Literacy Now

"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 o...

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 resou...

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, wh...

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 distri...

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 evide...

"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...

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 a...

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...

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 execu...

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, curricu...

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...

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 informativ...

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 challe...