Science of Reading: The Podcast

Adolescent Literacy, Episode 3: What adolescent readers really need, with Jeanne Schopf

In this third episode of our four-part adolescent literacy miniseries, Susan Lambert, Ed.D., speaks with Jeanne Schopf, interventionist, national literacy consultant, and editor of the new book Reading Isn't Optional: Fulfilling the Promise of Literacy for Secondary Students. Susan and Jeanne discuss why belief systems about at-risk readers are often the biggest barrier to change, and why that's true at every level of a school system. They also explore how scheduling, data, and coaching serve as system-level levers that principals and teachers can use to transform secondary literacy outcomes—and why leadership remains the single most powerful lever of all.Show notes:Our Summer Learning Academy is underway! Reserve your spot now to join Susan Lambert for the next session and dive deeper into the latest reading comprehension research.Check out our Science of Reading resources for grades 6–8.Read Jeanne's book Reading Isn't Optional: Fulfilling the Promise of Literacy for Secondary Students.Check out Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices.Read Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4–9.Listen to "Focused Implementation: Doing less to do more," with Doug Reeves, Ph.D.Get ready for Season 3 of the Amplify podcast Beyond My Years.Read Susan's NEW Science of Reading Substack.Join our community Faceook group.Connect with Susan Lambert. Quotes:"Everything rises and falls on leadership." —Jeanne Schopf"I had to learn that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." —Jeanne Schopf"If we really, truly want to change kids' lives and graduate readers, it's going to take all hands on deck. Everybody has to have a voice." —Jeanne Schopf"Success is a team sport." —Jeanne SchopfTimestamps*:0:00 Introduction What adolescent readers really need, with Jeanne Schopf3:00 Jeanne's journey from whole language to structured literacy7:00 Discovering structured literacy10:00 "We fall to the level of our systems"15:00 "Everything rises and falls on leadership."20:00 Belief systems and their impact on instruction and expectations22:00 Building intervention time into the secondary schedule26:00 What a good data meeting looks like30:00 Reading Isn't Optional as a call for action34:00 Inside the book: from belief to transformation42:00 Oral language and scaffolding grade-level text46:00 "You were never taught to read and it's not your fault"47:00 Closing thoughts*Timestamps are approximate

Adolescent Literacy, Episode 2: Moving the needle for adolescent readers, with Julie Burtscher Brown, Ed.D.

In the second episode of a special four-part Science of Reading: The Podcast adolescent literacy miniseries, Susan Lambert, Ed.D., speaks with Julie Burtscher Brown, Ed.D. a PreK–12 literacy facilitator. Julie talks about how she and her colleagues built a whole-school literacy initiative from the ground up, and what three years of data about it then revealed. Together, she and Susan also discuss why a few targeted, evidence-based practices (not sweeping overhauls) were what actually moved the needle for Julie's students; how content-area teachers can begin supporting literacy without reinventing their lessons; and what real, measurable change can look like at the secondary level when a whole school commits to the same practices. Show notes:Our Summer Learning Academy is back! Reserve your spot now to join Susan Lambert to dive deeper into the latest reading comprehension research.Check out our Science of Reading resources for grades 6-8.Connect with Julie Burtscher Brown on LinkedIn.Learn more about the Project for Adolescent Literacy.Explore Structured Literacy Interventions with Secondary Students.Review the IES 2022 Practice GuideWatch: Anita Archer: Secondary Reading—Implementing High-Leverage Practices.Get ready for Season 3 of the Amplify podcast Beyond My Years.Join our community Facebook group.Connect with Susan Lambert. Quotes:"Adolescent literacy is enormous and multifaceted. There's specialized instruction that needs to happen." —Julie Burtscher Brown"If you think of the word 'intervene' as a verb, it means to take action to prevent a predictable outcome." —Julie Burtscher Brown"Real, meaningful change can happen." —Julie Burtscher Brown"We reframed the word 'intervention' as an action, not a place." —Julie Burtscher BrownTimestamps*:01:00 Introduction: Actually moving the needle for adolescent readers, with Julie Burtscher Brown, Ed.D.09:00 A structured literacy program at Vermont's Woodstock Union High school and Middle School11:00 Grouping students by readiness17:00 Moving toward a whole-school literacy initiative23:00 High-leverage practices #1 and #2: Reading accurately and fluently30:00 High-leverage practices #3 and #4: Building word and world knowledge and accessing complex texts39:00 Building teacher leadership44:00 "Adolescent literacy is enormous and multifaceted. There's specialized instruction that needs to happen."46:00 Closing thoughts: what three years of whole-school effort produced*Timestamps are approximate

Adolescent Literacy, Episode 1: Foundational skills for adolescent learners, with Doug Fisher, Ph.D.

