Literacy advocates are asking us all to face an uncomfortable reality: For decades, we’ve done a poor job of teaching children how to read in this country, and the widening gap in literacy is most apparent among our Black, Latino and Native American young people.

The good news is that we now know many the sources of our problems with literacy instruction, and advocates have both the policy solutions and new curricula to tackle the issue head on. Gloria speaks with panelists Jamila Newman of TNTP (formery The New Teacher Project, and Rebecca Kockler, Executive Director of Reading Reimagined, about the pitfalls associated with the widely utilized “whole language” model and how we can boost reading skills by teaching things like systematic phonics and deep vocabulary.

Thank you to Reading Reimagined and TNTP for making today’s conversation possible.

Presented by Neighborhood Villages. Neighborhood Villages is a Massachusetts-based systems change non-profit. It envisions a transformed, equitable early childhood education system that lifts up educators and sets every child and family up to thrive. In pursuit of this vision, Neighborhood Villages designs, evaluates, and scales innovative solutions to the biggest challenges faced by early childhood education providers and the children and families who rely on them, and drives policy reform through advocacy, education, and research.

This season was made possible with generous support from Imaginable Futures, a global philanthropic investment firm working with partners to build more healthy and equitable systems, so that everyone has the opportunity to learn and realize the future they imagine. Learn more at www.imaginablefutures.com

Check out these resources from today’s episode: 

Visit EdReports to read free, independent analysis of the instructional materials being used at your child’s school.

Visit TNTP to learn how education advocates are working to ensure that all students get equal access to effective teachers.

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For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com.