ValleySpeechAntonio:LinkedIn / antonio-a-fierroLinkedIn / 95-percent-group-incX / @aa_fierroX / @95percentgroupFacebook / @95percentgroupInstagram / @95percentgroupllc____________________________________________________________Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you "Literacy Now, Together" — a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country. Parents for Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.About Brett Tingley: https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bioAbout Kareem Weaver: https://tinyurl.com/KareemWeaverBioAbout Parents for Reading Justice: https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjusticeAbout FULCRUM:https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy Join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward, and DONATE!DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, to help others understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice for their circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!#literacynow #readinginstruction #education #awareness #teacher #teaching #fyp #change

This Dyslexia Awareness Month, we bring you a powerful conversation with two nationally recognized literacy advocates: Ameer Baraka has been a leading voice in national criminal justice reform; similarly, former Detroit Lion Deon Butler became a champion for Michigan’s literacy legislation. Both men were failed by schools that never taught them to read. In adulthood, they reclaimed their stories — Ameer in Undiagnosed: The Ugly Side of Dyslexia, and Deon in The Gift & Curse: One Man’s Journey with Dyslexia. Their voices matter not because they’re rare, but because most like them never get the chance to speak, let alone lead.Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you “Literacy Now, Together,” a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country. In this powerful episode, Kareem Weaver (FULCRUM) and Brett Tingley (Parents for Reading Justice) sit down with Ameer Baraka, actor, author and dyslexia advocate, and Deon Butler, former NFL player and author of The Gift & The Curse, for a deeply honest and moving conversation about overcoming illiteracy, breaking the pipeline of poor schooling to incarceration, and reclaiming ownership of their futures through learning to read. Ameer shares how he turned his experience with undiagnosed dyslexia and time in prison into a mission to teach literacy and pro-social values to incarcerated men, while Deon recounts his journey with hidden dyslexia through college and the NFL, and finally learning to read through Orton-Gillingham instruction. Together with their hosts, they spotlight how children in marginalized communities are especially vulnerable to low academic outcomes when early reading difficulties go unnoticed or unaddressed at school, emphasizing the urgent need for trained teachers, early intervention, informed families, and equitable access to evidence-based instruction. Resources: The Life I Chose: The Streets Lied to Me, by Ameer Barakahttps://www.amazon.com/Life-Chose-Streets-Lied-Me/dp/0578155710Undiagnosed: The Ugly Side of Dyslexia, by Ameer Barakahttps://www.amazon.com/Undiagnosed-Ugly-Dyslexia-Ameer-Baraka/dp/1970146184The Gift & The Curse: One Man's Journey with Dyslexia, by Deon Butlerhttps://www.amazon.com/Gift-Curse-Mans-Journey-Dyslexia-ebook/dp/B0F4Q1VNV2Socials:Ameer BarakaInstagram / @ameerbarakaLinkedIn / @ameer-baraka-968183149X / @AMEERBARAKAFacebook / @ameer.baraka/Deon Butler:Instagram / @thedyslexic_kingFacebook / @deon.l.butler____________________________________________________________Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you "Literacy Now, Together" — a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country. About Brett Tingley: https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bioAbout Kareem Weaver: https://tinyurl.com/KareemWeaverBioAbout Parents for Reading Justice: https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjusticeAbout FULCRUM:https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy Join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward, and DONATE!DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, to help others understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice for their circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!#literacynow #readinginstruction #education #awareness #teacher #teaching #fyp #change

Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you “Literacy Now, Together,” a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country. In this enlightening episode, Kareem Weaver (FULCRUM) and Brett Tingley (Parents for Reading Justice) talk with three leaders from the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) about the steady, years-long work behind the state’s dramatic reading gains. Far from a "Mississippi miracle," they describe a "Mississippi marathon" driven by clear policies, science of reading training for every educator, a robust statewide coaching model, high-quality instructional materials, universal screening, and ongoing assessment. The discussion shows how Mississippi built a sustainable system of support for teachers and students, with a relentless focus on prevention and continuous improvement. MDE’s story offers powerful lessons and a roadmap for any state committed to ensuring every child learns to read.GUESTSKelli Crain, Assistant State Literacy DirectorJill Hoda, Assistant State Literacy DirectorKatie Williamson, Regional Literacy Coordinator RESOURCESMDE Coaching GuidelinesMDE List of 10 Things All Literacy Leaders Need to Know MDE Blueprint for Improving Literacy OutcomesMDE Literacy Professional Development and ResourcesLiteracy Based Promotion Act (2013)Mississippi Literacy-Based Promotion Act Implementation Guide (2016) AIM Institute: Pathways for MississippiHigh Quality Instruction Materials (HQIM)Guidance on Selection and Implementation of HQIMUniversal Screener Companion Guide Evidence Advocacy Center: States with Strong Literacy PoliciesNational Council on Teacher Quality: Reading Foundations GradesMDE Backstory and Key TakeawaysSOCIALSMDE’s Website: https://mdek12.orgMDE’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mdek12MDE’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mississippi-department-of-education/ MDE’s Facebook: @MissDeptEdMDE’s X: @MissDeptEd_____________________________________Parents for Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so all children learn to read.About Brett Tingley: https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bioAbout Kareem Weaver: https://www.fulcrumliteracy.org/kareem-weaverAbout Parents for Reading Justice: https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjusticeAbout FULCRUM:https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy Join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward, and DONATE!DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, with the intention of helping others to understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice pertaining to their individual circumstances. Thank you for your continued support!

