The Beacon Fall 2021

Institute

A division of The Windward School

The

Beacon The Windward Institute Journal for Educators and Parents Fall 2021 IN THIS ISSUE To Stem the Nation’s Reading Crisis, Made Worse by COVID­19, Teachers, Districts & States Must Push Multiple Levers

By Emily Solari, PhD

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ASK AN EXPERT

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HEAD LINES

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The Magic of Mississippi’s Literacy Change Q&A with Kristen Wynn Through the Looking Glass

By Jamie Williamson, EdS INTERSECTING RESEARCH WITH CLASSROOM PRACTICE

By Emily Solari, PhD 10

School Leaders: The Key to High­Quality Reading Instruction

By Danielle Scorrano 14

Q&A WITH INSPIRING LEADERS IN THE WORLD OF DYSLEXIA

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Shawn Anthony Robinson, PhD

By Stephanie Huie TURNING THE TIDE

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RESEARCH ROUNDUP

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NEWS AROUND WINDWARD

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Bidialectal Bridges: Addressing the Need for Inclusionary Language Instruction

By Annie Stutzman, MS

The Role of Implicit Bias: Dyslexia Diagnosis and Race

By Resha Conroy

This article was originally published on June 2, 2020, on The 74 website. Used with permission.

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INSIDE THE INSTITUTE

Disrupting the Educational Status Quo

By John J. Russell, EdD

To Stem the Nation’s Reading Crisis, Made Worse by COVID­19, Teachers, Districts & States Must Push Multiple Levers

n the months leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, much attention was drawn to how the nation’s schools were teaching young children to read. Renewed public attention to reading instruction was palpable and resurrected a decades-old debate on the best way to teach young children to read.

The discussion was fueled by the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress results, released well before the pandemic, which indicated decreases in reading achievement across many states. NAEP scores serve as a snapshot of educational progress; however, a single test score does not fully reflect the complex system in which individual children are served and therefore should not be the only metric we use to determine reading success or failure. This was a critical conversation before COVID-19, but it is an even more urgent one now.

In the past two months, the national conversation around education has rightfully pivoted to the implementation of online content and remote learning. In this process, our nation has been forced to see the great inequities in educational access and opportunity. Education stakeholders are justifiably concerned about dramatic learning losses, and it is likely that inequities, once lurking just below the surface, will bubble over.

Although it is not entirely clear when and in what format schools will resume in-person instruction, there is every reason to believe that the instructional needs in reading will be great. Critical face-to-face reading instructional time has been lost, and students with reading difficulties before the pandemic are likely to be the most severely impacted. Children around the country are experiencing anxiety and, in

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The Beacon Fall 2021

Letter from the Editor

High Stakes Call for High Aims

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isruption is a call for radical change; it is this belief in “disrupting the educational status quo to increase childhood literacy rates to save more lives” that drives The Windward Institute. It is a lofty mission, but, when reports show only one third of students in the United States are reading at grade-level proficiency (NAEP, 2019), the stakes are simply too high to aim for anything less.

The field of education as we know it must be disrupted.

Luckily, there is a clear path forward on how literacy rates can be improved at a large scale. Mississippi Literacy Director and 2021 Windward Fall Community Lecture speaker Kristen Wynn proved this by leading Mississippi to be the only state to demonstrate widespread gains in reading in 2019, according to The Nation’s Report Card. The secret: They followed the data from the Science of Reading. The research unequivocally advocating for the Science of Reading as beneficial for all learners is a recurring theme that Jamie Williamson, EdS; John J. Russell, EdD; and Danielle Scorrano discuss in this issue from various angles. When our leaders trust the science, restructure professional development, and focus on what is best for the students, progress follows.

But existing educational systems are not the only challenges that need to be addressed. Inequity exists and affects the most vulnerable learners—Black, Indigenous, and students of color and children with language-based learning disabilities. In this issue, Resha Conroy underscores the research indicating how implicit bias disproportionately affects Black students with dyslexia and the resulting adverse outcomes. Annie Stutzman, MS, shares why understanding linguistic differences of children who speak two dialects, such as General American English and African American English, can ensure all students are being taught in supportive and productive environments. Stories like the journey of Shawn Anthony Robinson, PhD, to inspire others who are dyslexics of color like him are beacons of hope; lives can be transformed when students in need are taught how to read.

Within the pages of The Beacon Fall 2021, I anticipate you will be energized by the rich scholarship presented and the actionable steps laid before you. Disrupting the educational status quo is an ambitious goal, but we hope you will join The Windward Institute in this meaningful work.

In partnership,

Stephanie Huie Editor

some cases, trauma as a result of the current situation. It is unclear how these social-emotional factors playing out across the nation will impact academic engagement and performance.

For many years, a profound research-to-practice gap has existed, meaning reading research findings are not adequately implemented in our nation’s classrooms. This has differential impacts on particular subgroups of students. For example, children living below the poverty line and who are ethnic and linguistic minorities are more likely to display reading difficulties, and students diagnosed with reading disabilities such as dyslexia are being underserved in school.

As we begin to think about how we can best serve students as they return to their classrooms after the pandemic, we need to think critically about how to best address their multiple and varied needs.

How does the education system use the existing evidence base in reading acquisition, assessment and intervention to thoughtfully plan instruction? How can we think about training for both practicing and future teachers in a way that is supported by this evidence? As before the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to address the reading needs of all students, multiple levers must be pushed simultaneously.

At the school and classroom levels, the key to providing adequate instruction rests in developing teachers’ knowledge of reading research and providing them with both reliable and valid screening tools to help determine which students are at risk and in need of more intensive support. Further, teachers need to be equipped with evidence-based instructional practices—those that have been shown, through multiple research studies, to develop adequate word reading and fluency and that practice related comprehension development.

