Send us a Text Message.

The One About…
Program Review Protocols with Dr. Timothy Shanahan
Timothy Shanahan’s latest blog on problems with textbook reviews got us talking!
Shanahan took some time out of his busy schedule to join us on The Literacy View to
discuss problems and his suggested solutions.
Shanahan on Literacy Article:
What About Textbook Reviews?
https://www.shanahanonliteracy.com/blog/what-about-the-textbook-reviews
Quote:
Despite the rhetoric of these groups, the term “evidence aligned” is meaningless. Often
there is no direct evidence that what is being required has ever benefited children’s
learning in a research study.

TIMOTHY SHANAHAN bio:
Timothy Shanahan is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at
Chicago where he was Founding Director of the UIC Center for Literacy. Previously, he
was director of reading for the Chicago Public Schools. He is author/editor of more than
200 publications on literacy education. His research emphasizes the connections
between reading and writing, literacy in the disciplines, and improvement of reading
achievement.
Tim is past president of the International Literacy Association. He served as a member
of the Advisory Board of the National Institute for Literacy under Presidents George W.
Bush and Barack Obama, and he helped lead the National Reading Panel, convened at
the request of Congress to evaluate research on the teaching reading, a major influence
on reading education. He chaired two other federal research review panels: the National
Literacy Panel for Language Minority Children and Youth, and the National Early
Literacy Panel, and helped write the Common Core State Standards.
He was inducted to the Reading Hall of Fame in 2007 and is a former first-grade
teacher.

Support the Show.

The Literacy View is an engaging and inclusive platform encouraging respectful discussion and debate about current issues in education.

Co-hosts Faith Borkowsky and Judy Boksner coach teachers, teach children to read, and hold master's degrees in education.

Our goal is to leave listeners thinking about the issues and drawing their own conclusions.

Get ready for the most THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND DELICIOUSLY ENTERTAINING education podcast!

Send us a Text Message.

The One About…
Ann Sullivan: Phonics for Students with Special Needs
Autistic people’s cognitive potential has been underestimated as well as their linguistic
potential. Ann Sullivan offers suggestions for how teachers can help children access phonics.
Article:
“Literacy in Nonspeaking Autistic People”
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/13623613241230709

Ann Sullivan Bio:
Ann has over 30 years’ experience in mainstream and specialist education. Based in the UK, her
career includes roles as a KS1 and KS2 class teacher, secondary specialist literacy teacher,
school-based Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO), an advisory teacher for pupils
with special educational needs and a Specialist Leader in Education (SLE).
In 2018 her ‘Phonics for Pupils with Special Educational Needs’ programme was published by
Speechmark Routledge. In 2022 her book & A Parents Guide to Phonics was published and a
year later her & Access to Phonics book. Ann is on the writing team for (a network for
those supporting children with physical disabilities in schools). Ann is now a literacy consultant,
trainer and writer.
Ann’s website:
PhonicsforpupilswithSpecialEducationalNeeds.com

Support the Show.

The Literacy View is an engaging and inclusive platform encouraging respectful discussion and debate about current issues in education.

Co-hosts Faith Borkowsky and Judy Boksner coach teachers, teach children to read, and hold master's degrees in education.

Our goal is to leave listeners thinking about the issues and drawing their own conclusions.

Get ready for the most THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND DELICIOUSLY ENTERTAINING education podcast!

Send us a Text Message.

The One About…
Which ELA Practices Should Be Removed? Anna Geiger, The Measured Mom, Weighs In!
Casey Jergens lists many of the practices he has dropped from his ELA block over the years.
Article:
PUTTING THE “STRUCTURE” INTO STRUCTURED LITERACY: PART 4
By Casey Jergens
3/27/24
The Goyen Foundation Blog
https://www.goyen.io/blog/putting-the-structure-into-structured-literacy-part-4

Bio:
Anna Geiger has classroom experience from first through fifth grade. After earning her master's degree in Curriculum & Instruction, she began caring for her children at home. Since 2013, Anna has served educators through her blog, The Measured Mom, where she shares hands-on
lessons, thoughtful articles, and printable resources. She hosts a weekly podcast called Triple R Teaching, and she provides thousands of resources to members of her membership site for
PreK-3rd grade educators. Her book, Reach All Readers, is being released on July 23.
https://www.themeasuredmom.com/

Support the Show.

