In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Sarah Asome, principal of Bentleigh West Primary School and award-winning educator known for her leadership in evidence-based practice. Together, they unpack what Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) really looks like in action beyond buzzwords and flowcharts. Sarah shares how her school aligns Tier 1 teaching, intervention and extension to ensure every student thrives, not just those who struggle. Listeners will hear how Bentleigh West’s team uses data to drive decisions, keeps variance low across classrooms, and extends students at the top through what Sarah calls a “diamond model” of support. This episode offers a practical, whole-school view of MTSS, one grounded in strong leadership, clear systems, and a belief that consistency creates equity.

Resources mentioned:

• DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills)
• Spelling Mastery
• The Writing Revolution (Judith Hochman & Natalie Wexler)
• Letters Course (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling – LETRS)
• Story Champs
• Reading Doctor Program (Flinders University)
• Times Tables Rock Stars
• New Wave Mental Maths
• Core Knowledge Curriculum
• Response to Intervention (RTI) Diamond model
• Anita Archer – Explicit Instruction
• Endowment Foundation research (Education Endowment Foundation, on education support and learned helplessness)
• Victorian Lesson Plans

Twitter/X: @SarahAsome

Linkedin: @sarah-asome

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

Sarah Asome is a highly experienced educator and the current Principal at Bentleigh West Primary School. She has also worked in the UK and Singapore. Sarah has been instrumental leading the change at BWPS but also been able to support many colleagues State, Nationwide and in New Zealand to implement evidence-based literacy instruction in their schools. This has led to a significant increase in literacy and numeracy levels which now places BWPS as a high performing school. Recently, Sarah was part of the team working on ten Victorian Lesson Plans for Primary English including text units, spelling and grammar and punctuation.

In 2015, Sarah was awarded ‘Outstanding Primary Teacher’ in the Victorian Education Excellence Awards. She has appeared in “Outside the Square ‘a DVD resource for teachers and in 2017 was featured on SBS Insight – ‘A Teacher Who Changed My Life’. Sarah has completed numerous courses including Louisa Moat’s LETRS training, Dyslexia Action (UK) and is a Certified Dyslexia, Reading and Orton-Gillingham specialist and trainer for Australia (OGI international inc). Recently, Sarah completed her Masters in Instructional Leadership at Melbourne University.

In 2023, Bentleigh West Primary School won the Victorian Education Excellence Award (VEEA) for ‘Outstanding Inclusion Education’.

This 24 month program provides schools with 20+ hours of structured professional learning grounded in the science of learning spaced out over time — including explicit instruction, daily reviews, fluency-building, and problem-solving.

We work together to create a practical, sustainable implementation plan — so what you learn becomes what you do. Optional Add-ons: ✓ Lesson modelling ✓ Leadership implementation sessions ✓ Coaching and feedback cycles ✓ Ongoing Q&A or online check-ins

Learn more > brendan@learnwithlee.net

In this episode of Knowledge for Teachers, I sit down with Dr. Anna Stokke—mathematician, professor, and host of the Chalk and Talk podcast—to unpack what really works in maths education. Anna shares her journey from academic research to advocacy, and why she’s become such a strong voice for evidence-informed teaching.

We explore how to separate genuine research from marketing spin, why fluency is about much more than speed, and the dangers of relying on “engagement” as a proxy for learning. Anna also highlights simple, practical strategies—like cover-copy-compare and spaced retrieval—that help students build the confidence they need to tackle more complex maths.

If you’ve ever wondered how to cut through the noise and focus on what truly improves student outcomes, this conversation is packed with insights you can take straight back to your classroom.

Resources mentioned:

• Wise Math (advocacy group)
• Archimedes Math School
• JUMP Math (Canadian maths program)
• Singapore Primary Math Program
• ResearchEd (conference, where Anna presented)
• Chalk and Talk (Anna Stokke’s podcast)

You can connect with Anna:

Twitter/X: @rastokke

Linkedin

Website: https://www.annastokke.com/

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter/X: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Linkedin: @brendan-lee-kft

Website: learnwithlee.net

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

Dr. Anna Stokke is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Winnipeg. She is a recipient of a 3M National Teaching Fellowship, which is Canada's most prestigious award for teaching excellence and educational leadership at the post-secondary level. She is co-founder and President of the non-profit organization Archimedes Math Schools, which delivers after-school math classes for children. She hosts the popular math education podcast Chalk & Talk, where she discusses evidence-informed math teaching with leading education experts.

The 2025 Australian School Improvement Summit is coming to Sydney on Wednesday 29 October — a one-day event bringing together system leaders, researchers, principals, and expert practitioners to focus on what works in schools, and how to make it happen at scale.

Hear from leading voices like Natalie Wexler (The Knowledge Gap), curriculum expert Dr Ben Jensen, and school leaders Lisa Holt (Rosebud Secondary College), Manisha Gazula (Marsden Road Public School), and Dr Greg Ashman (Ballarat Clarendon College).

If you’re a school leader or educator committed to improving outcomes for every student — and believe in doing fewer things, better — this is an event not to miss.

Special offer for listeners: 20% off full-price tickets with code LearnWithLee. Check out the full program and register here: https://shorturl.at/Ku9v4