Research-based early reading instruction targets phonological awareness (the ability to detect and manipulate sounds in speech) and alphabet knowledge, particularly when conducted in a systematic and explicit manner. Teaching children to decode (apply knowledge of letter-sounds correspondences to accurately read words) using explicit phonics also has a solid research base. Especially for our youngest learners, these practices will need to be readily and efficiently implemented when children return to school. They must receive robust professional development that prepares them to efficiently screen reading performance no matter the child’s background and use the data to guide and target their reading instruction.

Current debates center on a push for teachers to be trained in the delivery of explicit phonics instruction. Often, this is falsely portrayed as one side pushing a phonics-only agenda and the other highlighting the importance of having students engage with highquality literature. This oversimplification is counterproductive and does not serve children; phonics and engagement with high-quality literature should not be seen as mutually exclusive.

While building foundational reading skills—the early skills necessary to equip children to be ready to decode and read text fluently—is an evidence-based practice and essential to developing successful readers, the training of teachers in explicit phonics alone is not a silver bullet. Successful reading is much more than learning

Fall 2021 The Beacon

to decode words and reading text fluently. It is an essential early Changes are needed at the policy level as well. Many states milestone, but reaching it does not guarantee that students are control which screening measures schools must use to identify adequately prepared to read complex texts. Simultaneous instruction children at risk for reading difficulties, as well as reading curricula. in vocabulary, oral language and knowledge building are important This, in turn, determines the reading instruction that districts adopt for reading comprehension development. and implement. It is not uncommon for districts For educators to be properly prepared, future and schools to provide reading professional teachers must be provided adequate preparation development for teachers that is not aligned to in the teaching of reading while they’re still in the research base. A recent survey of K-2 reading their teacher-preparation programs. The recently curricula indicates that many classrooms across Every child has released International Literacy Association’s the country use reading programs that are in direct the right to receive conflict with the science of reading and do not “What’s Hot in Literacy” report noted that although educational stakeholders (including adequately address the instructional needs of all reading instruction children. A closer look at the curriculum selection teachers, administrators and professors) agree that reading research is very important to inform and implementation process is necessary. that is based on practice, only 40 percent of teacher preparation Without a concerted effort to push on programs use this evidence in their curriculum. multiple levers, the research-to-practice gap will sound research.

Deep philosophical differences as to the best remain profound. Every child has the right to approach for preparing future teachers to teach receive reading instruction that is based on reading exist within many schools of education. sound research. In order to make this a reality, It is imperative that colleges and universities use broad, systems-level change that addresses the the existing evidence base to develop future teachers so they are complex web of state policies, teacher training inadequacies and prepared to recognize when children are struggling to learn how to systemic inequities is necessary. read and to advocate for these students.

Our teachers and students are well worth the investment.

About the Author Emily Solari, PhD, is a professor of education at the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education and Human Development, where she serves as coordinator of the reading education program. She serves on the executive board of the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division of Learning Disabilities and as associate editor for Journal of Learning Disabilities and Remedial and Special Education.

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The

Beacon Institute The Windward tors Journal for Educa and Parents Fall 2020 SSUE IN THIS I

Manuscript Submissions for The Beacon Now Open!

When Kids Refuse

By Rachel Busman

to Go to School

ASK AN EXPERT During a Pandemic Anxiety

fuse When Kids Re ol to Go to Scho

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Managing

By Rachel Busman

INSPIRIN G LEADERS A Q&A WITH OF DYSLEXI IN THE WORLD

Chief Librarian, Brian Bannon, Libraries New York Public

By Stephanie Huie HEAD LINES

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By Rachel Busman, This article was originally

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INSIDE THE

INSTITUTE

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Social Justice: A Question of in Special Education Disproportionality

By Dr. John J. Russell P RESEARCH ROUNDU Students with

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All Advocating for their Pursuit of Disabilities in Opportunities Post­Secondary ’19,

By Alexia Hartogensis and Lara Damashek Katherine Kaneko, RESEARC H INTERSE CTING OM PRACTIC E WITH CLASSRO Development

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nal The Professio Now Teachers Need

By Danielle Scorrano

WINDWA RD NEWS AROUND d/Haskins of Windwar

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us with truancy, be more or less synonymo or holed up in their refusal” used to corner, he term "school out on the street game-playing might of kids hanging it is true that some invoking a picture not the same as video games. While school refusal is bedrooms playing but rather by understand that it’s important to fun outside of school, well be involved, allure of having isn’t driven by the playing hooky. It itself. school to aversion an behavior is an but school refusal refusal Problematic patterns once in a while, for a child. School going to school Everyone resists that causes real problems factors: of avoiding school by a number of extreme pattern normal avoidance from ed is distinguish avoiding school a child has been n How long with attending school distress she associates n How much life she resists family’s) her (and n How strongly her interfering with refusal her resistance is still have school n How much because a child can only a day aspects is important, who have missed Including all these most days. I’ve worked with kids extreme it their anxiety is so school also have a even if she attends tardy 30 times because but they’ve been school refusal might or two of school, parents on time. Kids with getting to school the nurse, or texting keeps them from lot of time visiting early, spending a habit of leaving day. throughout the

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Crisis Leadership in

By Jamie Williamson

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The Beacon is a biannual journal publication, published by The Windward Institute, that contains research papers and thought pieces that align with our mission to increase childhood literacy rates by disrupting the educational status quo. We invite educators and practitioners to contribute to future publications with their insight on how we can close the knowledge gap between proven research and current teaching practices.

Submissions may be sent to wi@thewindwardschool.org.

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The Beacon Fall 2021

Ask an Expert

The Magic of Mississippi’s Literacy Change Q&A with Kristen Wynn, Mississippi State Literacy Director

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cross the nation, there has been a heightened focus on How did you become invested in applying the literacy and equity as the research, policy, and media Science of Reading in classrooms across Mississippi? communities emphasize the critical importance of highMy initial encounter with the Science of Reading happened in my quality, scientifically-based reading education. In recent years, Emily role as an intervention specialist. At that time, we didn't really refer Hanford, an investigative journalist and senior producer and to it as the Science of Reading. To us, it was best practices, and we correspondent for APM Reports, exposed the fractures in reading knew that our students needed to be skilled readers, so they needed education across the United States. Hanford (2018) contended, to be able to crack the code. I remember in 2010, Deb Glaser, who “The resistance [to research-based reading instruction in elementary worked with Louisa Moats to create the first LETRS (Language schools] is the result of beliefs about reading that have been deeply Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling), came to our held in the educational establishment for decades, even though district and trained all our reading interventionists. We thought this those beliefs have been proven wrong by scientists over and over is something that we did not learn in our teacher prep program. again.”