The Literacy View is an engaging and inclusive platform encouraging respectful discussion and debate about current issues in education.

Co-hosts Faith Borkowsky and Judy Boksner coach teachers, teach children to read, and hold master's degrees in education.

Our goal is to leave listeners thinking about the issues and drawing their own conclusions.

Get ready for the most THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND DELICIOUSLY ENTERTAINING education podcast!

Send us a Text Message.

The One About…
APM Journalist Christopher Peak Breaking News Episode!
Sold a Story Christopher Peak joins us to discuss his THREE APRIL articles with us about the collapse of literacy giants: Reading Recovery, Lucy Calkins, and Fountas and Pinnell, along with Heinemann Publishing.

Christopher Peak Bio:
Christopher Peak is an investigative reporter who covers education for APM Reports. He co-reported “Sold a Story,” a podcast about a disproven approach to teaching reading used in
many elementary schools. The series was one of Apple’s most shared podcasts in 2023. It won a DuPont-Columbia, a National Edward R. Murrow Award, an IRE Award, a Third Coast Award and
two Scripps Howard awards, and it was nominated for a Peabody. Following its release, at least 16 states passed new laws about reading instruction, and school districts nationwide, including New York City, announced they would no longer use programs covered in the podcast. Peak
previously covered schools for the New Haven Independent. He was a finalist for the Education
Writers Association’s national award for beat reporting, and he won numerous regional awards,
including Connecticut SPJ's First Amendment Award. Peak has also written for Nation Swell, the Point Reyes Light, Newsday and the San Francisco Public Press.
Christopher Peak APM Reports
https://www.apmreports.org/profile/christopher-peak
April 4, 2024
As states refocus reading instruction, two universities stick with a discredited idea
Other schools are backing away from a disproven theory about how kids learn to read, but programs started by Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell train literacy coaches to believe in it.
https://www.apmreports.org/story/2024/04/04/retraining-science-of-reading-ohio-state-
Lesley-University
April 11, 2024
Reading Recovery organization confronts financial difficulties
as schools around the country are dropping Reading Recovery, the nonprofit that advocates for the tutoring program tapped into its cash reserves to push back against journalists and legislators.
https://www.apmreports.org/story/2024/04/11/reading-recovery-financial-difficulties
April 30, 2024
‘Science of reading’ movement spells financial trouble for publisher Heinemann
The educational publisher raked in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue during the 2010s
selling reading programs based on a disproven theory. The company now faces financial fallout, as schools ditch its products.
https://www.apmreports.org/story/2024/04/30/publisher-heinemann-financial-trouble-
science-of-reading

Faith Borkowsky’s books:
Amazon Author Page
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07YM3X395

Support the Show.

The Literacy View is an engaging and inclusive platform encouraging respectful discussion and debate about current issues in education.

Co-hosts Faith Borkowsky and Judy Boksner coach teachers, teach children to read, and hold master's degrees in education.

Our goal is to leave listeners thinking about the issues and drawing their own conclusions.

Get ready for the most THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND DELICIOUSLY ENTERTAINING education podcast!

Send us a Text Message.

The One About…
Kathy Rastle on Having a Database of Books for Children
The Children and Young People’s Books-Lexicon (CYP-LEX) provides unprecedented information
into the nature of vocabulary in books that British children aged 7+ read and is a highly valuable resource for those studying reading and language development.
Shouldn’t we have one in the USA?
What Words do Children Encounter When They Read for Pleasure?
Maria Korochkina Kathy Rastle on Having a Database of Books for Children amp; Kathy Rastle

Mar 12, 2024
Blog:
https://www.rastlelab.com/post/what-words-do-children-encounter-when-they-read-for- pleasure
Bio:
Kathleen Rastle is a cognitive psychologist and Professor of Cognitive Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London where she was previously the Head of Department of
Psychology (2015-2019). Her research has made fundamental contributions to understanding of
reading and learning to read. Dr. Rastle has a strong interest in translating her research to
improve policies and practices relevant to how children around the world are taught to read.
She won the ESRC 'Celebrating Impact' Prize for Outstanding International Impact (2020).
https://pure.royalholloway.ac.uk/en/persons/kathy-rastle
Research Article:
The Children and Young People’s Books Lexicon (CYP-LEX): A large-scale lexical database of books read by children and young people in the United Kingdom
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17470218241229694

Support the Show.

