My Child Can’t Read: A Heartland Crisis

What happens after awareness? One month after concluding Season 4 of My Child Can’t Read: A Heartland Crisis, Jesica Glover sits down with investigative journalist Emily Hanford for a thoughtful conversation about what comes next in the national literacy conversation—and what that means for Kansas. Together, they explore: Why reading reform is so difficult inside large systems The ongoing gaps in...

What if the question isn’t whether children can learn to read— but whether we’ve built systems that actually teach them? In this episode, we step inside a real example of what happens when research, instruction, leadership, and community support are aligned. Through the story of the Phillips Fundamental Learning Center, we explore what it actually takes to move from awareness to implementation—and...

If we know how children learn to read—why hasn’t it reached every classroom? In this episode, we examine who holds the power to shape education in Kansas—and what happens when policy, preparation, and practice aren’t aligned. From state-level decision-making to classroom reality, this conversation explores why change is complex… and what it actually takes to ensure every child receives instruction...

What if the problem isn’t that we don’t know what works—but that everything around it is out of sync? In this episode, we explore the growing gap between policy and practice, where teacher preparation, curriculum, and classroom expectations often operate in silos. We unpack what happens when reading struggles go unidentified—and how those challenges extend far beyond the classroom, shaping behavio...

What does the research actually say about how children learn to read—and why hasn’t it reached every classroom? In this episode, we examine decades of reading science alongside the real experiences of teachers, parents, and students. From the National Institutes of Health to classrooms across Kansas, the evidence is clear: we know how children learn to read. So why are so many still being left beh...

In this episode of My Child Can’t Read: A Heartland Crisis, we move up the ladder of responsibility to examine the adults caught in the middle of the literacy crisis. Teachers, administrators, and community members care deeply and take action—but knowledge gaps, systemic limits, and bureaucratic obstacles often stop even the most well-intentioned efforts. From classroom struggles to a privately fu...

We begin Season 4 not with policy — but with harm. This episode centers the children and families who have borne the greatest cost of reading failure. Before we examine systems, infrastructure, and preparation, we must confront what literacy breakdown actually feels like in homes and classrooms. Reading failure is not neutral. And it is not rare. In This Episode, You’ll Hear From: Jamie Beck – Kan...

 Next season on My Child Can’t Read: A Heartland Crisis… we’re widening the lens. For the past three seasons, we’ve told the stories of parents, teachers, and children fighting for the right to read — often inside systems that weren’t built to help them. We listened to the pain. We traced the history. We followed the science. And along the way, something became clear. This isn’t just a personal cr...

In this special bonus episode, Jesica Glover sits down with Dr. Joyce S. Pickering — a globally respected leader in literacy, learning differences, teacher training, and multisensory instruction. With more than fifty years devoted to helping children with language-based learning differences, Dr. Pickering’s wisdom offers a rare, grounding perspective in the midst of America’s literacy reform movem...

In rural Kansas, access to reading specialists, dyslexia services, and evidence-based literacy instruction can be limited — or completely unavailable. When schools say “wait and see,” families are often left navigating the system alone. In this episode, we tell the story of what happens when the system says no — and communities rise. You’ll hear how parents, teachers, and local advocates organize,...

Kansas has officially recognized dyslexia as a learning disability — a historic moment years in the making. But what does that recognition actually mean for families, educators, and students? In this episode of My Child Can’t Read: A Heartland Crisis, we explore how dyslexia language finally entered Kansas law, the advocacy and relationships behind that change, and the reality that recognition alo...

Even when families and teachers advocate for struggling readers, systemic blind spots in Special Education can lead to misdiagnosis, mislabeling, and emotional harm. In this episode, we examine how children with dyslexia are frequently misidentified as having behavioral or attention issues, the consequences of delayed intervention, and how parents and teachers can navigate the system to ensure chi...

In this episode, we explore the essential role parents play in advocating for their children’s right to read. From early concerns to navigating school systems and special education processes, families and experts share how informed advocacy transforms fear and confusion into clarity and action. Through parent stories, advocacy experts, and research voices, this episode shows how policy on paper on...