In the midst of the national discourse What did you do with this new about the detrimental status quo in the knowledge about the Science country’s reading education, Mississippi “We talk about a focus of Reading? emerged with a spark of optimism toward I believe past experiences prepare us for on literacy, but you can't continued growth. In fact, the Mississippi future purposes. Later, in 2013, when Department of Education launched a new I was hired as a state literacy coach, the have a focus on literacy conversation when the 2019 National department procured LETRS as our Assessment of Educational Progress or create this vision for statewide literacy professional development (NAEP) results highlighted an increase in system. That is when we were able to take literacy for your state literacy outcomes for their fourth and a deep dive into the Science of Reading. eighth grade students. The growth in the We were learning about the reading rope, if you don't involve your NAEP scores—which only provides a the simple view of reading, and other snapshot of the data—was attributed to an community, your conceptual models aligned to the science intense focus on literacy, spanning changes around it. We knew that every teacher across policy, professional development, families, and your other needed this information in Mississippi infrastructural support, and school stakeholders in your efforts.” because in our state, a lot of teachers were implementation. trained in whole language concepts and Meet Kristen Wynn, Mississippi’s State practices.

Literacy Director and Windward’s 2021 Fall Community Lecturer.

Ms. Wynn spoke with Danielle Scorrano for the September 2021 What are the major literacy and dyslexia policies in Mississippi? episode of the Research Education ADvocacy (READ) Podcast.

We have four key policies or key pieces of legislation that help to Highlighted here are selected excerpts from the full interview, which explore how Ms. Wynn learned about the Science of Reading build our focus on literacy across our state: (1) The Early Learning Collaborative Act, (2) The Literacy-Based Promotion Act, (3) a and showcases how her team led the adoption of professional development systems toward implementing research-based practices kindergarten readiness assessment, and (4) dyslexia scholarships.

The first is our Early Learning Collaborative Act, and that came in every classroom across the state. The entire conversation is around the same time as our Literacy-Based Promotion Act in available on www.readpodcast.org or on your favorite podcast platform.

2013. This act established Pre-K programs in underserved areas across our state. We also had the Literacy-Based Promotion Act and our kindergarten readiness assessment. Our public Pre-K and Note: All information and insights shared in the Q&A demonstrate the expertise and views of our interviewees.

Fall 2021 The Beacon

kindergarten students take the kindergarten readiness assessment at the beginning and end of year to assess readiness and growth. And then we have legislation which includes our dyslexia scholarships.

They provide school choice for students with dyslexia in grades K–12 and requires local districts and policies to screen students for dyslexia in kindergarten. We recently added dyslexia awareness training to the legislation.

The literacy coaching program, in addition to the job­embedded, sustained training teachers receive, is a hallmark of Mississippi’s state­facilitated professional development. What is unique about Mississippi's coaching model?

Our coaching model is grounded in relationships. We understand the importance of building trust and rapport with teachers. Our coaching model is focused on six key components. We first look at comprehensive coach training because, as a coach, I need knowledge building myself. I need to know how to facilitate adult learning opportunities, how to coach, and how to understand personalities.

We take time to comprehensively train coaches. Our model is also centered around goal setting and effective communication. We talk about that early on with our coaches on their reporting and accountability. Then we look at educator development, collaboration, and effective partnerships.

How did Mississippi sustain high­quality professional development and literacy instruction for all teachers and students during the pandemic?

Like many other states, we had to be innovative. We shifted everything and adapted to providing professional development and instruction virtually. We still provided coaching support, but we built a virtual coaching model menu for administrators in districts.

We asked, what are your needs? We also worked with the Barksdale Reading Institute, which helps us with the work we do with literacy in Mississippi. We worked with them to create a virtual literacy block and what that would look like. We again were innovative, but we didn't take our foot off the gas because we knew that our students in Mississippi needed it. We knew we just could not go back to where we started. One innovative program that we did to try to ensure instructional equity during the pandemic was we

partnered with our Mississippi public broadcasting, and they created Mississippi classroom TV for us. Mississippi public broadcasting reaches about 2.2 million households in Mississippi.

We were able to record over 200 lessons. We implemented 108 explicit phonics lessons that were filmed by our literacy coaches that students could access when they were at home. We started with phonological awareness and phonics lessons that could be accessed through Mississippi public broadcasting.

How did Mississippi support parents and families to deliver instruction at home during the pandemic?

We took the time to host 45 statewide family nights. We knew parents had taken on the roles of teachers at home for a short period and, in some districts, it was longer than others. We took the time to train [parents] virtually. We hosted meetings at the state level virtually for parents, and we trained them on activities. We have this big campaign in Mississippi called Strong Readers, Strong Leaders.

We created a website for parents where they can do activities with their kids at home, as simple as using a sweet potato to do synonym vocabulary. We talk about a focus on literacy, but you can't have a focus on literacy or create this vision for literacy for your state if you don't involve your community, your families, and your other stakeholders in your efforts.

What gives you hope about the future of reading education and just education at large?

The phone calls where districts say, “We're going to make the change.” Watching my son as he is in school in Mississippi—I'm seeing the quality of education that he's getting. Teachers calling when we're asking for help, even with our high-quality instruction materials review process. To see the efforts of teachers, to see the efforts of districts—and it’s all hands-on deck—that keeps me hopeful. That keeps me motivated to see change of practice. We just identified a few of our schools in Mississippi that we will award as Mississippi emerging Science of Reading schools. With that recognition they have really changed their school culture. I know no one has really 100% mastered it, but when you start seeing the small changes that impact student achievement, then you want to be able to recognize folks for that. All of that gives me hope and keeps us going and wanting to do more for the betterment of our state.

