“If you’re not reading by the end of third grade, there’s a 70% chance you won’t become a proficient reader.” That’s what author Karen Gazith told us as we talked with her about her most recent book, The Power of Effective Reading Instruction: How Neuroscience Informs Instruction Across All Grades and Disciplines. Here’s more of what we know:

• Neuroscience and decades of research have provided a clear understanding of how children learn to read and how teachers can help them when they struggle with reading.

• Teachers in every grade level and content area need to provide their students with evidence-based instruction, strategies, and interventions that will support their reading development and empower them to succeed in school and life.

Enjoy this lively conversation about a controversial but important topic.

As always, send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com. Consider rating the podcast in iTunes and leaving a comment. And please pass the show along to your colleagues. Additionally, if you have other non-education books with implications for school leaders, send those suggestions our way, too. And finally, If you or someone you know would like to sponsor the show, send Mike an email at mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.

In this fifth special episode, Jenn David-Lang of The Main Idea and I talk about resources to help school leaders with building better teams. To support this work, Jenn has gathered her summaries of three must-read books:

• Learning by Doing by Richard DuFour et al. - This book shows how to effectively implement PLCs so they will raise student achievement and improve the professional lives of teachers.

• The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle - Great cultures can be built. This book shares the 3 key skills that organizations with extraordinary cultures have mastered — building safety, sharing vulnerability, and establishing purpose.

• The Art of Coaching Teams by Elena Aguilar - This book provides the tools, tips, protocols, and theory needed to coach teacher teams to become highly effective.

These three books are a great place to start if you are looking to work on your knowledge and skills related to improving the teams that you work with. If you head to The Main Idea website, you can see this and other lists of Jenn’s Must-Read Books for School Leaders.

Send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com. Consider rating the podcast in iTunes and leaving a comment. And please pass the show along to your colleagues. If you or someone you know would like to sponsor the show, send me an email at mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.

In this episode, we're shining a light on a pressing issue in the educational landscape: teacher burnout and attrition. With schools across the nation feeling the impact, we turn to expert Chase Mielke, author of Illuminate the Way: The School Leader’s Guide to Addressing and Preventing Teacher Burnout (ASCD, 2023), for insights and solutions.

If you're a school leader, educator, or anyone passionate about creating a positive and sustainable teaching environment, this episode is a must-listen. To learn more about Chase and his work, you can find him here: https://www.facebook.com/chasemielkespeaker, https://www.instagram.com/chasemielke/.

As always, send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com. Consider rating the podcast in iTunes and leaving a comment. And please pass the show along to your colleagues. Additionally, if you have other non-education books with implications for school leaders, send those suggestions our way, too. And finally, If you or someone you know would like to sponsor the show, send Mike an email at mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.