Systematizing literacy, with Reid Lyon, Ph.D.
Transcripts and additional resources:
Meet Our Guest(s):
Reid Lyon, Ph.D.
Reid Lyon is a neuroscientist and specialist in learning disorders who currently serves as a senior advisor to the Drexel University ALLIED Hub. From 1991 to 2025, he served as Chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch at The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)/National Institutes of Health, where he developed and oversaw research programs in cognitive neuroscience and reading development. In this role, he designed and directed the 44-site NICHD Reading Research Network and served as an advisor to President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush on developmental science, language, and reading. He co-authored landmark legislation including the Reading Excellence Act (1996) and Reading First Initiative (2002), and authored the legislative language for the National Reading Panel.
Lyon has published over 130 peer-reviewed articles and co-authored the definition of dyslexia now used by the International Dyslexia Association. A Vietnam combat veteran who received the Bronze Star, he brings both scientific expertise and personal perspective to understanding learning differences and translating research into practice and policy.
Meet our host, Susan Lambert, Ed.D.
Susan Lambert is chief academic officer of literacy at Amplify and host of Science of Reading: The Podcast. Throughout her career, she has 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. A former classroom teacher, administrator, and curriculum developer, she’s 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 know we've let children down, but boy have we let teachers down.”
“The hallmark of a profession is a common language displaying a common knowledge.”
“How is it that we know so much yet we are still far behind the curve in helping the majority of struggling readers learn to read?”
“Science is neutral. The Science of Reading is not a belief system. It's a container with facts that constantly evolves.”
“Much of our difficulties moving the science [of literacy] into classrooms is a function of not having established ourselves as a profession.”
“We have a responsibility to use the best information possible that has taught us how we can improve the person's life.”
“Assessment is a great friend.”
“What we know is only as good as what we do.”