About the Author Kristen Wynn’s service in the field of education spans more than 15 years, during which she has been committed to ensuring equitable access for all students to effective literacy instruction, highly qualified teachers, and high-quality instructional materials. Her experience in the classroom includes teaching first and second grade, as well as serving as a kindergarten through fifth grade intervention specialist and new mentor teacher. In her current role as State Literacy Director, Ms. Wynn has worked diligently to improve literacy outcomes of schools and districts across the state of Mississippi. She is the co-creator of several literacy professional development trainings (for educators) aligned to the Science of Reading. Currently, Ms. Wynn serves as a member of the Mississippi Reading Licensure Task Force, the Mississippi Reading Panel, the Higher Ed Literacy Council (HELC), and the Governor’s Task Force for Teacher Preparation in Early Literacy Instruction.

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The Beacon Fall 2021

FALL COMMUNITY LECTURE

Institute

A Roadmap for Success: Mississippi’s Journey to Improve Literacy Outcomes In recent years, Mississippi received national recognition for student gains in fourth grade reading and became a go-to source for educators, policymakers, and community leaders looking for guidance to improve literacy outcomes in their states.

This lecture will highlight Mississippi’s efforts to prioritize K–3 literacy, leverage supports, and build sustainable outcomes that create a culture focused on collective impact, equity, and change of practice.

Presented by

Kristen Wynn State Literacy Director (K-12) of Mississippi Department of Education

“In Mississippi, we had to make changes and

Thursday, October 28, 2021 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Watch the lecture via Live Stream No Fee — reservation required R.S.V.P. online at thewindwardschool.org/lecture

provide teachers with what many of us did not receive in our teacher prep programs—a deep dive into what the research and science say about how students learned to read.”

LIVE STREAM

Fall 2021 The Beacon

Head Lines

Through the Looking Glass: Examining Data to Inform Instruction

By Jamie Williamson, EdS, Head of The Windward School

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he debate about the importance of data in education is far questions, then I would argue that the process is doomed from the from new. For years, educators have been working to better start. The answer is not necessarily more data, but rather better data. leverage data for student outcomes, but when we examine So, what does it mean to acquire better data? It begins with overall reading proficiency in the U.S., it’s clear that we are losing addressing the three questions above. that battle. As I discussed in the Head Lines article in The Beacon Spring 2020 issue, the National Assessment of Educational Progress What Are You Trying to Assess?

This key question sets the context for the next two questions, and it (NAEP) scores in reading have barely moved in the last 20 years: will help us home in on the real priorities. (Hint: The answer is not “The most recent report, released at the end of 2019, shows that reading, math, social studies, or academic achievement in a broad only 35% of fourth graders and 34% of eighth graders are at or sense.) Since Windward’s program is focused on remediating above proficient in reading, which was a decline from the 2017 language-based learning disabilities, I will keep our focus on reading report. If you dig a little deeper into the data, you’ll find that the and approach this question from a somewhat granular perspective. most impacted readers, or readers who scored in the bottom 10th First and foremost, it helps to clarify whether we are assessing percentile, have not improved at all since 1992 (NAEP, 2019).” The students’ understanding of content or acquisition of skills. We impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has only cannot simply stop at the broad category of heightened the need to support students’ literacy reading. We need to break it down to the specific efforts, as data will almost certainly show that The answer is set of skills that we are targeting for improvement. these scores have sunk even lower since 2019.

A solid starting point, elucidated by the National not necessarily To compound the achievement issue, schools Reading Panel in 2000 after its extensive, threeare struggling to implement effective practices in more data, but year study, as well as the decades of supporting order to most effectively utilize data to inform encompassed in the Science of Reading instruction. The results are that students are rather better data. research and supported research-based practices, is with the losing too much instructional time to poorly Big Five components of Reading: alphabetic designed and deployed assessment programs, principal, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and schools are becoming overly focused on the wrong types of data, comprehension (National Reading Panel, 2000). An additional and teachers are being shamed or penalized for outcomes, without factor is the need for these components to be assessed in a receiving the proper support or training to leverage the information developmentally appropriate way.

For example, I would not be they collect. There is surely a better way. To educators who follow assessing or monitoring the reading comprehension of Grade K-1 research-based methodologies and practices, the science provides a students, because they are still primarily working on acquiring the clear guidepost: “Data use is critical to alignment: it should drive alphabetic principal and phonemic awareness skills necessary to instructional improvement, differentiate resources for students, and break the code and begin reading.

Once specific skills are identified strengthen collaboration among teachers, families, and for assessment, we need to address the why. administrators” (Kauerz & Coffman, 2013). Assessment then becomes a critical piece in mapping effective systematic change.

The Why: What Is the Purpose The natural follow-up question is: What assessment are you of the Assessment? using? I have been fielding and redirecting this question for the For the last decade, the notion of Big Data has been at the forefront better part of two decades, and, every time I encounter it, I reframe of conversations around how organizations can best serve their this query to ask a few, often overlooked but incredibly important, customers or constituents. Corporations collect and aggregate questions: What are you trying to assess? And why? How is the data massive data sets to precisely target consumers’ needs. In the going to be used? If there is no clarity and transparency around these education sector, the Big Data conversation has centered around

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The Beacon Fall 2021

What are the Big Five Components of Reading?

1.

Alphabetic Principal 2.

Phonemic Awareness 3.

Fluency 4.

Vocabulary 5.

Comprehension

Leveraging Data for Maximum Impact Be transparent

Provide resources

There cannot be a hidden agenda about the purpose of the data.

• This helps establish trust between administration and faculty.

• Trust is built over many interactions.

Teachers need to be successful, so ensure they have what they need.

• Tie teacher teams’ plans to actionable objectives with supports in place.

• When instructors ask for additional support, have tools at-the-ready to assist them.

Create systems Place the accountability on programmatic, not individual classroom, outcomes.

• Examine patterns of strength and challenge across programs and grade levels.

• Develop professional development plans to address those broad areas of challenge.

• Simultaneously help teachers develop their own individual learning targets within those areas.

Keep the data visible Focus on collective responsibility by regularly referring to the data.

• Share the broad data within grade levels and have teacher teams examine patterns with the data and develop plans to address these patterns.

Celebrate the 3 C’s: Curiosity • Approach data with curiosity: honor strengths as well as areas of challenge.

Collective outcomes • Examine collective outcomes (e.g., reading proficiency throughout a grade level) and adjust programmatic elements accordingly.

Collaboration • Continue to foster a strong collaboration among administration, teachers, their students, and the greater educational community.

utilizing standardized tests to inform decisions at the school, Summative assessments include the types of high-stakes tests district, and state levels, encompassing a broad range of initiatives that many people visualize when they hear the word assessment. such as curriculum planning, staffing, interventions, and These are typically administered at the conclusion of a unit or benchmarks tied to students’ grade-level grade, are often heavily weighted, and advancement. offer insights into students’ overall The problem with translating knowledge or proficiency in a subject standardized test scores into instructional area (Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching In order to best target practice is that “big data produces and Learning, 2021). Because these types skills requiring remediation of assessments evaluate the success of measurements about schools and students after the learning process has taken place. instruction, they can be incredibly useful in real time, educators [That is,] it is great at answering the as an aerial view of student learning. For question of which students need extra must also take snapshots example, summative assessments in the support; however, it’s too broad to give form of standardized tests will show which of student progress at any indication of how those students can students are at grade level for reading and be best helped” (The Graide Network, which students require additional supports regular intervals, as well as to meet grade-level benchmarks. However, 2018). In order to best target skills requiring remediation in real time, periodic diagnostic checks as these assessments occur after learning educators must also take snapshots of has taken place, they lack the immediacy of individual students’ student progress at regular intervals, as and flexibility of an assessment that occurs well as periodic diagnostic checks of in the midst of instruction. strengths and weaknesses. individual students’ strengths and Formative assessments, on the other weaknesses. Incorporating this “small hand, are designed to target learning gaps data” enables educators to identify and throughout the instructional process so address specific skill deficits as they occur; further, this process that students and their instructors can respond in real time. “It can allows the student to become a true partner in their educational include students assessing themselves, peers, or even the instructor, journey. Ideally, these three approaches—summative, formative, and through writing, quizzes, conversation, and more” (Theal and diagnostic assessments—are represented in a comprehensive Franklin, 2010). Because the goal is to improve learning and not to assessment plan, complementing one another to form a complete earn a specific mark, this shift in perspective can bolster both picture of a student’s academic progress. student confidence and their ability to take ownership of their

Fall 2021 The Beacon

learning (Trumbull and Lash, 2013). “[Well-designed] formative school leaders set goals for data use, create the infrastructure, and assessment strategies improve teaching and learning simultaneously. provide teachers the tools to use data, the results can mean greatly Instructors can help students grow as learners by actively enhanced student performance outcomes” (Balow, 2017). encouraging them to self-assess their own skills and knowledge To avoid teacher fear and the potential for teacher shaming, we retention, and by giving clear instructions and feedback” (Yale first need to build a culture of data informed by continuous Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, 2021). improvement. This type of culture begins with transparency Diagnostic assessments, also known as pre-assessments, can grounded in clarity and purpose. That is, data should never be used serve as a barometer that gauges what students already know about a for teacher evaluation, but rather for teacher support. When we topic. In tandem with formative assessments, employing periodic shift the focus from student learning to high-stakes teacher diagnostic checks can help instructors gain deeper insights into their evaluation, the incentive model shifts. Then you run the serious risk students. These types of assessments can not only inform a teacher’s of creating a system that rewards shortcuts and manipulating the lesson plans and learning objectives, but also, and most importantly, system: One case in point is the Chicago Public School System’s they can help determine patterns of each high-stakes testing program. student’s strengths and weaknesses. As Fundamentally, using data to inform Fundamentally, diagnostic assessments reveal areas that instruction is about impacting student may need additional (or fewer) learning. That means giving teachers the using data to inform instructional minutes, they become training, resources, and support to a useful tool for both teachers and facilitate that process. instruction is about students to differentiate instruction.

At Windward, providing a framework impacting student learning. for teachers to utilize assessment data in Thoughtfully combining summative, formative, and diagnostic assessments in the classroom is doubly important, as a strategic assessment plan allows for a remediating students’ skill deficits is at balance between assessment and instruction, yielding timely, the core of our academic program. With this in mind, I outlined actionable data that is responsive to student needs. The final piece of considerations for educational programs to leverage data for the puzzle, then, is addressing precisely how we use the data we collect. maximum impact, which you can find on page 8.

At the heart of it, putting infrastructure in place around the use How Is the Data Going to Be Used? of data to inform instruction is about communication. “The real Without a comprehensive plan tying student data to instructional shift occurs when everyone in [our] educational community starts objectives, administering all these assessments would be an exercise to change what they talk about and how they respond to in futility. Sadly, we have seen the result of focusing on Big Data in conversational outcomes” (Burroughs, 2020). As we have seen at the absence of infrastructural supports: a punitive environment for Windward, when there is buy-in at all levels of the organization, many educators, wherein teacher pay, promotion, and even district with all members striving toward a common goal, the effect on or school funding is threatened when student outcomes don’t align student learning can be transformative. with statewide requirements. However, we do know that “when

Moving the Mountain: Reading Comprehension The Windward School students’ reading comprehension skills shifted from a median score of below average/average to a median score of average/ 1.0-11.9

12.0-22.9

23.0-33.9

34.0-44.9

Below Average

45.0-55.9

Average

56.0-66.9

67.0-77.9

78.0-88.9

89.0-99.9

Above Average

NCE Entrance Scores

NCE Exit Scores

Reading Comprehension 2005 -2019 Cohorts. The Windward School.

