The Reading Symphony

📩 Join My Email List Katie welcomes Sean Morrisey, creator of the Word Mapping Project, for an engaging conversation about vocabulary instruction, morphology, the Science of Reading, and why building "word wealth" is essential for every child's literacy development. Drawing on his experience as both a former school psychologist and a fifth-grade teacher, Sean explains why vocabulary should be tau...

📩 Join My Email List Katie hosts Phyllis Hakeem, Professor of Education at Bay Path University, for a thought-provoking conversation about the science of reading, neuroscience, structured literacy, and why educators must embrace the principle of "do no harm" when teaching children to read. PHYLISS'S LINKS LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phyllis-hakeem-a92b4838 Email: phakeem@baypath.edu Bay...

📩 Join My Email List Katie hosts Kate Crist, founder of Education 4500 and literacy consultant, to discuss one of the biggest challenges facing schools today: why so many students reach middle school and high school without being able to read grade-level texts fluently. Kate's Links: Website: https://www.education4500.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katecrist/ CHAPTERS 00:00 – Why So M...

📩 Join My Email List Katie welcomes Jaenine Cortazar Rodriguez, literacy consultant, educator, and co-founder of Boston Literacy Ladies, for a conversation about teacher coaching, literacy instruction, educator burnout, and the support teachers need to help students thrive. Jaenine shares how she and her business partner built Boston Literacy Ladies to provide personalized coaching and practical...

📩 Join My Email List Katie hosts education journalist and author Holly Korbey to discuss the science of learning and what parents and educators should understand about how children actually learn. Holly explains concepts like cognitive load, explicit instruction, retrieval practice, background knowledge, and why step-by-step teaching matters more than many people realize. Katie and Holly discuss...

📩 Join My Email List Katie Megrian hosts Missy Purcell, a literacy and inclusion advocate, educator, and parent, to discuss what parents can do when they know something is wrong but the school data says their child is “fine.” Missy shares how advocating for her dyslexic son’s right to read led her into parent advocacy, structured literacy work, and state-level dyslexia reform. She explains why gr...

Katie Megrian hosts Michelle Henderson, a literacy and dyslexia specialist and creator of the Parent Blueprint, to discuss how reading develops and how parents can advocate for struggling readers. Michelle shares that her son’s reading struggles led her to study the science of reading and focus on equipping parents, noting many children fall through cracks due to gaps in training, not lack of care...

Linda Farrell and Michael Hunter are founding partners at Readsters in Alexandria, VA. They work in schools all over the country to help educators provide assessment and instruction that ensures all students learn to read. Teachers tell Linda and Michael that they appreciate the practicality of their consulting and their presentations. The reason they can provide practical solutions for helping st...

🎧 Episode Summary In this episode of the Reading Symphony Podcast, I sit down with early childhood educator Salley King Edwards , whose 25+ year career spans classrooms, coaching, and national literacy work through Cox Campus. We explore how language, knowledge, and everyday interactions lay the foundation for reading long before formal instruction begins. Salley shares her personal journey as bo...

In this special live episode of The Reading Symphony Podcast , Katie sits down with colleague and friend Kindred Obas for a conversation about joyful reading culture, complex texts, identity, and the kinds of classroom experiences that help children see themselves as readers. Together, Katie and Kindred discuss: how to build a classroom culture where reading feels joyful, social, and meaningful wh...

Episode Show Notes In this episode of The Reading Symphony Podcast , Katie sits down with national literacy consultant John Bennetts to discuss what reading development actually looks like in real classrooms and real families. John shares how an unexpected start in education led him to work alongside renowned literacy expert Linda Farrell early in his career, shaping his approach to evidence-based...

Episode Summary In this episode, Katie sits down with literacy advocate and author Elise Lovejoy , creator of Express Readers and founder of The Teacher’s Table . Elise shares her journey into the science of reading, explains the critical difference between leveled readers and decodable books, and offers practical guidance for parents supporting early readers at home. She also discusses the import...

Katie Megrian speaks with education policy expert Chad Aldeman, founder of Aldeman Education LLC and creator of ReadNotGuess.com, about early reading development, intervention, and broader K–12 trends. Chad shares that his son’s kindergarten experience during COVID revealed that his son had not been taught to decode and was guessing words. That realization led him to create Read Not Guess, a free,...

Episode Summary In this episode, Katie talks with Dr. Marnie Ginsberg about what helps kids learn to read and why so many teachers were never given the tools to fix word-reading problems. Dr. Ginsberg shares the story that launched her career: sixth-grade students reading years below grade level and a breakthrough approach that helped them make dramatic gains in a single spring. Together they unpa...

Rosy Hely Reed. Rosy is a Director, Academics at TNTP - a non-profit organization that brings research, policy, and consulting together to reimagine America's K-12 public education system. She has been at TNTP since 2016, and currently leads the execution of academic reviews in schools and districts across the country, providing data and insights on students' and teachers' access to the resources...

In this episode of the Reading Symphony Podcast, host Katie Megrian engages in a comprehensive conversation with Gaby Diller, founder of Lotus Advocacy. Launched in 2020, Lotus Advocacy aims to support special education departments, families, and students by centering families as essential members of the special education team. Gaby shares insights on her personal journey with learning challenges...

Where to find Alyssa? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learn_with_alyssa/?hl=en Website: https://www.learnwithalyssa.net/ Handwriting Resources: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Write-to-Read-Verbal-Cue-Handwriting-Cards-13558681

In this episode of the Reading Symphony Podcast, Katie Megrian hosts Whitney Whealdon, a career educator and learning architect. They discuss the critical role of background knowledge in reading comprehension, the development of Louisiana's ELA guidebooks, and the importance of coherent and aligned literacy curricula. Whitney shares insights from her career journey, innovation in curriculum develo...

The Reading Symphony Podcast helps families and caregivers understand how reading develops and what truly supports reading success, with clarity, compassion, and evidence-based guidance. Host Katie Megrian (educator, parent, and literacy advocate) interviews experts who translate research into practical next steps for home and school. In this episode, Katie is joined by Kate Winn , an Ontario educ...

In this episode of the Reading Symphony Podcast, host Katie Megrian interviews Dr. Julia B. Lindsey, a literacy expert and author of 'Reading Above The Fray.' They discuss how reading develops, the importance of evidence-based practices in literacy instruction, the role of phonics and comprehension, and the use of small group instruction. Dr. Lindsey shares her insights on the prerequisites for re...

Episode 1: Why Reading Feels So Hard (and Why It Doesn’t Have to) Welcome to the first episode of The Reading Symphony Podcast . I’m your host, Katie Megrian—educator, literacy leader, and mom to two very different readers. In this episode, I break down the current state of reading in the U.S., why so many children struggle, and the hopeful truth that at least 95% of kids can learn to read with th...

🎙 Episode: Making Words Stick and Read-Alouds for All Learners (with Dr. Molly Ness) In this episode of The Reading Symphony Podcast , Katie Megrian sits down with Dr. Molly Ness, former classroom teacher, reading researcher, teacher educator, and author of six books (with a seventh on the way). Molly is known for translating research into practical, usable moves for teachers and families, and thi...

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