Minnesota lawmakers from both parties say they’re open to returning to the Capitol to consider policy changes after last week’s deadly school shooting in Minneapolis. But what might come out of a special session — if one materializes — is harder to gauge.

MPR News guest host Catherine Richert talks with a pediatrician and a researcher about what we know about what works to prevent gun violence and what steps policymakers might take.

Guests:

• James Densley is a professor and chair of criminology and criminal justice at Metro State University. He is also co-founder of the Violence Prevention Project Research Center at Hamline University.
• Dr. Marc Gorelick is a retired president and CEO of Children's Minnesota. He is a pediatrician, former pediatric emergency medicine physician and author of “Saving Our Kids: An ER Doc's Common-Sense Solution to the Gun Crisis.” He also serves on the MPR Board of Trustees.

Reading is often called the gateway to learning. It opens the door to almost every subject, from history to science.

But what happens when the words on the page or screen don’t come easily — when they blur, flip, or just don’t make sense?

For as many as one in five students, that’s the reality of dyslexia. It’s one of the most common learning differences, yet it’s still widely misunderstood.

MPR News guest host Catharine Richert and her guests will talk about how dyslexia is assessed and how resources and teaching approaches can make reading easier for children and adults with dyslexia.

Guests:

• Liz Adams is a neuropsychologist who owns and manages Minnesota Neuropsychology, which specializes in assessing dyslexia, ADHD and other learning differences in children and adults.
• Evelyn Haselmann is the CEO of the 20% Club, a dyslexia tutoring center based in White Bear Township, Minn. She also serves as a board member for Decoding Dyslexia Minnesota, an organization that advocates for awareness, teacher training and stronger policies to support students with dyslexia across Minnesota.

It's back-to-school time, and for many families, the excitement is mixed with worry.

Will my child make friends? Keep up with the schoolwork? And underneath it all — will they be safe?

MPR News guest host Catharine Richert talks about the signs and causes of back-to-school anxiety and what parents can do to support their children and teens.

Guests:

• Katie Lingras is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at the University of Minnesota Medical School and a licensed child psychologist with M Health Fairview.
• Amy Klinger is co-founder and director of programs for the Educator's School Safety Network, a non-profit that works with schools nationwide to identify and meet safety needs. She is also a professor of educational administration at Ashland University in Ohio. And she is a former elementary and middle-school principal.