Reading Comprehension 2005 -2019 Cohorts. The Windward School.

above average when following a research­based academic program that effectively leverages its data

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The Beacon Fall 2021

INTERSECTING RESEARCH WITH CLASSROOM PRACTICE

School Leaders: The Key to High­Quality Reading Instruction

By Danielle Scorrano, Research & Development Director of The Windward Institute

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push to transform reading instruction is underway in classrooms across the nation… motivated by an honest acknowledgement—most children in the United States struggle to read” (Odegard, 2021). Odegard (2021) retells the dismal reality of the state of education in the United States, highlighted by decades of data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) showing that about two-thirds of fourth graders are not proficient readers. During its decades of reporting on the stagnant rates of reading proficiency, the NAEP results may reveal only a snapshot of reading education, but they nevertheless illuminate an alarming story. Supporting research and data illustrates that the current system of reading education most negatively impacts the nation’s most vulnerable learners across race, class, and disability status. With preliminary data on reading emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic suggesting further reading decline, it has never been timelier to harness the opportunity to rebuild and broaden a system of reading education for all children.

Leaders must collectively enact change. These three action steps integrate principles of the Science of Reading, scientifically-based reading practices, and social entrepreneurship for school-based leaders: (1) Trust the science, follow the data (2) Ensure the infrastructure needed for implementation (3) Leverage education as an enterprise for social entrepreneurship

Trust the Science, Follow the Data Decades of cognitive and behavioral science inform a deep understanding about the reading brain as well as supporting pedagogical methods to build literacy skills. This body of research substantiates what has been defined as the Science of Reading.

Solari and colleagues (2020) posit that the Science of Reading establishes: (1) A strong theoretical foundation for the development of the reading brain; (2) An explanation of why and how differences in reading and language acquisition exist; (3) A clear direction to improve reading difficulties and diagnosed disabilities; and (4) Insights to data collection, measurement, and evaluation.

Research in early literacy instruction shows the effectiveness of systematic, structured, sequential instruction focused on word-level

reading skills including phonemic awareness, phonics, and alphabetic knowledge (Catts, 2021; Solari et al., 2020). Related studies demonstrate the importance of language comprehension skills, background knowledge, and vocabulary building (Catts & Adlof, 2019). These findings are summarized by seminal frameworks such as the Simple View of Reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986) and Scarborough’s Reading Rope (Scarborough, 2001).

In addition to broadening the understanding of the reading brain and informing best practices for all readers, this body of science distinguishes how to target the needs of students who exhibit difficulties learning to read. Research on early screening and identification of reading disabilities helps to identify students at risk for reading failure.

Research findings in reading will only be most effective when they reach the students and teachers that benefit from the implementation of the science in educational settings.

For students with dyslexia, Catts and Hogan (2020) attest that prevention using early screening and intervention is critical. Various studies show that certain neurobiological markers and other risk factors of dyslexia, such as family history, can be identified as early as infancy (Ozernov-Palchik & Gaab, 2016). Hoeft (2021) explains that educators can screen and provide effective early intervention for children in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, citing a drop in 25–50% effectiveness with each year that they wait. Simply put, Hoeft (2021) synthesizes the data, “If there’s science that… tells us that we can identify and remediate children’s risk [of reading difficulties] early with a high accuracy and effectiveness, then why wait?” Leaders must maintain the utmost commitment to trusting the science and data, matched with tactile insight to ensure the adequate infrastructure for school-wide implementation.

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Ensure the Infrastructure Needed for Implementation Research findings in reading will only be most effective when they reach the students and teachers that benefit from the implementation of the science in educational settings. Odegard (2021) explains, “We know a tremendous amount about how to teach children to read. Yet, all the science in the world doesn’t do us any good when the base systems needed to translate it are overtaxed or non-existent.” In establishing strong infrastructure for implementation, leaders must value the roles and needs of teachers and establish strong, cohesive leadership to meet those needs.

Through their discussion of translational science, Solari and colleagues (2020) examine the numerous layers that exist between research and classroom teachers, which often inhibit the way research is communicated and disseminated. These layers—policies and politics, governing bodies and leaders in districts and states, higher education institutes, and publishing companies—impact curriculum and professional development decisions at the leadership level. Solari and colleagues (2020) elaborate, “Classroom teachers and other school practitioners operate in a broad and extensive system with instructional decisions made by actors and policies outside of the classroom setting” (p. 3). The disconnect between research and the classroom was exacerbated by the pandemic, especially in examining teacher access to high-quality curriculums. In a recent webinar series, “Shifting the Landscape: Reopening and Politics of Education,” hosted by Johns Hopkins University, Steiner (2020) contended that the teachers who had access to high-quality curriculums and resources prior to the pandemic were more likely to use data to assess and accelerate learning. Steiner (2020) echoed the value of strong instruction, high-quality curriculum, and resources.

The power of strong leadership across local policy and school contexts should also not be underestimated. Speaking about power and politics related to school openings during the pandemic, Steiner (2020) cited the financial power of states and local districts to make educational decisions. Similarly, various studies point to the influence of school-based leadership in the implementation of highquality reading instruction and professional development.

Schraeder, Fox, and Mohn (2021) concluded that a principal’s knowledge of dyslexia—independent of their leadership style— impacts the implementation of best practice and support for children with dyslexia. Previous research identified a connection between teacher knowledge of dyslexia and research-based practices to support reading development (Mather, Bos & Babur, 2001; Moats, 1999; 2020; Washburn, Mulcahy & Musante, 2017), but Schraeder and colleagues’ (2021) study point to the importance of strong, coherent, school-based leadership expertise. Other studies reveal the value of effective leadership in the commitment to

professional development and teacher implementation of literacy practices (Blase & Blase, 2001; Kindall, Crowe & Elsass, 2017).

