"Literacy Leadership" The Learning Ally Podcast

Not only does grounding have an impact in our life, grounding ourselves when it comes to reading instruction will have a profound impact on our professional careers and on the lives of students.  When you ground yourself, you will make decisions based on that grounding.

Dr. Molly Ness joins us this week to unpack what is meant by "Funds of Knowledge" in building students' language comprehension. She explains the differences between background knowledge, a term we are probably more familiar with, and funds of knowledge, and she explores how funds of knowledge relates to the Science of Reading. Watch a webinar where Dr. Molly Ness dives in.  https://home.edweb...

This week we will be taking a journey through the history of Learning Ally to discover leadership moves that needed to be made to propel our organization to a multi-solution literacy provider.  You will learn about the rich history of the organization as well as how literacy leaders need to pull some levers while leaving other levers unmoved.

Literacy leaders need to create margins in their life. Just as a piece of notebook paper has margins and margins in a book are critical. This episode gives four guidelines on how to create margins in your life to create space for sustained thinking.

Dr. Molly Ness and Dr. Terrie Noland talk this week about some sobering statistics about access to books for our students. "What keeps me up at night is that the statistics are just sobering about access to books across our country. We know that 45% of our nation's kids live in neighborhoods that lack public libraries, bookstores or homes where there's a stock and flow of books. 67% of our schools...

It's been said, "The more reflective you are, the more effective you are."  As literacy leaders we need to reflect on the past to prepare for the future. In this episode, Dr. Terrie Noland reflects on 2022 and pulls out 5 learnings and discusses how to apply them to the future.  Reflection is simple, the hard part is applying it to the future. 

In order to know where we're going, we have to understand where we've been. Over the course of the last year, the Learning Ally Educator Community has experienced monumental growth, grown closer than ever in our relationships and partnerships with educational stakeholders of all kinds - all in an effort to close an ever-widening literacy gap in education. In this episode: we get to know the Learni...

Leadership looks different when you know what to consider.  With the surge of awareness and activity on social media lately around reading instruction, it is critical to remember what Literacy Leadership should look like. This episode showcases three aspects to consider that literacy leaders should do to build themselves and others as Literacy Leaders.   Build:  1. Knowledge  2...

There is an urgency in literacy and that's why I'm issuing an all-call on this podcast for individuals to step up into leadership and lead from where you are. You will know why we can't wait for perfection or wait until we've learned it all. You will learn about leading up, leading across leading down, and most importantly, leading you. The all-call is sounding and we need you and everyone you kno...

Dr. Molly Ness, Vice-President of Academic Content at Learning Ally shares information about the current release of the NAEP Scores (National Assessment of Educational Progress).  Rather than looking at the NAEP scores as an alarm with doom and gloom outcomes, Dr. Ness reminds us that they should be merely used to understand the temperature of where we are as a nation and serve as a tool to h...

The  Spotlight on Literacy Leadership event hosted by Learning Ally is the basis of this two-part podcast series because I think it's important for us to help define, know, and understand what we mean by literacy leadership. This podcast and next week's podcast will help shape our thinking about what it means to be a literacy leader. This week caps off the two part series by diving into the v...

The  Spotlight on Literacy Leadership event hosted by Learning Ally is the basis of this two-part podcast series because it's important for us to help define, know, and understand what we mean by literacy leadership. This 2-part podcast will help shape thinking around what it means to be a literacy leader.  When you hear the words literacy leader: What comes to mind? What do you think of...

Consistency is key when it comes to creating new habits in literacy leadership. We are living in a moment of unification around reading instruction. Let's learn together what the key measures are when implementing evidence-based reading instructional practices, and how we can come together as a community to implement these practices with fidelity. 

Dr. Terrie Noland sits down with the Managing Partners, Gina Emdin, Shannon Penrose-Maddux, and Amanda Sink, for an in-depth look at the relationships they are building across the nation with schools and districts. In the second part of this 2-part series, Dr. Noland digs into the unique journeys that led each Managing Partner to Learning Ally, why building relationships with districts and educati...

Dr. Terrie Noland sits down with the Managing Partners, Gina Emdin, Shannon Penrose-Maddux, and Amanda Sink, for an in-depth look at the relationships they are building across the nation with schools and districts. In the first part of this 2-part series, Dr. Noland digs into the unique journeys that led each Managing Partner to Learning Ally, why building relationships with districts and educatio...

Sustained thinking is where you're able to set aside time and start to think deeply. That's where we need to be in order to stretch ourselves and in order to grow. So this week we are talking about how literacy leaders are inspired with quotes. There is power in the words that make up inspirational quotes, and when we read them, we build self-efficacy in the kind of dialogue we have with ourselves...

In this episode Dr. Noland dives into what the word "transformation" means. "When we're talking about aligning to the Science of Reading, advancing literacy outcomes and transforming, we need to think differently. We are changing the form from where we are today, to where we want to be, and how we want it to look different." In order for transformation to occur in literacy by aligning to the Scien...

What do a pencil sharpener, white board, playground, bulletin board, and desk have in common? These items are all commonly found in classrooms and schools, however they can also serve as visual reminders of our purpose in education and reduce cognitive load on our brains. Dr. Terrie Noland guides us through how these common classroom items can serve as visual representations of our collective "why...

This week, Dr. Terrie Noland discusses "The Great Resignation." "You know it's out there. We have seen this global issue of people moving in their jobs, leaving their jobs, quitting their jobs. We've seen it in education as well. There's not a teacher shortage. We still have teachers. We've still got the same number of teachers  out there, they're just not in the classroom. It's not a teacher...

We've all been in a situation where we thought, "Wow! That person is difficult." In this episode, Dr. Terrie Noland challenges us to take a different approach to people who may appear "difficult." "Lead people according to their dreams. Coach people, according to their weaknesses. Mentor people according to their potential. Delegate according to their strengths. Relate to people according to their...

Lewis Carroll wrote, “Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." In this episode, Dr. Noland challenges you to turn the "impossible" into "possible.” Literacy leaders around the world are leading the way toward transformational change in literacy instruction. “You’re the ones carrying the torch, lighting the path, walking the halls, and reminding educators what we...

When you see a raised hand, what words come to your mind? Curiosity? Vulnerability? Courage? Leadership? Engagement?  In this episode, Dr. Noland will discuss the importance of hand raising as literacy leaders. "Hand raising is about having a spirit within you that says I am willing to step my foot forward when it's uncomfortable. As literacy leaders, we need to be ones that are hand raisers....

In this dynamic conversation, Dr. John Wyble and Dr. Terrie Noland sit down to discuss the societal impacts of reading rates. In this episode the discussion centers around how the Center for Literacy and Learning are tackling these issues by bringing together cross-functional educational stakeholders. An increased awareness and education on the impacts of reading rates has created a grassroots mob...

In the second part of this two-part series, we dive deep into the last five of eight reasons why belonging to a community is as essential, vital, and integral to our lives as the air we breathe. We all are part of many different communities, even if we don't realize it. Being part of a literacy leadership community is an essential component of our educational journey. "We are here for the advancem...

In the first part of this two-part series, we dive deep into the first three of eight reasons why belonging to a community is as essential, vital, and integral to our lives as the air we breathe. We all are part of many different communities, even if we don't realize it. Being part of a literacy leadership community is an essential component of our educational journey. "We are here for the advance...