In this moving episode of “Literacy Now, Together,” co-hosts Kareem Weaver of FULCRUM and Brett Tingley of Parents for Reading Justice sit down with Oliver James, a man who taught himself to read at 32 following a lifetime of hiding his illiteracy. During the COVID lockdown, Oliver set himself a personal challenge: learn to read. What began as a private goal became a transformative journey he now shares with hundreds of thousands online, rebuilding his confidence, deepening his relationships, and changing the course of his life. He speaks candidly about the decades he spent concealing his struggle—through incarceration, school expulsions, and personal hardship—before discovering that literacy can unlock freedom, choice, and self-respect. From embracing text-to-voice technology to working one-on-one with a reading specialist, Oliver’s story shows how literacy can open doors to opportunity and restore self-worth. His honesty inspires others to remove their own masks and seize the life-changing gift of reading.Resources:Oliver’s TikTok: @oliverspeaks1Oliver’s Instagram: @oliverspeaks1Oliver’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@oliverspeaks1___________________________________________________________Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you "Literacy Now, Together" — a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country. Parents for Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.About Brett Tingley: https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bioAbout Kareem Weaver: https://tinyurl.com/KareemWeaverBioAbout Parents for Reading Justice: https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjusticeAbout FULCRUM:https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy Join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward, and DONATE!DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, to help others understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice for their circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!#literacynow #readinginstruction #education #awareness #teacher #teaching #fyp #change

Why Basic Needs, like Literacy, Must Come Before Resilience Training — and What Schools Get WrongPsychologist, educator, and Raising Moxie® founder Dr. Karin Hodges joins FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver and Parents for Reading Justice’s Brett Tingley in a thought-provoking episode, uncovering how failure to meet children's literacy needs is driving stress and anxiety. Dr. Hodges warns that as schools increasingly invest in social-emotional learning (SEL) curricula, many of these programs miss the mark by focusing on student characteristics rather than addressing systemic issues like illiteracy. She offers a stark critique of a system that too often shifts the burden to parents while absolving schools of their core obligation to teach literacy and calls for equipping adults with relational tools that foster resilience and confidence—what Dr. Hodges calls “skilling-up” the grown-ups. This episode tackles the harmful belief that some children are “hard to teach” based on their home life or community background and unpacks the dangers of coddling, the ethics of emotional regulation practices, and how “calm-down” strategies can backfire when they dismiss a child’s lived emotional experience. Resources:Raising Moxie Website: https://www.raisingmoxie.com/Dr. Hodge’s Resources List:https://www.raisingmoxie.com/references Dr. Hodge’s Facebook: @Raising MoxieDr. Hodge’s X: @RaisingMoxieDr. Hodge’s Instagram: @raising_moxieDr. Hodge’s YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIGQrrt1ffZ0i0zdZDVo2PwDr. Hodge’s LinkedIn: @Karin Maria Hodges____________________Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you "Literacy Now, Together" — a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country. Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. About Brett Tingley:⁠https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bio⁠About Kareem Weaver: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/KareemWeaverBio⁠About Parents for Reading Justice:⁠https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjustice⁠About FULCRUM:⁠https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy ⁠Join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward, and DONATE!DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, with the intention of helping others to understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice pertaining to their individual circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!

We are so excited to bring you this powerful episode with Sonya Thomas, the passionate founder and Executive Director of Nashville P.R.O.P.E.L. Sonya shares her deeply personal journey into advocacy, beginning as a mother of four who was determined to secure a better future for her children. When she saw that her younger son was struggling to learn to read in his earliest years of school, advocating for him became a full-time job. But by 7th grade despite years of meetings and interventions with his school, he was reading only at the 2nd grade level. She knew something had to change — not just for her family, but for every family in her community. Sonya’s story illustrates how poor instruction creates struggling readers, and how one mother’s anger can transform into a movement empowering thousands of parents to demand the education their children deserve. She reveals how she draws on her background as a nurse, researcher, and community leader to inform parents and train them to question the system, organize campaigns, and push for real policy change. Through Nashville P.R.O.P.E.L., Sonya has organized over 8,000 parents and has led successful campaigns for legislation requiring personalized learning plans and data transparency in every school in Tennessee. Her message is clear: parents deserve the truth about how their children are doing in school — and they have the power to hold the system accountable. Tune in to hear how Sonya inspires parents to lead fearlessly, build lasting community strength, and fight for every child’s right to learn to read.RESOURCESNashville P.R.O.P.E.L. ROAR @HomeBETAWhat the Words Say, by Emily HanfordSold a Story Podcast The Truth about ReadingDisrupt and Dismantle, by Soledad O'BrienSOCIALSFacebook - @NashvillePROPELX - @NashvillePropelInstagram - @nashvillepropel‐-------------------------------------------------------------------Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.Host Brett Tingley is the president of OH-KID, a grassroots parent group dedicated to ensuring all children in Ohio learn to read. She is also an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. She is the founder and president of Parents for Reading Justice.Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward, and DONATE on our website!FOLLOW US:Check out our LinkTree to find us on all social media platforms: https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjusticeDISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, with the intention of helping others to understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice pertaining to their individual circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!#education #reading #dyslexia #behavior #motivation #awareness #change #podcast #school #readingskills #schoollife #scienceofreading #readmorebooks #dyslexiaawareness #dyslexiasupport #readingcommunity #fypyoutube