In a quantitative study of Chicago Public Schools, for example, Sebastian and Allensworth (2012) showed a relationship between principal leadership and the effectiveness of professional development and capacity, parent involvement, school climate, and student learning outcomes. Without strong leadership, a commitment of support, and allocation of resources, teachers face challenges in delivering high-quality reading instruction that their students fundamentally need.

Without strong leadership, a commitment of support, and allocation of resources, teachers face challenges in delivering high­quality reading instruction that their students fundamentally need.

Leverage Education as an Enterprise for Social Entrepreneurship As the system of education continues to face the consequences of the pandemic for years to come, leaders must understand the structural inadequacies that simply do not serve tens of millions of students across the country and draw a consensus about the steps to improving literacy outcomes for all children.

At the core, every school, district, and state should: 1. Enact early screening measures for reading difficulties.

2. Disseminate a research-based curriculum with adequate resources for classroom teachers.

3. Arm teachers with the knowledge and competencies to implement research-based reading instruction.

4. Establish a supportive system for when children need high-quality intervention for reading difficulties.

5. Build capacity by integrating the voices of the community such as parent stakeholders.

In order for changes to occur, Solari (2020) calls for “pushing multiple levers” across teacher preparation, school systems, and policy forums. In a society pressed for change, it can seem a

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prodigious task to push for a pure overhaul. While a complex web of institutionalism, power, and politics continues to exist across American education (Tyack & Cuban, 1995), leaders should invest in systems and community-based approaches to enact change by considering key questions: 1. Do we have the resources and infrastructure to implement research­based reading instruction and support teachers at capacity?

High-quality instruction and curriculum can only be effective with adequate support for its people, services, and processes (Bryk Gomez Grunow & Lemahieu, 2015). A systems improvement map (Bryk et al., 2015) outlines the analysis of infrastructure needs to build capacity and support systems growth across five sectors: (1) The instructional system focuses on the curriculum and supporting processes that facilitate its dissemination across the school. This includes student placement (i.e. students with disabilities and individualized education plans), adult beliefs about learning and reading, and the coherence of curriculum.

(2) Information infrastructure refers to the data collection and evaluation processes to monitor student progress and challenges. For example, infrastructure is valuable for early screening of reading difficulties in the pre-kindergarten and early elementary grades.

Catts and Petscher (2018, 2020) call for a multifactorial assessment of reading difficulties across multiple timepoints, which would inevitably require an expansion of assessments, a data management system, and expertise for analysis.

(3) Student supports involve the school community in promoting academics and social-emotional well-being. These supports are especially crucial in providing targeted academic intervention and social-emotional support for students at-risk and with diagnosed reading disabilities, with evidence pointing to a relationship between learning disabilities and mental health needs (Hoeft, 2021).

(4) Human resources pertain to building capacity in hiring, continued professional development, and promotive evaluation practices to support teacher growth in their skills, agency, and implementation of research-based reading instruction.

(5) Governance requires strong, coherent leadership to coordinate resources, guide reform initiatives, and work with key stakeholders to disseminate and communicate changes.

2. Can we engage in strategic reinvention over a systemic overhaul?

While reform is critical to face the stagnant problems related to literacy education, current frameworks on school entrepreneurship do not necessarily require a complete infrastructural overhaul to ignite change. Reform, however, does call for a reprioritization and reinvention of time and resources and a sustained commitment to the implementation of research-based reading instruction and professional development. Bricolage, the process of repurposing available physical, social, institutional, and financial resources that may have previously been seemingly ignored, is one entrepreneurial perspective that could benefit school leaders as they advance the Science of Reading in their contexts (Baker & Nelson, 2005). An assessment of the system can help facilitate the combination of new and existing resources available to further change (Baker & Nelson, 2005).

3. How do we scale up effective interventions that already exist in smaller contexts?

The scaling up of small-scale interventions requires the continued collaboration and networked involvement across communities of schools, research institutions, and policy leaders. In examining the scalability of educational innovations, Levin (2013) acknowledges that it can be quite difficult. Specifically, with over 100,000 schools in 14,000 districts across the nation, the decentralized structure of United States’ education results in a complex political environment for enacting large-scale change (Levin, 2013). From a research perspective, Levin (2013) proposes, “Small-scale innovations should… be seen as promising ideas requiring further study before widespread adoption.” Similarly, Solari and colleagues (2020) explain that research should explore the conditions that facilitate the effectiveness of reading interventions through large-scale population studies. They elaborate with the targeted goal to understand effective reading instruction for diverse learners across race, culture, language, and socio-economic status (Solari et al., 2020).

Practitioners and leaders are equally responsible for the implementation of research in school contexts. Levin (2013) contends that increased open access to outcomes and cost of implementation will facilitate the further understanding of the ways in which research and data aligns in school contexts. A networked community of schools can promote further conversation about successes and challenges. Similar to Bryk and colleagues’ (2015) examination of systems, Levin (2013) presents criteria to scaling up innovations at larger scales, including cost, human capacity, tools and infrastructure, political factors, and community-based factors.

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Human capacity and infrastructural resources perhaps hold the most significant implications for supporting the nation’s teachers to implement research-based reading instruction. Individualized literacy coaching, for example, has been well-documented as an effective professional development support for teachers in building their agency, skills, and implementation of reading instruction in classrooms (Brady et al., 2009; Carlisle & Berebitsky, 2010; Desimone & Pak, 2017; Kraft & Blazar, 2018; Kraft & Papay, 2014). However, variability in effectiveness and fidelity exists at larger scales, particularly due to factors related to human capacity and resources (Kraft & Blazar, 2017, 2018). Other criteria cited by Levin (2013), such as political and community-factors underscore the importance of advocacy support and the integration of diverse stakeholders in furthering the application of the Science of Reading and supporting practices in schools and communities.

Examples of success do offer promise for scaling up the effective implementation of the Science of Reading, supporting researchbased practices, and systems of professional development at scale.

