What would it take to narrow the knowledge gap between high-achieving and struggling students when it comes to reading and writing?

Education writer Natalie Wexler joins Host Dr. Liz Brooke in Season 2, Episode 8. Wexler is author of “The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America’s Broken Education System—and How to Fix It.” Her writing focuses on content-centric education and charts possible routes to achieving educational and social equity.

Gain a critical understanding of how content-focused instruction improves student success. Wexler and Brooke break down the findings behind several in-classroom studies that have changed how certain curriculums approach instruction while providing actionable tips for ensuring every student has an equal opportunity to excel.

Explore the impact of content knowledge, including:

• How teachers can assess if they are narrowing the knowledge gap
• Why the science of reading is not just “more phonics”
• How to combine reading comprehension and foundational skills to improve literacy skills
• Why standardized reading comprehension tests are flawed

Listen to Episode 8 of All For Literacy® to understand how to narrow the knowledge gap, increase student literacy skills, and set up the classroom for equitable education.

“There's nothing that's going to change student achievement more powerfully than the teacher, but it's very difficult for the teacher to do that job if they don't have support from leadership at the top,” Dena Mortensen, Ed.D. explains in Episode 7 of All For Literacy™.

Mortensen sits down with host Dr. Liz Brooke to discuss a boots-on-the-ground perspective about implementing the science of reading. An elementary reading and language arts supervisor for Waterbury Public Schools in Waterbury, Connecticut, Mortensen offers listeners a detailed look into how the school district is making changes to improve student literacy rates. Mortensen also discusses her involvement with the documentary “Hopeville: How to Win the Reading Wars,” directed and produced by All For Literacy Episode 6 guest Harvey Hubbell V.

Mortensen and Brooke explore how to:

• Encourage teachers to adopt the use of progress-monitoring data
• Make a dedication to evidence front and center
• Repurpose balanced literacy and whole language materials
• Support teachers as they learn about the science of reading
• Make in-classroom coaching accessible to all

Explore the show notes for links to people and resources mentioned in the episode. Subscribe to All For Literacy today and never miss an episode.

“This has been a long, crazy journey of me trying to figure out what the heck is going on with education,” says Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Harvey Hubbell V in Season 2, Episode 6 of All For Literacy™.

Hubbell sits down with host Dr. Liz Brooke for an insightful look into how documentary films affect the educational system and the science of reading movement. His company, Captured Time Productions, has released several education-related documentaries, including “Dislecksia: The Movie” which focuses on the misunderstood subject of dyslexia, and “Hopeville: How to Win the Reading Wars,” which takes a never-before-seen look at the challenging process of learning to read.

Gain an in-depth understanding of how these documentaries fuel the greater literacy conversation, the critical choices made in each film to tell stories in digestible and impactful ways, and where the next need for advocacy is to make the most significant difference in the lives of students.

Tune into All For Literacy today to gain an exclusive look at Hubbell’s films, and subscribe to the podcast to never miss an episode!