We are thrilled to bring you this interview with Dr. Heather Peske. Heather is the President of the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) and a former elementary school teacher. She shares how her early experiences teaching reading, combined with her experience as a parent of a struggling reader, fuel her commitment to improve teacher preparation nationwide. In addition, her work as a state policymaker transformed her understanding of effective literacy instruction. In our conversation, Brett and Heather discuss how parents and school districts can leverage NCTQ’s research to influence market forces and push Colleges of Education toward evidence-based practices. Heather explains how NCTQ evaluates teacher preparation programs, revealing that most fall short in training future educators in evidence-based reading instruction—particularly for English Learners and students with learning differences such as dyslexia. She also highlights the role of state-level policy reforms and how parent advocacy is driving meaningful improvements. Heather offers valuable insights on addressing teacher shortages, the power of parent-led efforts, and leaves listeners with a powerful message: stay optimistic, stay engaged, and know that change is possible—together.⁠NCTQ website⁠ ⁠NCTQ Teacher Prep Review- Reading Foundations⁠ ⁠NCTQ Teacher Prep Review State Data Profiles⁠ ⁠NCTQ Five Policy Actions to Srengthen Implementation of the Science of Reading⁠⁠NCTQ State Data Profiles⁠⁠NCTQ False Assurances report⁠⁠NCTQ Reimagining Teaching⁠SocialsFacebook: @NationalCouncilOnTeacherQualityLinkedIn: @NationalCouncilOnTeacherQualityX: @NCTQ‐-------------------------------------------------------------------Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.Host Brett Tingley is the president of OH-KID, a grassroots parent group dedicated to ensuring all children in Ohio learn to read. She is also an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. She is the founder and president of Parents for Reading Justice.Join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward, and DONATE on our website!FOLLOW US:Check out our LinkTree to find us on all social media platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjustice⁠DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, with the intention of helping others to understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice pertaining to their individual circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!#education #reading #dyslexia #behavior #motivation #awareness #change #podcast #school #readingskills #schoollife #scienceofreading #readmorebooks #dyslexiaawareness #dyslexiasupport #readingcommunity #fypyoutube

We are thrilled to bring you this conversation with Missy Purcell, a former teacher and Mom of a son with dyslexia. Missy is also the co-Founder of the Facebook page, The Science of Reading for Advocates and Gwinnette County Advocates for Dyslexia. Missy's initial professional training and practice was steeped in a 'balanced literacy' approach, and in particular, the Reading and Writing Workshop model developed by Lucy Calkins. Her 5th grade classroom was even the observational classroom for her school, and she led Workshop training for other schools in the county and beyond. But there were frustrations along the way as well as significant questioning of K-5 reading instruction, as too many students were arriving in her classroom with poor word reading and comprehension skills, and moving on to the next grade with little to no improvement. It wasn't until Missy started to explore why her youngest child was struggling so much with learning to read, including struggling in the Reading Recovery intervention program, and developing anxiety and behavior issues, that it all started to make sense. What was missing in the instruction in the earliest years set them up poorly for reading and comprehension in the later years. She describes it as a "colliding of my two worlds- the teacher Missy and the Mama Missy". Knowing that she couldn't change the past, she decided to focus on the future and work to change the system that is continuing to fail children. This is her WHY. Don't miss this amazing journey from Mom and teacher to powerhouse advocate!SOCIALSFacebook / @MissPurcell@Missy Palmer Purcell@The Science of Reading for AdvocatesX/Twitter /@MissyPurcellInstagram / @misspurcelladvocates@missy_purcellBluesky / @missypurcell.bsky.social______________________________Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Masterclass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Parent Group Directory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠⁠⁠Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.Host Brett Tingley is the President of OH-KID, a grassroots parent group dedicated to ensuring all children in Ohio learn to read. She is also an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. She is the founder and President of Parents for Reading Justice. Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website!#education #reading #dyslexia #behavior #motivation #awareness #change #podcast #school #readingskills #schoollife #scienceofreading #readmorebooks #dyslexiaawareness #dyslexiasupport #readingcommunity #fypyoutube

We are excited to bring you a new mini-series called "Literacy Now, Together." We've teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to interview parents, literacy experts, and thought leaders to examine the literacy crisis and highlight the steps people are taking to improve literacy rates across the county. In this episode, we meet Jackie and Lawrence from Niagara Falls, New York, who have two children with IEPs. Although their eight-year-old daughter, who has dyslexia and dysgraphia, showed signs of reading difficulties in kindergarten, these were initially misinterpreted as behavioral issues. The school offered intervention in first grade through the Reading Recovery program, a program broadly criticized for using debunked instructional methods and having poor reading outcomes. The approach proved detrimental, leading to heightened anxiety and emotional distress for their daughter. Despite the parents' requests to stop the program, the school insisted on continuing, which left their daughter in a challenging emotional and psychological state. Jackie and Lawrence describe how their advocacy journey began with their daughter’s struggles but expanded into broader community action. They formed a PTA and built connections with other parents facing similar challenges, creating a support network to push for better literacy instruction. They share their frustration with a school system that blames children and parents for poor performance, despite the district being the lowest-performing in the county. When asked why it is essential for their daughter to learn to read, Jackie and Lawrence give a heart-wrenching answer about the incredibly difficult choices they have to make to support their children's educational needs, forcing them to figure out themselves what the school should have done but failed to do. The couple underscores the far-reaching consequences of inadequate reading instruction, linking it to poverty, limited job opportunities, crime, teen pregnancy, and systemic inequities. Their advice to other parents is practical and empowering: trust your instincts, educate yourself on learning disabilities and dyslexia, and connect with organizations and resources in your community. Their story is a call to action, demonstrating the importance of persistence, self-education, and community advocacy in navigating a flawed educational system.Resources:Child Find MandateCox Campus coursesCox Campus- Dyslexia Quick FactsWilliam A vs Clarksville-Montgomery County School SystemEndrew F case (Understood.org)Reading Rockets, A Guide for ParentsDyslexia Alliance for Black ChildrenOpen Source PhonicsRight to Read filmOur Dyslexic ChildrenWNY Literacy InitiativeNiagara Community Information Group_____________________Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. About Brett Tingley: https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bioAbout Kareem Weaver: https://tinyurl.com/KareemWeaverBioAbout Parents for Reading Justice: https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjusticeAbout FULCRUM:https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy Join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward, and DONATE!DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, with the intention of helping others to understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice pertaining to their individual circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!

