All Episodes
Displaying 1 - 30 of 189 in total
A behind-the-scenes look at EdTech startups and curriculum companies (with Ross Romano)
Many of my colleagues working in the public sector are skeptical of companies selling products to school districts. I’ve felt some of this skepticism myself as I’ve se...
Reframing the purpose of social narratives, video modeling, and social skills lesson plans
Many people treat social skills groups as if they’re the complete package, when in fact they’re just one part of a bigger service plan. When we “lesson plan” we can’t ...
Scaffolding syntax and semantics for non-readers and redefining life skills
Syntactic use is considered an “academic” skill that’s useful for reading comprehension and writing, but the impact of sentence comprehension goes way beyond school.Ou...
Dynamic Assessment: Evaluations are a process, not a test (with Destiny Johnson)
I regularly hear from therapists who ask me questions about how to evaluate language in a way that gives detailed, meaningful, and accurate information.Most people kno...
Supporting multilingual students and taking part in state and national advocacy work (with Puja Goel and Prabhu Eswaran)
Language evaluations are challenging enough; but when we’re evaluating multilingual and bilingual students, they become even more complex. When clinicians ask me about...
Is it a behavior issue or a language and literacy issue?
In this interview, I revisit conversations surrounding the school-to-confinement pipeline, giving students’ the language skills to understand their rights, the link be...
Defining educational technology and considering homework equity issues
In this interview, I revisit conversations surrounding the use of the term “dyslexia” in the schools, the use of technology, and equitable access to books. I share my ...
Morphology hierarchies, etymology, and reframing the “joy” of reading.
How much do we need to know about morphology and etymology to effectively help students? Is etymology an essential component to spelling and reading instruction?Will p...
Leveraging read-alouds to build language and getting started with advocacy work (with Dr. Molly Ness)
Many skeptics of the science of reading are concerned that structured approaches will bore kids and make it less likely they’ll enjoy reading. These concerns are unfou...
Developmental language disorder: Impacts on literacy and life beyond school (with Dr. Karla McGregor)
Students who meet the criteria for developmental language disorder (DLD) are often categorized as “speech only” in the school systems. In many cases, these students qu...
The relationship of literacy and language skills and involvement with the justice system (with Dr. Shameka Stewart)
There is a disproportionate number of individuals with communication disorders and reading disabilities involved with the justice system for both children and adults.P...
Increasing book equity and fostering a love of reading (with Susan Brady)
How can school leaders make informed decisions about reading curriculum when they know the home environments among their student body vary widely?I don’t envy people t...
Are we allowed to say “dyslexia” in the schools? (with Tom Parton)
In 2015, the Office of Special Education Programs published a letter stating that school teams were “not prohibited” from using the term “dyslexia”. Unfortunately, thi...
Debunking reading myths and defining literacy buzzwords (with Anna Geiger)
There are many “science of reading” terms being used right now (including the “science of reading” itself).Yet debates about how to help kids become literate continues...
Building the language skills for reading, writing, and spelling (with Dr. Jan Wasowicz)
The “science of reading” is trending; but in order for professionals to engage in effective instruction, they need to understand that literacy also includes spelling a...
Re-release: The impact of texting on literacy and the skills needed for effective word-reading
In this episode, I’m revisiting an older episode in honor of a special event that I'm doing in the month of September, 2024.I'm so excited to participate in the Nation...
Creating a culture of collaboration on your school team (with Kurtis Hewson)
I’m a huge supporter of professionals taking ownership of their careers; regardless of the systemic issues at play.But having said that, I ALSO like to help educators ...
School leadership and middle management (with Chris Dodge and Dr. Chris Jones)
A while back, I heard someone refer to school administrators and other public sector leaders as “middle managers”, and it really hit home for me. As I’ve transitioned ...
Increasing attendance with student engagement and connectedness (with Jen Perry)
How can districts reverse chronic absenteeism and gain a deeper understanding of why students don’t come to school? Can we measure how “connected” students are to thei...
Social-emotional learning for adults (featuring Crissy Mombela, Lisa Navarra, and Dr. Theresa Melito-Conners)
Most discussions around social-emotional learning are about helping kids stay regulated, healthy, and adjusted, but we can’t forget about the adults. Being in any type...
Making intentional decisions and leaning on the expertise of your team (with Dr. Jen Schwanke)
As a school leader, when is it best to make “top-down” decisions, and when should you make it a collaborative process?How can you tell which stakeholder input to prior...
How to support executive functioning with environmental scaffolding (self-talk, time-perception, planning)
Today, I wanted to share some FAQs that people ask about how to teach executive functioning. Some of those common questions are:How do you teach self-talk, time-percep...
What do administrators need from school therapists and teachers? (featuring Eric Makelky, Jalita Johnson, and Jethro Jones)
Almost every school leader that I know has said they didn’t realize what they were getting themselves into when they started their first administrative position. In th...
A framework for executive functioning intervention: Three shifts for school teams
As a professional field, we’re getting stuck in old ways of thinking when it comes to designing services for students experiencing executive dysfunction. When we think...
The role of syntax in supporting language processing and executive functioning
Language and executive functioning have a bidirectional relationship (Baron & Arbel, 2022; Larson, et al., 2019). This means that building language skills can impact e...
Turning litigious situations in to reading reform initiatives (with Mary Saghafi and Shannon Betts)
Teacher preparation programs should equip reading teachers with the knowledge they need to provide explicit intervention for students who have dyslexia or other disabi...
The content + strategy + retrieval trifecta for language and executive functioning (with Katy Wyatt)
Is it functional to work on parts of speech?Is sentence diagramming useful? How do we improve word-retrieval in kids with developmental disabilities, and is it similar...
Experiential learning and cultivating a passion for the outdoors (with Greg Morrissey)
Preparing young people for adulthood is all about providing them with the right blend of experiences; both in and outside of school. Building literacy, numeracy, and c...
The summer slide: Real phenomenon or invented by tutoring companies? (with David Schipper)
My heart sinks when I see how polarizing topics in education have become, as well as the tendency for people to have “all or nothing” thinking.I’ve seen an increasing ...
Why aren’t they participating? Rethinking family engagement in special education (with Dr. Kristin Vogel-Campbell)
Helping families feel involved in their children’s education goes beyond checking the boxes to make sure you’re following legal guidelines.That’s why I invited Dr. Kri...