The Literacy View is an engaging and inclusive platform encouraging respectful discussion and debate about current issues in education.

Co-hosts Faith Borkowsky and Judy Boksner coach teachers, teach children to read, and hold master's degrees in education.

Our goal is to leave listeners thinking about the issues and drawing their own conclusions.

Get ready for the most THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND DELICIOUSLY ENTERTAINING education podcast!

Send us a Text Message.

Support the Show.

The Literacy View is an engaging and inclusive platform encouraging respectful discussion and debate about current issues in education.

Co-hosts Faith Borkowsky and Judy Boksner coach teachers, teach children to read, and hold master's degrees in education.

Our goal is to leave listeners thinking about the issues and drawing their own conclusions.

Get ready for the most THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND DELICIOUSLY ENTERTAINING education podcast!

Send us a Text Message.

The One About…
TRL Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines with Dr. Maria Murray and Kari Kurto
Here is a link to the Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines:
https://www.thereadingleague.org/curriculum-evaluation-guidelines/
When reviewing curricula for Tier I instruction, it is essential to ensure they do not include instructional practices that are not aligned with the scientific evidence base of how children learn to read.
The Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines are designed to highlight any non-aligned practices, or
“red flags,” that may be present. Here is a landing page with more information on the Curriculum Navigation Reports:
https://www.thereadingleague.org/media/introducing-the-reading-leagues-curriculum-navigation-reports/ Each report provides an in-depth examination of each curriculum’s components based on evidence-aligned practices. One of the reports’ unique strengths is their emphasis on identifying ‘red flag’ practices—those that do not align with the scientific evidence base. These reports are the only ones that prioritize identifying practices that could prevent students from
developing skilled reading.
Maria S. Murray is the founder, CEO and President of The Reading League. A pioneer in the “science of reading” movement, she has been active in this field for more than 20 years. Prior
to founding The Reading League, Maria was an associate professor at SUNY Oswego where she
taught courses related to literacy assessment and intervention for 10 years.
Kari Kurto, TRL’s National Science of Reading Project Director and Certified Reading Specialist
https://www.thereadingleague.org/about/

Support the Show.

The Literacy View is an engaging and inclusive platform encouraging respectful discussion and debate about current issues in education.

Co-hosts Faith Borkowsky and Judy Boksner coach teachers, teach children to read, and hold master's degrees in education.

Our goal is to leave listeners thinking about the issues and drawing their own conclusions.

Get ready for the most THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND DELICIOUSLY ENTERTAINING education podcast!

Send us a Text Message.

The One About…
The Most Effective Reading Instruction with Dr. Molly Ness
“New and Not-­Well-­Known Research about Reading Disabilities: Teachers Want to Know”
https://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/trtr.2280
What is the Most Effective Instruction for Learning Disabilities?
What is Dyslexia?
What is DLD?
Why is the Conversation around Reading Disorders So Confusing?
Reading Screening Versus Learning Disability Identification
Instruction in Word Recognition and Language Comprehension
Dr. Molly Ness is a former classroom teacher, a reading researcher, and a teacher educator. She
spent 16 years as an associate professor of childhood education at Fordham University. Her
research focuses on reading comprehension, teachers’ instructional decisions, and dyslexia.
https://drmollyness.com/
Latest book:
Read Alouds for All Learners

Support the Show.

The Literacy View is an engaging and inclusive platform encouraging respectful discussion and debate about current issues in education.

Co-hosts Faith Borkowsky and Judy Boksner coach teachers, teach children to read, and hold master's degrees in education.

Our goal is to leave listeners thinking about the issues and drawing their own conclusions.

Get ready for the most THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND DELICIOUSLY ENTERTAINING education podcast!