For our 18th episode, and 2nd international episode!, we are excited to bring you Kim Lockhart. Kim is a French bilingual immersion teacher and special education teacher in Canada. Despite attending a top-tier undergraduate teaching program and earning a master's degree, Kim didn't learn anything about how to teach children to read. That didn't come until she went through an Orton-Gillingham training program. Join us for this insightful and engaging conversation where Kim talks frankly about how preservice teacher preparation programs are not setting up teachers for success in the classroom, how the lack of knowledge in evidence-based instruction leaves teachers floundering and too many students failing, and how this model is deeply inequitable.In the last part of our conversation, Kim talks about teaching multilingual learners including the importance of building their language skills along with their decoding skills, and how structured literacy is essential in the bilingual classroom. We hope you will come away from this conversation inspired to encourage your school district leadership to talk with the teacher preparation programs they hire from about ending the teaching of disproven methods of reading instruction, and ensuring their graduates learn about literacy science and evidence-based instructional practices. These programs are at the root of the literacy crisis and they need to know that their customers, local school districts, are dissatisfied at having to provide training that should have been provided in college! And if you are a teacher, you can give your feedback directly to your degree program!Social Media Handles:X: @MmeLockhartLDSBInstagram: @mmelockhartldsLinkedIn: @Kim Lockhart Resources:Our Dyslexic Children DocumentaryThe Art and Science of Teaching Primary Reading, by Christopher SuchOntario Human Rights Commission Right to Read ReportThe Reading League Science of Reading: Defining GuideLiteracy How Reading Wheel, Margie Gillis______________________________Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Masterclass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Parent Group Directory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠⁠Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.Host Brett Tingley is the President of OH-KID, a grassroots parent group dedicated to ensuring all children in Ohio learn to read. She is also an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. She is the founder and President of Parents for Reading Justice. Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website!

Summary: In this episode of Literacy Now, we talk with Rebecca Tolson.  Rebecca is the Director of the Center for Structured Literacy at the University of Akron.  Previously, she was the Vice President of Literacy Initiatives at Neuhaus Education Center and an adjunct professor in the master's of dyslexia therapy program at Walsh University.  Rebecca started her career as a 5th grade general education teacher, trained in the 'whole language' approach to reading instruction.  She saw many students who reached 5th grade unable to read.  Much as she loved teaching reading, she quickly found that she didn't have the tools in her toolbox to help her struggling students.  It wasn't until a mentor at her school, Lori Josephson, encouraged her to take coursework in the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading instruction, where she learned terminology and instructional approaches that had been absent in her undergraduate degree program, that Rebecca developed the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively teach all children to read.Join us as we hear about working with teachers who have had little to no exposure to reading science, considerations in shifting from a balanced literacy approach to a structured literacy approach, what to look for in a strong MTSS system, and thoughts on what can be done to encourage colleges of education to better prepare our future teachers in reading science and evidence-based instructional practices.  Enjoy our conversation- you're in for a treat! Resources:  The Center for Effective Reading Instruction International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council (IMSLEC) Neuhaus Education Center Colorado DoE: Advisory List of Instructional Programming International Dyslexia Association: Accredited University Programs International Dyslexia Association: Fact Sheets NCTQ: 2020 Teacher Prep Review Mount St. Joseph University, Reading Science programs Book:  Annual Growth for All Students, Catch Up Growth for Those Who Are Behind Facebook Socials: Rebecca Tolson @RebeccaTolson Kareem Weaver @KareemJabbarWeaver NCTQ @National CouncilonTeacherQuality University of Akron @TheUniversityofAkron Mount St. Joseph University @MountStJosephUniversity Governor Mike DeWine @MikeDeWine X: @RebeccaTolson1 @KJWinEducation @NCTQ@GovMikeDeWine ______________________________ Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Masterclass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Parent Group Directory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠⁠ Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.Host Brett Tingley is the President of OH-KID, a grassroots parent group dedicated to ensuring all children in Ohio learn to read. She is also an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. She is the founder and President of Parents for Reading Justice.Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website!

'A worried mother does better research than the FBI!' We are so excited to bring you this inspiring conversation with Robin Zikmund! Robin is the founder of Decoding Dyslexia Idaho, a dyslexia advocate for the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education, and the parent of a child with dyslexia. Robin shares with us the history of missed opportunities and delays by many experts including the educational system to identify her son's struggles at school. It wasn't until she did her own research and put the puzzle together by herself, that she was able to become an effective advocate for her son. But it was a long, uphill battle with the school district. Eventually, Robin became an advocate at the state-level, using the legislative process and connecting with national experts to help bring in policy changes to support effective literacy instruction in Idaho. Listen in and get inspired! Resources: Decoding Dyslexia Idaho Dyslexia Idaho Comprehensive Literacy Plan Dr. Louisa Moats Dr. Deb Glaser Institute for Multisensory Education (IMSE) IMSE Foundation Center for Effective Reading Instruction Knowledge and Practice Examination for Effective Reading Instruction (KPEERI exam) Social Media: Facebook - @Decoding Dyslexia - ID Discussion Board @Orton-Gillingham @Robin Zikmund X - @DDIDchange @IMSEOG @RobinZikmund Instagram - @ddidaho @imse_og ______________________________ Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Masterclass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Parent Group Directory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠ Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.Host Brett Tingley is the President of OH-KID, a grassroots parent group dedicated to ensuring all children in Ohio learn to read. She is also an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. She is the founder and President of Parents for Reading Justice.Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website!