 In this premiere episode of Season 3, Teacher Voices: What We Were Never Taught, we explore the stories of teachers who were never taught how the brain actually learns to read. From decades of classroom experience to the challenges of supporting struggling readers, our guests reveal the gaps in teacher preparation and the deep impact on children, parents, and educators alike. We connect these exp...

This is the introduction to season three of 'My Child Can't Read: A Heartland Crisis.' This season of the  podcast explores the real-life battles within the literacy revolution. Highlighting stories from teachers, parents, and advocates, the season delves into the struggles and triumphs of those fighting for children's right to read in a system that often fails them. Listeners are taken back throu...

SHOW NOTES  In this special bonus episode of My Child Can’t Read: A Heartland Crisis, host Jesica Glover sits down with Tammy Kofford, whose 30-year journey from classroom confusion to literacy transformation captures the heart of our bonus title: When the Teacher Gets It, Literacy is Unlocked for Everyone. Tammy’s story begins in the era of whole language, where teachers were told that reading wo...

SHOW NOTES / RESOURCES Mississippi has gone from near the bottom to top 10 in the nation for fourth-grade reading — and other states are following its lead. In this episode, we explore the blueprint behind Mississippi’s success: statewide alignment, sustained professional learning, intensive coaching, strategic assessment, and university partnerships. We also look at what Kansas can learn from the...

Show Notes In this episode, we explore the state of literacy in Kansas and across the U.S., digging into the latest NAEP data to uncover what it really tells us about reading proficiency. We discuss the persistent gaps in achievement, the urgent need for systemic change, and the power of evidence-based instruction. Featuring voices from Diane Lyon, Kendra Heim, Alana McWilliams, Sarah Balzer, and...

Show Notes: What actually happens in the brain when a child learns to read? In this episode, host Jesica Glover explores the neuroscience behind reading — uncovering why the Science of Reading works from a biological standpoint and how understanding the brain’s reading circuitry can transform how we teach. You’ll hear from experts, educators, and Kansas leaders who explain what decades of research...

Show notes:  What happens when a school doesn’t just talk about the Science of Reading — but builds everything around it? In this episode, Jesica takes listeners inside the Phillips Fundamental Learning Center in Wichita, Kansas — a place where reading science meets compassion and children who once struggled to read are now thriving. Through powerful stories from parents, assessors, teachers, and...

Show Notes If we know how children learn to read, why are so many schools still getting it wrong? In this episode, Jesica dives into the science behind phonics, the pitfalls of whole language and balanced literacy, and the systemic barriers keeping effective reading instruction out of classrooms. You’ll hear from reading researchers, school leaders, literacy specialists and parents who have seen f...

Watching a child struggle to read can feel heartbreaking—and for parents and teachers, it’s easy to feel powerless. In this bonus episode of My Child Can’t Read: A Heartland Crisis, host Jesica Glover sits down with Tammi Hope, Director of Program Development at Phillips Fundamental Learning Center (PFLC), to hear how belief, the right tools, and a child-centered approach are transforming literacy...

What if every child had access to the kind of instruction that transforms lives?  In our Season 1 finale, we revisit the journey of Austin, once a struggling 6-year-old, now a thriving 17-year-old scoring in the top percentiles on the ACT. His story reminds us what’s possible when kids are finally taught to read with proven methods. This episode takes a hard look at Kansas literacy outcomes, where...

What if the child getting in trouble at school wasn’t defiant, but desperate?    In this moving episode, we hear directly from struggling readers and their families about what school really felt like when the system failed to see them. Kids labeled as lazy, inattentive, or “the problem” describe the shame, isolation, and heartbreak that came from not being able to read — and the turning points whe...

What if I told you it was never your fault?   Many teachers care deeply — so why do so many children still struggle to read? In this eye-opening episode, we explore the myth of balanced literacy, the widespread training gaps in teacher preparation, and the emotional toll on students and families. We follow the powerful journey of Jeanine Phillips — a Kansas teacher and mom who discovered her own d...