In this first episode of our special four-part Science of Reading: The Podcast Adolescent Literacy miniseries, Susan Lambert, Ed.D., speaks with Doug Fisher, Ph.D., a celebrated professor, author, and one of the most influential voices in adolescent literacy. They explore what the evidence really tells us about supporting adolescent learners, and what it means for classroom practice. They also discuss why Doug and his colleagues set out to find a new model for adolescent literacy, how self-efficacy powers literacy development in adolescent learners and what teachers can do to build it, and what "foundational skills" in reading truly means for adolescent readers—and why it is non-negotiable.Show notes:Our Summer Learning Academy is back! Reserve your spot now to join Susan Lambert for a pair of sessions that will help you dive deeper into the latest reading comprehension research.Check out our Science of Reading resources for grades 6–8. Connect with Doug on LinkedIn.Learn more about Doug’s book, Teaching Foundational Skills to Adolescent Readers.Read Doug’s article, A Model for Adolescent Reading Instruction.Get ready for Season 3 of the Amplify podcast Beyond My Years.Join our community Facebook group.Connect with Susan Lambert.Quotes:"Our literacy skills contiue to grow across our lifetimes." —Doug Fisher"The human brain operates on language, and reading, writing, speaking and listening, are the language operating systems of our brain." —Doug Fisher"The word 'foundational' to me means not optional." —Doug Fisher"Literacy is a gatekeeper. If we can develop stronger literacy skills in our student, we will change their lives." —Doug Fisher"The passion that educators bring also makes learning relevant." —Doug FisherTimestamps:0:00 Introduction: New adolescent literacy mini-series02:00 Foundational skills for adolescent learners, with Doug Fisher06:00 "Our literacy skills continue to grow across our lifetimes08:00 In search of a new adolescent literacy model14:00 Distinguishing early, general, and disciplinary literacy17:00 Why the Reading Rope was not designed for adolescent learners19:00 Introducing the reading circuit and self-efficacy27:00 Sentence level analysis31:00 Building self-efficacy through academic risk taking34:00 Redefining "foundational skills" for adolescent readers38:00 What this looks like in high school classrooms43:00 Teacher self-efficacy and the joy of student learning48:00 Closing thoughts: "Literacy as a gatekeeper"*Timestamps are approximate

Science of Reading Essentials: The Science of learning

On this Science of Reading Essentials episode we're diving into the science of learning to explore how memory, cognitive load, and knowledge building can transform your literacy instruction. Host Susan Lambert, Ed.D., weaves in the insights of our experts—Natalie Wexler; Nathaniel Swain, Ph.D.; Hugh Catts, Ph.D.; Daniel Willingham, Ph.D.; Peter C. Brown; Jamey Peavler, Ed.D.; and David Rapp, Ph.D. Susan reflects on: how memory works and why understanding its processes is foundational to effective teaching; why cognitive load theory and background knowledge are game-changers for literacy instruction; evidence-based strategies that make learning stick.Show notes:Our Summer Learning Academy is back! Reserve your spot now to join Susan Lambert for a pair of sessions that will help you dive deeper into reading comprehension research.Check out full episodes with our featured guests: The science of learning, the humility of teaching, with Peter C. BrownComprehension is not a skill, with Hugh CattsWhen not to differentiate: A guide to small-group instruction with Jamey PeavlerThe truth behind learning, with Nathaniel SwainThe Knowledge Gap: Natalie WexlerCognitive science-informed teaching, with Natalie WexlerUnlocking reading: Comprehension strategies vs. knowledge building, with Daniel WillinghamThe science of memory and misinformation, with David RappListen to Amplify's Beyond My Years podcastCheck out our Science of Reading Essentials episodes. Join our community Facebook group.Connect with Susan Lambert.Quotes:"Memory is a cognitive process. It's the way the brain encodes, stores, and retrieves information." —Susan LambertTimestamps*:0:00 Introduction05:00 Memory is a cognitive process07:00 Cognitive load theory10:00 Role of long-term memory for reading15:00 Process of building knowledge in long-term memory21:00 You can't learn something new if it doesn't connect to something you already know.24:00 Applying learning science to the literacy classroom30:00 Power of writing31:00 Final advice*Timestamps are approximate

Spring Special '26: Systematizing literacy, with Reid Lyon, Ph.D.

On this week’s episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert, Ed.D., is joined by one of the most influential people in American education, Reid Lyon, Ph.D., to explore what it takes to make systemic change in literacy instruction. Together, Reid and Susan also discuss how literacy education could benefit from a shared vocabulary, how systems must work together from teacher preparation to classroom implementation, and what we can do to close the implementation gap.Show notes:Our Summer Learning Academy is back! Reserve your spot now to join Susan Lambert for a pair of sessions that will help you dive deeper into the latest reading comprehension research.Learn more about Reid Lyon’s 10 Maxims of Reading Instruction.Learn more about Drexel University's ALLIED Hub for literacy education.Download our free Science of Reading Change Management Playbook.Listen to our previous episodes with Reid Lyon (Sept. 2023, Part 1 & Part 2).Get ready for Season 3 of the Amplify podcast Beyond My Years.Join our community Facebook group.Connect with Susan Lambert.Quotes:"I know we've let children down, but boy have we let teachers down." —Reid Lyon"The hallmark of a profession is a common language displaying a common knowledge." —Reid Lyon"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?" —Reid Lyon"Much of our difficulties moving the science [of literacy] into classrooms is a function of not having established ourselves as a profession." —Reid Lyon"We have a responsibility to use the best information possible that has taught us how we can improve the person's life." —Reid Lyon"Assessment is a great friend." —Reid LyonTimestamps*:00:00: Introduction: Systematizing literacy with Reid Lyon, Ph.D.07:00: We are still far behind the curve in helping the majority of struggling readers learn to read. 11:00: The hallmark of a profession is a common language displaying a common knowledge.18:00: Listening and speaking occur with exposure and being showered with language around us.23:00: The science of reading is not a belief system. It's a container with facts that constantly evolves. 29:00: Can the field of literacy have a common language and common knowledge?35:00: The systemic challenge is understanding the whole picture.41:00: Assessment is a great friend.48:00: Explanation of the evolving 10 Maxim Framework52:00: What is the work happening at Drexel?*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute