NAEP: What you’ve always wanted to know, with Chester Finn, Jr.
Transcripts and additional resources:
Meet Our Guest(s):
Chester Finn, Jr.
Scholar, educator and public servant Chester Finn, Jr. has devoted his career to improving education in the United States. A native of Ohio, he holds an undergraduate degree in U.S. history, a master’s degree in social studies teaching, and a doctorate in education policy, all from Harvard University. He is now distinguished senior fellow and president emeritus at Fordham University, and a senior fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution. Finn was Fordham’s president from 1997 to 2014, after many earlier roles in education, academia, and government. From 1999 until 2002, he was the John M. Olin Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and at Hudson Institute.
Meet our host, Susan Lambert
Susan Lambert is the Chief Academic Officer of Elementary Humanities at Amplify, and the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast. Her career has been focused on creating high-quality learning environments using evidence-based practices. Susan is a mom of four, a grandma of four, a world traveler, and a collector of stories.
As the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan explores the increasing body of scientific research around how reading is best taught. As a former classroom teacher, administrator, and curriculum developer, Susan is dedicated to turning theory into best practices that educators can put right to use in the classroom, and to showcasing national models of reading instruction excellence.
Quotes
“For this to work, we need both great teachers and great curricula.”
“The single most important thing NAEP cannot do [is that] it cannot in any definitive way explain why scores are what they are or are rising or falling.”
Featured Episodes
NAEP: What you’ve always wanted to know, with Chester Finn, Jr.
Meet Our Guest(s):
Meet our guest: Chester Finn, Jr.
Scholar, educator and public servant Chester Finn, Jr. has devoted his career to improving education in the United States. A native of Ohio, he holds an undergraduate degree in U.S. history, a master’s degree in social studies teaching, and a doctorate in education policy, all from Harvard University. He is now distinguished senior fellow and president emeritus at Fordham University, and a senior fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution. Finn was Fordham’s president from 1997 to 2014, after many earlier roles in education, academia, and government. From 1999 until 2002, he was the John M. Olin Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and at Hudson Institute.
Meet our host: Susan Lambert
Susan Lambert is the Chief Academic Officer of Elementary Humanities at Amplify, and the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast. Her career has been focused on creating high-quality learning environments using evidence-based practices. Lambert is a mom of four, a grandma of four, a world traveler, and a collector of stories.
As the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Lambert explores the increasing body of scientific research around how reading is best taught. As a former classroom teacher, administrator, and curriculum developer, Lambert is dedicated to turning theory into best practices that educators can put right to use in the classroom, and to showcasing national models of reading instruction excellence.
Quotes
“It must be acknowledged that there is more scientific research, or there has been more scientific research, conducted with monolingual English-speaking children, and that additional research related to teaching literacy development for English learners and emergent bilinguals is needed to advance our understanding of their literacy development.”
“We have an underserved area that’s experiencing a massive growth in student population. And so it’s really important to then focus on it. Schools are adjusting, they’re quick, they’re doing the best they can, but we need to be having these conversations around research [and] best practices so that we can set schools up for success and students up for success.”
“I just think we have an exciting future in this country. I was in a classroom last week, I saw some of their writing. I saw them speaking, heard them speaking in two languages fluently, easily, excitedly. I just got very excited. These kids are going to be our doctors and our teachers and our engineers and they’re bilingual or multilingual.”
“Their language is an asset, whatever language it is and however much it is.”
The other side of Scarborough’s Rope, with Margaret Goldberg
Meet Our Guest(s):
Margaret Goldberg
Margaret Goldberg is a literacy coach in a large urban district in California. She’s held a variety of roles including district early literacy lead, site-based literacy coach, reading interventionist, and classroom teacher. In every role, she’s worked to help schools and districts align instruction with reading research. She is the co-founder of the Right to Read Project and her writing is published on The Right to Read Project blog and Reading Rockets.
Meet our host, Susan Lambert
Susan Lambert is the Chief Academic Officer of Elementary Humanities at Amplify, and the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast. Her career has been focused on creating high-quality learning environments using evidence-based practices. Susan is a mom of four, a grandma of four, a world traveler, and a collector of stories.
As the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan explores the increasing body of scientific research around how reading is best taught. As a former classroom teacher, administrator, and curriculum developer, Susan is dedicated to turning theory into best practices that educators can put right to use in the classroom, and to showcasing national models of reading instruction excellence.
Quotes
“When was the last time in education anybody heard of de-implementation? All we do is pile one thing on top of another, on top of another…then we wonder why it didn't work.”
“You have to distinguish between an initiative, something that is new, and culture, something that's part of what we do every day and that is embedded. That is more important.”
“The problem is this. If you only look at the results, then you don't know what caused it. Somebody has to look at underlying causes.”
“It's really important for administrators to say, 'Hey, I can deal with some chaos. I can deal with students making mistakes.' That's real learning.”
Featured Episodes
Focused implementation: Doing less to do more, with Dr. Doug Reeves
Transcripts and additional resources:
Meet Our Guest(s):
Dr. Doug Reeves
Dr. Doug Reeves, Ph.D., is the author of more than 40 books and more than 100 articles on leadership and education. He has twice been named to the Harvard University Distinguished Authors Series and was named the Brock International Laureate for his contributions to education.
Meet our host, Susan Lambert
Susan Lambert is the Chief Academic Officer of Elementary Humanities at Amplify, and the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast. Her career has been focused on creating high-quality learning environments using evidence-based practices. Susan is a mom of four, a grandma of four, a world traveler, and a collector of stories.
As the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan explores the increasing body of scientific research around how reading is best taught. As a former classroom teacher, administrator, and curriculum developer, Susan is dedicated to turning theory into best practices that educators can put right to use in the classroom, and to showcasing national models of reading instruction excellence.
Quotes
“When was the last time in education anybody heard of de-implementation? All we do is pile one thing on top of another, on top of another, and then we don't then, then we wonder why it didn't work.”
“If you're not gonna have deep implementation, which requires a level of focus and allocation of time and resources, then don't bother.”
“You have to have a singular focus and, and it's gotta be sustained year after year after year until it becomes part of your culture.”
“You have to distinguish between an initiative, something that is new, and culture, something that's part of what we do every day and that is embedded. That is more important.”
“The problem is this. If you only look at the results, then you don't know what caused it. Somebody has to look at underlying causes.”
“It's really important for administrators to say, 'Hey, I can deal with some chaos. I can deal with students making mistakes.' That's real learning.”
Featured Episodes
From the community, for the community: Grassroots organizing, with Naomi Peña & Akeela Azcuy
Transcripts and additional resources:
Meet Our Guest(s):
Naomi Peña
Naomi Peña is a community and education activist. She is currently president of New York City District 1, Community Education Council.
Akeela Azcuy
Akeela Azcuy has her doctorate in clinical psychology. She is also a board member for Dyslexia Alliance for Black Children and a trustee of the Winward School and Institute.
Meet our host, Susan Lambert
Susan Lambert is the Chief Academic Officer of Elementary Humanities at Amplify, and the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast. Her career has been focused on creating high-quality learning environments using evidence-based practices. Susan is a mom of four, a grandma of four, a world traveler, and a collector of stories.
As the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan explores the increasing body of scientific research around how reading is best taught. As a former classroom teacher, administrator, and curriculum developer, Susan is dedicated to turning theory into best practices that educators can put right to use in the classroom, and to showcasing national models of reading instruction excellence.
Quotes
“Leaders tend to forget that you get more out of parents if you collaborate with them, if you're honest.”
“With the level and degree of training, understanding, and privilege that I had, it was still—and still continues to be—an overwhelming battle to get your child the services that they need.”
Featured Episodes
Leading Legislative Change, with State Senator Mimi Stewart
Transcripts and additional resources:
Meet Our Guest(s):
Mimi Stewart
A former teacher, Mimi Stewart represents New Mexico’s 17th district in the state Senate. She’s spent the last eight years in the state Senate. Previously, she served 20 years in New Mexico’s House of Representatives. From 1995 to 2010, Stewart served in the House while also holding her job as a teacher. By trade, Sen. Stewart is a public school elementary special education teacher, with an expertise in teaching reading. She also taught other teachers how to teach reading using science for five years. In New Mexico’s Senate, Sen. Stewart sponsored New Mexico Senate Bill 398, which requires all first graders to have a simple dyslexia screener.
Meet our host, Susan Lambert
Susan Lambert is the Chief Academic Officer of Elementary Humanities at Amplify, and the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast. Her career has been focused on creating high-quality learning environments using evidence-based practices. Susan is a mom of four, a grandma of four, a world traveler, and a collector of stories.
As the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan explores the increasing body of scientific research around how reading is best taught. As a former classroom teacher, administrator, and curriculum developer, Susan is dedicated to turning theory into best practices that educators can put right to use in the classroom, and to showcasing national models of reading instruction excellence.
Quotes
“Think about how many young kids in school right now we are not reaching and that have that feeling that they're dumb and they can't get it. I had one kid say to me, 'Ms. Stewart, I think there's just a secret code.' And I said to him, 'You are right. There is a secret code. It's called the alphabetic code, and you can learn that easily."
Featured Episodes
The how and why behind high-quality instructional materials, with Rebecca Kockler
Meet Our Guest(s):
Rebecca Kockler
Rebecca Kockler is program director of Reading Reimagined with AERDF and CEO and founder of Illuminate Literacy. She saw firsthand the reading potential of underestimated and overlooked populations such as students of color or students experiencing poverty and was motivated to act on behalf of them. Previously, she was assistant superintendent of academics at the Louisiana Department of Education, where she created a comprehensive, nationally recognized academic support model that gave teachers, principals, and districts the tools and supports necessary to align assessments, curriculum, and teacher evaluation for greater impact.
Meet our host, Susan Lambert
Susan Lambert is the Chief Academic Officer of Elementary Humanities at Amplify, and the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast. Her career has been focused on creating high-quality learning environments using evidence-based practices. Susan is a mom of four, a grandma of four, a world traveler, and a collector of stories.
As the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan explores the increasing body of scientific research around how reading is best taught. As a former classroom teacher, administrator, and curriculum developer, Susan is dedicated to turning theory into best practices that educators can put right to use in the classroom, and to showcasing national models of reading instruction excellence.
Quotes
“It was really our teachers who led so much of the charge to say, ‘No, this is what we want. We believe kids should be held to high expectations. We believe they're capable, we believe they deserve it.’”
Featured Episodes
Love at the center of literacy, with Dr. Nyshawana Francis-Thompson
Transcripts and additional resources:
Meet Our Guest(s):
Dr. Nyshawana Francis-Thompson
Dr. Nyshawana Francis-Thompson is an education leader who advocates for students with diverse academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs. She is Deputy Chief of Curriculum and Instruction in Philadelphia, where she leads the Curriculum Equity Initiative. She previously led the development of an instructional guide for supporting students with disabilities. Her dissertation on Multi-Tiered System of Supports implementation has a focus on evidence-based reading interventions. She approaches the Science of Reading conversation from an equity lens, focused on all students having access to culturally and linguistically inclusive instruction.
Meet our host, Susan Lambert
Susan Lambert is the Chief Academic Officer of Elementary Humanities at Amplify, and the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast. Her career has been focused on creating high-quality learning environments using evidence-based practices. Susan is a mom of four, a grandma of four, a world traveler, and a collector of stories.
As the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan explores the increasing body of scientific research around how reading is best taught. As a former classroom teacher, administrator, and curriculum developer, Susan is dedicated to turning theory into best practices that educators can put right to use in the classroom, and to showcasing national models of reading instruction excellence.
Quotes
“I have never met a student that did not want to learn how to read or a family that did not understand the importance of their children knowing how to read.”
“We have to listen to our young people in order to be able to move with that sense of urgency.”
"Liberation is connected to our students being literate… In order for our students to truly be free, we [need to] understand the power that reading has in their future.”
“We have to remember who we are serving and why we are serving them.”
“A lot of times when you’re in a large system and you’re leading a large system, it can become very robotic, like a machine. You do this, you get this, you do this, you get this. But there’s a human aspect that if you have not considered that human aspect, you could very well end up in the same place that you’re trying to move away from.”
“And while it’s a five-year strategic plan, we do have a sense of urgency and I’m sure within that there are gonna be benchmarks and hundred-day plans and smaller plans to make sure that we are actually doubling down again on the things that truly matter, that are gonna lead, outcomes for our students here in the school district.”
“If we’re only in the business of educating some students, then what are we really doing? It’s important to look at the students that are not benefitting and really identifying the things that work for that population of students rather than continuing with practices that aren’t meeting the needs of the students we’re serving.”
Featured Episodes
Navigating the noise, with Claude Goldenberg
Transcripts and additional resources:
Meet Our Guest(s):
Claude Goldenberg
Claude Goldenberg is the Nomellini & Olivier Professor of Education, emeritus, Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. He received his A.B. in history from Princeton University and M.A. and Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Education at UCLA. He has taught junior high school in San Antonio, TX, and first grade in a bilingual elementary school in Los Angeles. A native of Argentina, his areas of research centered on promoting academic achievement among language minority students, particularly those from Spanish-speaking backgrounds. He currently works on promoting research, policy, and practices to enhance literacy and academic development among students not yet proficient in English.
Meet our host, Susan Lambert
Susan Lambert is the Chief Academic Officer of Elementary Humanities at Amplify, and the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast. Her career has been focused on creating high-quality learning environments using evidence-based practices. Susan is a mom of four, a grandma of four, a world traveler, and a collector of stories.
As the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan explores the increasing body of scientific research around how reading is best taught. As a former classroom teacher, administrator, and curriculum developer, Susan is dedicated to turning theory into best practices that educators can put right to use in the classroom, and to showcasing national models of reading instruction excellence.
Quotes
"You can think of literacy as a structure, as something that gets constructed in your mind."
Featured Episodes
Special interlude #1: Why the Science of Reading isn’t just about reading
Meet Our Guest(s):
Natalie Wexler
Natalie Wexler is an education writer and the author of The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America’s Broken Education System—And How to Fix It (Avery 2019). She is also the co-author, with Judith C. Hochman, of The Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and Grades (Jossey-Bass, 2017), and a senior contributor to the education channel on Forbes.com.
Natalie’s articles and essays on education and other topics have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, the MIT Technology Review, The American Scholar, and other publications. She has spoken on education before a wide variety of groups and appeared on a number of TV and radio shows, including Morning Joe and NPR’s On Point and 1A.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, a masters’ degree in history from the University of Sussex (UK), and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania. She has also worked as a reporter, a Supreme Court law clerk, a lawyer, and a legal historian.
Meet Our Host: Susan Lambert
Susan Lambert is the chief academic officer of elementary humanities at Amplify, and the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast. Her career, including classroom teacher, building administrator, and district-level leader, has been focused on creating high-quality learning environments using evidence-based practices. Susan is a mom of four, a grandma of four, a world traveler, and a collector of stories. Her professional quarantine accomplishments include the production of knowledge-based learning modules for kindergarten through grade-two students, available through Amplify’s free resources website and Wide Open Schools.
Quotes
“Here's the catch about writing: It's hugely important. It can help cement knowledge and long-term memory, and deepen knowledge.”
“Even if you as a teacher have doubts about the curriculum. It's really important to give it your best shot and approach it with enthusiasm.”