In this episode of Literacy Now, we talk with Todd Collins, a school board member in Palo Alto, California and founder of the California Reading Coalition. Todd is a self-described "accidental education advocate". Upon joining his school board, Todd assumed that the district knew how to teach reading pretty well. Overall state test scores were high. But he started to wonder if this was due to instruction or to something about the families. So he asked a simple yet profound question, "how do we know we are a great school district?". His quest to answer this question took him on a journey which opened his eyes to the reality of classroom reading instruction which was doing a very poor job of serving the most vulnerable students, ultimately turning this businessman into a state-level education advocate. Resources: California Reading Coalition https://www.careads.org California Reading Report Card https://www.careads.org/reportcard California Reading Coalition Annual Summit 2022- recorded presentations and related documents https://www.careads.org/summit-recap-22 ______________________________ Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently. Host Brett Tingley is the President of OH-KID, a grassroots parent group dedicated to ensuring all children in Ohio learn to read. She is also an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. She is the founder and President of Parents for Reading Justice. Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website! FOLLOW US: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ7xa6meD2Q&t=31s ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.facebook.com/parentsforreadingjustice ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.instagram.com/parentsforreadingjustice/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://x.com/Parents4RJ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Masterclass⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://parentsforreadingjustice.org ⁠⁠⁠⁠Parent Group Directory⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/parent-group-registry ⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/donate DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, with the intention of helping others to understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice pertaining to their individual circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!

Summary We are so excited to welcome Dr. Tracy White Weeden to our podcast!  Tracy is the President and CEO of Neuhaus Education Center, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote reading success by providing evidence-based professional development to educators, information and resources to families, and direct services to adult learners. Tracy begins with her family history and professional journey. That journey included being 'sold a story' before finding the science of reading. She explains that we are now in a defining moment for a literacy crusade, that we can and should be the lighthouse for change because literacy is the currency of the 21st century and a human right. To parents, Tracy advises everyone to find those in your realm of influence, prep the system for change and lead from the middle.  We all need to "dare greatly, lead valiantly, influence bravely and be the butterfly effect... for our children". Find a favorite spot to sit back and enjoy this wonderful and inspiring conversation! Resources ⁠Neuhaus Education Center⁠ ⁠Emily Hanford podcasts⁠ ⁠Book- Stone Soup⁠ ______________________________ Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Masterclass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Parent Group Directory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠

Summary We are so excited to welcome Dr. Tracy White Weeden to our podcast!  Tracy is the President and CEO of Neuhaus Education Center, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote reading success by providing evidence-based professional development to educators, information and resources to families, and direct services to adult learners. Tracy begins with her family history and professional journey. That journey included being 'sold a story' before finding the science of reading. She explains that we are now in a defining moment for a literacy crusade, that we can and should be the lighthouse for change because literacy is the currency of the 21st century and a human right. To parents, Tracy advises everyone to find those in your realm of influence, prep the system for change and lead from the middle.  We all need to "dare greatly, lead valiantly, influence bravely and be the butterfly effect... for our children". Find a favorite spot to sit back and enjoy this wonderful and inspiring conversation! Resources Neuhaus Education Center Emily Hanford podcasts Book- Stone Soup ______________________________ Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Masterclass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Parent Group Directory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠

Summary ​We are excited to bring you this fascinating conversation with Kait Feriante. Kait is the co-founder of Redwood Schools (Chicago), which include two full-day K-8 schools for students with dyslexia, and a program for young adults who are court-involved who struggle with reading and writing.  Kait is also a former Chicago Public Schools teacher and parent of a child with dyslexia.  Kait shares with us her perspective gained through all of these roles. Listen in as we delve into topics including the lack of preparation for reading instruction by colleges of education, collaborating with your child's school team and advocating for their educational needs, data collection, and assistive technology.  Kait also talks about the work of the Redwood Schools and the success of their programs, as well as the success of the Lawndale program despite incredible odds. Don't miss this important conversation! Resources Redwood Literacy  Instagram Pages:  @redwoodliteracy @redwoodschools Twitter Page:  @RedwoodLiteracy Facebook Page:  @Redwood Literacy LinkedIn Page: @Redwood Literacy @Redwood Schools TikTok Page: @redwoodliteracy YouTube Page: @redwoodliteracy8257 Donate To Redwood Here: https://redwoodlclc.funraise.org ______________________________ Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Masterclass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Parent Group Directory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠

Summary In this episode of Literacy Now, we meet an amazing parent advocate, Jenine Hanson. Jenine is from Naperville, Illinois, a city which is consistently listed in the top 10 U.S. cities in which to raise a family, particularly because of its excellent schools.  So when her oldest child was having difficulty with learning to read as early as 1st grade, Jenine started asking a lot of questions.  She takes us through her family's long and arduous journey to identify the source of her child's challenges.  Only after receiving a dyslexia diagnosis in 5th grade by a private neuropsychologist did the school district agree to do an educational evaluation.  By then, Jenine was connecting with a lot of other parents with similar stories, all asking, how does a world class school district miss the most common learning disability?  What started as a parent support group shifted to advocacy and the formation of the Dyslexia Action Group of Naperville.  Jenine led the effort to engage with the District and the school board of education to change how reading was being taught.  Listen and learn how these efforts ultimately led to the district adopting a reading program with a structured literacy approach (with parent input in the process), a dyslexia screener, and professional learning for teachers in evidence-based reading instruction. Prepare to be inspired! Resources Dyslexia Action Group of Naperville (DAGN) Barton Reading & Spelling System IEP/s504 Accommodations Matrix and related conversation about it on Twitter Naperville professional learning day DAGN dyslexia simulation day Everyone Reading Illinois (ERI) International Dyslexia Association Illinois State Board of Education - The Dyslexia Guide Institute for Multi-Sensory Education (IMSE) Book- Shifting the Balance, by Jan Burkins and Kari Yates Sold a Story podcast, by Emily Hanford ______________________________ Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Masterclass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Parent Group Directory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠

"You just gave me the code to the English language. I can read!" We are thrilled to bring you this inspiring conversation with David Chalk.  David is a Canadian technology entrepreneur, cybersecurity specialist, and a media personality. Until very recently, he couldn't read.  David has learning disabilities including acute dyslexia.  He shares the physical, mental and emotional toll it has taken on him throughout his life.  He knew early on that working for someone else was not going to be a successful path, and as a result he was driven into starting his own businesses.  He had many career successes, but when COVID hit, he lost his business at that time. By sheer chance, he was introduced to Nora Chahbazi, founder of EBLI - Evidence Based Literacy Instruction, and leaped at the chance to learn to read. After just six days of instruction, David went from an elementary level of reading comprehension to a post-university comprehension level because he was no longer struggling to read every word.  He said to Nora, "This is like a secret code. I can do math, I understand physics... You just gave me the code to the English language. I can read!"   David goes on to explain this transformation with these words: "No one had ever told me. It wasn't about reading, it was about understanding that words are the positioning of language onto paper for extraction later. So if you know how to encode it onto paper, you can pull it off and read it. But when you are only taught that this is what's on the paper and try and understand it- no, I need to know how it got on the page, what was the coding that got it down there. Know that, you can read! RESOURCES: All Website Links:  EBLI - Evidence Based Literacy Instruction Documentary: ⁠The Truth About Reading SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:   Twitter Pages:  @AskDavidChalk, @truthabout2023 Facebook Page:  @DavidChalk LinkedIn Page: @DrDavidChalk Instagram Page: @thetruthaboutreading ______________________________ Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website! ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Masterclass⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Parent Group Directory⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠

We are so excited to welcome Donna Hejtmanek to our podcast!  Donna is the founder of the Facebook page, Science of Reading- What I Should Have Learned in College. She is also a retired special education teacher and reading specialist. In our conversation, Donna talks about what led her to form the Facebook group, how it supports teachers and parents, and how it developed into the incredible resource it is today with over 230,000 members! She also shares with us her efforts to disseminate what has been learned from scientific research on how children learn to read and write so that it is accessible to our childrens' teachers, her advocacy locally and at the state level for students with dyslexia, and her thoughts on shifting practices in colleges of education.  Our conversation ends with Donna's advice to parents on being your child's advocate. Listen in now to this inspiring conversation! Resources:Facebook- Science of Reading What I Should Have Learned in College  SoR What I Should Have Learned In College New Member Welcome Letter and List of Resources ______________________________ Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website! ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Masterclass⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Parent Group Directory⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠

SUMMARY: "Parents are the Key!" In this episode, we are thrilled to introduce you to Nora Chabazi. Nora is the founder of EBLI (Evidence Based Literacy Instruction), whose mission is to teach the world to read. Having left her career as a neonatal intensive care nurse to raise her three children, Nora soon found that she needed to quickly learn about reading instruction. Her daughter, who was gifted in math, was a year below grade level in early elementary school. Drawing on her scientific background and knowledge of the brain's plasticity for learning at any age, Nora educated herself on current research in the field of literacy, trained in the Phono-Graphix method, then opened a reading center, created the speech-to-print program EBLI, and has been teaching reading and training teachers ever since.  Listen in as we hear about her amazing journey from parent advocate to literacy expert, as well as her involvement as the literacy consultant for the documentary The Truth About Reading. Our conversation concludes with Nora's advice to parents on the importance of educating yourself and forming a community of parents for support and advocacy, because "parents are the key!". Resources: Website: EBLI: Evidence Based Reading Instruction Documentary: The Truth About Reading Book: Why Our Children Can't Read, by Diane McGuinness, PhD Book: Why Johnny Can't Read: And What You Can Do About It, by Rudolf Flesch Audio documentaries & Podcast: by Emily Hanford for APM Reports Facebook Group: Science of Reading-What I Should Have Learned in College Facebook Group: S2P / SLL / Linguistic Phonics Exploration SOCIALS: Instagram Pages:  @eblireads @thetruthaboutreading @EBLIreads @truthabout2023 Facebook Pages: EBLI Evidence-Based Reading Instruction The Truth About Reading LinkedIn Page: EBLI Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction ______________________________ Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website! ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠⁠ ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Masterclass⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Parent Group Directory⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠

SUMMARY: In this episode, we talk with Margie Gillis, founder of the nonprofit Literacy How. Margie is a nationally recognized literacy expert whose career has been steeped in the science of reading from the very beginning. Margie has been teaching children to read for over 40 years, and she founded Literacy How in 2009 to provide professional development and coaching to teachers and school districts so they learn how best to implement evidence-based literacy practices.  Join us as we dive right into a discussion on reading science being more than just phonics instruction, the components of a strong reading program, supporting teachers and administrators in translating research to practice, and ideas for systemic change starting with the colleges of education who prepare our future teachers.  Enjoy this informative episode! Resources National Reading Panel Report (full text, overview, findings) Literacy How and the The Reading Wheel Ed Reports The Reading League Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines Core Knowledge Language Arts Hill For Literacy  Reading Rockets Haskins Global Literacy Hub Florida Center for Reading Research National Center for Improving Literacy (NCIL)  International Dyslexia Association (IDA) MTSU Center for Dyslexia The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, Dr. Sharon Vaughn, Executive Director Reading Courses / Professional Development:  AIM Institute for Learning & Research Reading Rockets Reading 101 Course ______________________________ Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website! ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠Twitter⁠ ⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠ ⁠Masterclass⁠ ⁠Parent Group Directory⁠ ⁠Donate⁠ ⁠ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠

SUMMARY: "The children are our customers...and the parents are our stakeholders, and I think if you think of it in those terms, you can make a lasting effect on a district." We are thrilled to introduce you to Dr. Kevin Gorman.  Dr. Gorman is a recently retired Director of Student Services in the Upper Arlington, Ohio school district.  Many years ago, Dr. Gorman knew little about dyslexia or evidence-based instructional methods. Then one day, UA-KID, a parent advocacy group serving families whose children have dyslexia, met with him to present their goals for their children's education. That meeting prompted Dr. Gorman to dig into the research and build his knowledge, the end result of which has been lasting change throughout the district.  Join us as Dr. Gorman takes us on a journey describing how he brought about that change, which included introducing universal screening for at-risk signs of reading difficulties (CTOPP), Orton-Gillingham training for teachers and intervention specialists, and the purchase of high quality instructional materials. It wasn't long before Superintendents in other Ohio districts started to hear about Upper Arlington's successes and contacted Dr. Gorman to learn more. Dr. Gorman also shares his advice for parents in collaborating with their district, provides a description of the process to request an evaluation when a child shows signs of reading difficulties and leaves us with final thoughts on focusing on the needs of the child.  This is a wonderful and very informative discussion for all parents and advocates! Resources: CTOPP- Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing- "The Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP) is an instrument that can be used to measure phonological processing abilities of school aged children. This instrument employs a variety of subtests to measure several components of phonological processing." The Orton-Gillingham Approach  Wilson Reading System Wilson Fundations - program overview Additional Resources: Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), by Understood.org Multi-Tiered System of Supports for English Learners The Difference Between IEPs and 504 Plans, by Understood.org What is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?, by Understood.org National Center on Improving Literacy (NCIL)- resources for parents and families (in English and Spanish) For a more comprehensive explanation of these terms above, please visit and enroll in our 'Building A Dyslexia Parent Group - Course 1' Masterclass HERE ______________________________ Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently. ______________________________ Host Brett Tingley is the President of OH-KID, a grassroots parent group dedicated to ensuring all children in Ohio learn to read. She is also an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. She is the founder and President of Parents for Reading Justice. ______________________________ Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Masterclass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Parent Group Directory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠⁠

"We weren't just a group of angry Moms; we were a group of Moms who were educated and knew what the school was supposed to be doing, and they weren't doing it." SUMMARY: We are so excited to introduce you to Julie Kowalczyk. She is President of Decoding Dyslexia - Ottawa Hills, Ohio, and a member of OH-KID (Ohio Kids Identified with Dyslexia).  Julie is a former 7th grade literature teacher, and a 4th generation teacher in her family! Both of Julie's children have dyslexia. The first signs of difficulty at school were apparent when her son was in Kindergarten. The teacher reassured Julie and her husband saying words familiar to many of us- "he's a boy, he's very bright, has good vocabulary; don't worry - he'll catch up". But his difficulties continued, and when he started 2nd grade, coincidentally with the same teacher he had in Kindergarten, both Mom and teacher felt it was time to look into a dyslexia diagnosis. Fast forward a couple of years and Julie formed a group with other parents to advocate for evidence-based reading instruction for all students. Listen in and learn about how this parent group worked for change in their district, including using social media, letter writing campaigns, parent education and even community outreach.  This is an inspiring story you won't want to miss! RESOURCES: Ohio Department of Education Dyslexia Guidebook, July 2022 ______________________________ Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently. ______________________________ Host Brett Tingley is the President of OH-KID, a grassroots parent group dedicated to ensuring all children in Ohio learn to read. She is also an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. She is the founder and President of Parents for Reading Justice. ______________________________ Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Masterclass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Parent Group Directory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠⁠

SUMMARY: Today on Literacy Now is a special broadcast of a few extended conversations we had with our colleague and good friend Kareem Weaver. In Part 3, we dive more deeply into advocacy efforts- not just what advocates can and should do, but how to effectively partner with other stakeholders who are like-minded in this cause, but not necessarily like-minded in other areas. Kareem also tells us about school districts that are demonstrating what is possible to turn around literacy rates and close the achievement gap. He sends a message to communities about supporting their teachers while also holding district leadership accountable, and that the civil rights community also has a vital role to play in holding the teacher preparation programs accountable. Lastly, Kareem leaves us with the reminder that we have to come together to solve the problem of low literacy because there is a cost to be paid by all of us for ignoring the needs of our children. Kareem Weaver is a Co-Founder and Executive Director of FULCRUM, which partners with stakeholders to improve reading results for students. He is the Oakland NAACP's 2nd Vice President and Chair of its Education Committee; his advocacy is featured in the just released film The Right to Read. Kareem also appears in our Masterclass which we encourage you to check out.  For more information, please visit ⁠⁠Fulcrum-Oakland.org⁠⁠. ______________________________ Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently. ______________________________ Host Brett Tingley is the President of OH-KID, a grassroots parent group dedicated to ensuring all children in Ohio learn to read. She is also an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. She is the founder and President of Parents for Reading Justice. ______________________________ Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Masterclass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Parent Group Directory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠⁠

SUMMARY: Today in Part 2 of Literacy Now with Kareem Weaver, our conversation turns to reasons why so many are still so opposed to what has been learned from decades of reading research, and advice for parents on what to look for, what to ask for, and how to talk with your child's teacher about evidence-based instruction.  Kareem Weaver is a Co-Founder and Executive Director of FULCRUM, which partners with stakeholders to improve reading results for students. He is the Oakland NAACP's 2nd Vice President and Chair of its Education Committee; his advocacy is featured in the just released film The Right to Read. Kareem also appears in our Masterclass which we encourage you to check out.  For more information, please visit ⁠Fulcrum-Oakland.org⁠. American Federation of Teachers- Teaching Reading is Rocket Science, Moats, 2020 Extraordinary Districts - S2E4 on Seaford DE Bluegrass Institute Report - Reading Proficiency Rates Rising in Some Appalachian Schools ______________________________ Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently. ______________________________ Host Brett Tingley is the President of OH-KID, a grassroots parent group dedicated to ensuring all children in Ohio learn to read. She is also an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. She is the founder and President of Parents for Reading Justice. ______________________________ Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website! ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Masterclass⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Parent Group Directory⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠⁠

SUMMARY: "I'm focused on education because I think it is the root cause of a lot of our challenges- at the community level, at the district and school level, at the family level, and at the individual and personal level; and even at the state level..." - Kareem Weaver So begins this incredible three-part discussion with educator and literacy advocate, Kareem Weaver.  Kareem is co-founder and executive director of FULCRUM: Full and Complete Reading is a Universal Mandate, as well as Oakland, CA's NAACP 2nd Vice President and Chair of its Education Committee. Throughout our discussions, Kareem shares his thoughts on the challenges we face, and gives advice for parents, teachers and all stakeholders on coming together for the sake of our children. In Part 1, we talk with Kareem about his work with FULCRUM, what he has learned through local and national advocacy efforts, the challenges with fixing the reading crisis, and why we have an equal opportunity systems failure. Resources: Fulcrum American Federation of Teachers- Teaching Reading is Rocket Science, Moats, 2020 Extraordinary Districts- S2E4 on Seaford DE Bluegrass Institute Report - Reading Proficiency Rates Rising in Some Appalachian Schools  ______________________________ Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently. ______________________________ Host Brett Tingley is the President of OH-KID, a grassroots parent group dedicated to ensuring all children in Ohio learn to read. She is also an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. She is the founder and President of Parents for Reading Justice. ______________________________ Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website! ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Masterclass⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Parent Group Directory⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠

SUMMARY: In this episode, Dr. Hasbrouck helps us understand what is the "science of reading" and the role of structured literacy in teaching all children to read and write. We'll also learn about some important considerations for school districts as they shift their language arts program to an evidence-based model including first steps at the earliest grades, data collection, curriculum evaluation and investing in developing teachers. Finally, we'll hear Dr. Hasbrouck's advice for parents about what they can do to support their children and also push for change in their schools and communities. You won't want to miss this episode! RESOURCES: ⁠NAEP⁠ The Reading League- ⁠What is the Science of Reading?⁠ Nancy Young - ⁠Ladder of Reading and Writing⁠ Reading Rockets- ⁠What Is Curriculum-Based Measurement and What Does It Mean to My Child⁠ Reading Rockets- ⁠Assessment and Evaluation: Video Library⁠ ⁠Wonders by McGraw Hill⁠ ⁠Intervention Central⁠ The Reading League ⁠Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines⁠ ⁠The Third Quest⁠ by Marilyn Sprick Siegfried Englemann, ⁠National Institute for Direct Instruction⁠ ______________________________ Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently. ______________________________ Host Brett Tingley is the President of OH-KID, a grassroots parent group dedicated to ensuring all children in Ohio learn to read. She is also an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. She is the founder and President of Parents for Reading Justice. ______________________________ Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website! ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Masterclass⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Parent Group Directory⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠⁠⁠

SUMMARY: We are thrilled to speak today with Jenny Mackenzie, a documentary filmmaker whose work promotes social and racial justice issues.  Jenny's most recent film is The Right to Read which follows NAACP activist Kareem Weaver, a teacher, and two families with young children learning to read.  Join us as we learn about what inspired Jenny to make this film, what were some of the challenges in producing it, and what her goals are for the film. Jenny ends with thoughts for this generation of literacy advocates. You are sure to be inspired by this interview! RESOURCES: ⁠The Right to Read film⁠ ⁠The Purple Challenge, Part I⁠ ⁠The Purple Challenge, Part II⁠ ______________________________ Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently. ______________________________ Host Brett Tingley is the President of OH-KID, a grassroots parent group dedicated to ensuring all children in Ohio learn to read. She is also an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. She is the founder and President of Parents for Reading Justice. ______________________________ Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website! ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Masterclass⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Parent Group Directory⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠⁠

SUMMARY:  In this episode, we meet with Kerry Agins, an Ohio attorney who represents individuals with disabilities. Kerry provided the Upper Arlington parent group legal advice as it worked through a systemic group complaint. That process ultimately flipped the school district from a balanced literacy approach to reading instruction, to one grounded in the science of reading. Join this informative conversation on issues ranging from special education laws that protect children with learning disabilities in a school setting, to a case study in a systemic group complaint, demonstrating the power of parent advocacy groups. You are sure to come away feeling activated to bring change to your district! RESOURCES:  Book - ⁠⁠Overcoming Dyslexia⁠⁠, by Sally Shaywitz ⁠⁠ Books⁠ by Peter W. D. Wright⁠ ⁠Wrightslaw ⁠ Website⁠⁠ ______________________________ Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently. ______________________________ Host Brett Tingley is the President of OH-KID, a grassroots parent group dedicated to ensuring all children in Ohio learn to read. She is also an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. She is the founder and President of Parents for Reading Justice. ______________________________ Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website! ⁠⁠⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Masterclass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Parent Group Directory⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠Donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠⁠⁠

SUMMARY: Today on Literacy Now, we are excited to share with you our conversation with an amazing parent advocate, Mindy Patrick. Mindy is a co-founder of the Olentangy Dyslexia Network and a former president of her school district's Board of Education.  She never expected to become an advocate for reading disabilities.  But the cause came to her when she became aware of her child's challenges with learning to read and then learned about the problem with how reading was being taught at his school.   Listen in as we learn about Mindy's journey to identify and get services for her son, then how she turned to thinking about her community, formed the Olentangy Dyslexia Network and worked with her school district to bring evidence-based instructional practices and programs to all classrooms.  ⁠⁠https://olentangydyslexianetwork.com/⁠⁠ ______________________________ Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently. ______________________________ Host Brett Tingley is the President of OH-KID, a grassroots parent group dedicated to ensuring all children in Ohio learn to read. She is also an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. She is the founder and President of Parents for Reading Justice. ______________________________ Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website! ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary⁠⁠ ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Masterclass⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Parent Group Directory⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ParentsForReadingJustice.org⁠