The state of Mississippi, for example, made national headlines in 2019 for the sharp increase in their fourth and eighth grade NAEP scores, when they built the capacity to implement a research-based reading curriculum and pedagogy; supported teachers with sustained, systematic professional development and coaching; and expanded systems of data collection and evaluation with multiple assessments to measure impact. Mississippi coordinated their efforts from state policy reform, further centralizing their initiatives and enabling them to commit to school reform across a continuum throughout the state.

READ The Research, Education, and ADvocacy podcast readpodcast.org

Hosted by Danielle Scorrano

The Stakes and Opportunities are High It takes more than an ideological shift to further advance the Science of Reading and supportive research-based practices across all school contexts. As this article has examined, barriers exist related to (1) the communication of the science in a way that is applicable and effective in schools; (2) the commitment and coordination from school and district leaders; and (3) the allocation of adequate resources to support its implementation. Clearly, while these issues are apparent across the system of education, there are widespread disparities that disproportionately impact the nation’s most vulnerable populations — forcing the urgency for change. Pressing reform comes when we recognize that the stakes are high, and the opportunities to disrupt the educational status quo (Battilana, Leca & Boxenbaum, 2009) have even broader and deeper implications for the livelihood of all our children.

Listen to READ on your favorite podcast player

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The Beacon Fall 2021

Inside the Institute

Disrupting the Educational Status Quo: Advocating for Scientifically Based Reading Instruction

By John J. Russell, EdD, Special Projects Advisor at The Windward Institute and Associate Director of the Haskins Global Literacy Hub

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ountless studies confirm the critical need to fill the gap that exists between the instructional programs that students currently receive in public and private schools and the research-based program they need to be successful. What Windward students tell us confirms this.

The Windward School is an independent school for students with language-based learning disabilities located in New York.

Windward students regularly share their thoughts about their experiences at the schools that they attended prior to coming to Windward. The following are typical: “At my former school, if I didn’t answer a question correctly,

the other students would laugh at me, and I would feel very stupid and embarrassed. Being different felt awful.”

“Imagine going to school every day and praying that you won’t be called on to read. Imagine knowing that you try your best in school every day but still have report cards that say you are failing, not trying, and need to start making an effort in school.”

No 12-year-old child should ever have these horrible memories of school. The widespread use of ineffective instructional strategies to teach reading motivated The Windward Institute to make disrupting the educational status quo its mission.

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The Reading Wars: Scientifically Based vs Balanced Literacy Reading Instruction

Balanced Literacy Reading Instruction In response to the avalanche of research repudiating Whole Language and supporting scientifically based reading instruction, Scientifically Based Reading Instruction Whole Language morphed into Balanced Literacy, and some In the most basic terms, scientifically based means there is reliable Balanced Literacy reading programs hijacked the term “scientifically evidence that a program or practice works (Keskin & Yilmaz, 2020; based” when in fact they are not based on scientific research (Chall, Smith, 2003). In 1967, Jeanna Chall published Learning to Read: 2000; Moats, 2007).

The Great Debate which was the result of extensive research that she “The term ‘whole language’ is not commonly used today, but did as part of a Carnegie Corporation study. Chall found that many programs based on its premises remain popular. These approaches years of investigations of beginning readers clearly supported direct may pay lip service to reading science, but they fail to incorporate instruction of decoding and that the content and instructional methods knowledge of letters and sounds was a proven to work best with students learning critical factor in reading achievement. Since to read. Some districts openly shun then, many others have confirmed the research-based practices, while others fail To be effective, reading components of scientifically based reading to provide clear, consistent leadership instruction that are most effective. Decades for principals and teachers, who are left to programs need to of educational research studies and reinvent reading instruction, school by cognitive science research (Castles, Rastles school” (Chester Finn, 2007). address phonemic & Nation, 2018; Chall,1967; Dehaene, This is still true today (Fisher, Frey 2010; National Reading Panel, 2000; awareness, phonics, & Lapp, 2021). The consequences of this Seidenberg, 2017; Shaywitz & Shaywitz, reading war have led to decades of an fluency, reading 2020; Wolf, 2018) have conclusively educational status quo that has been proven that: catastrophically detrimental for students comprehension, • Skilled readers rely more heavily on across the country. decoding skills (knowledge of letterand vocabulary.

Strategies for Disrupting sound correspondences) than context the Status Quo clues when learning new words.

Since 1969, the National Assessment of • The alphabetic principle must be Educational Progress (NAEP), also known explicitly taught, not simply “discovered” as The Nation’s Report Card, has assessed student performance in as prescribed by Whole Language devotees. reading. Year after year, the NAEP has documented the poor performance of American students. Consistent with past years, the Whole Language Reading Instruction most recent assessment (2019) reported that 65% of fourth graders In the simplest terms, “Whole Language” is a philosophy of and 66% of eighth graders were reading below the proficient level teaching reading based on the mistaken belief that learning to read, of achievement in reading. like learning to speak, comes naturally to children. It is a method of Over the time span since the NAEP was first introduced, an teaching children to read by recognizing words as whole pieces of language, deemphasizing, or in some cases virtually eliminating, the overwhelming number of research studies (Foorman et al., 2016; teaching of the skills that children need to decode words. In general, Goswami and Bryant, 2016; Gough, Ehri, Treiman, 2017; Moats, 2000; Moats, 2007; National Reading Panel, 2000; Petscher et al., followers of the Whole Language philosophy believe that language 2020; Rayner, Foorman, Perfetti, Pesetsky & Seidenberg, 2000) should not be broken down into letters and combinations of letters have clearly and unequivocally identified scientifically based and “decoded.” instructional practices as the most effective method for teaching The publication of Ken Goodman’s Reading: A Psycholinguistic reading. Despite this evidence and the dismal performance of Guessing Game (1967) and Frank Smith’s Understanding Reading: students on the NAEP reading assessment, the use of research-based A Psycholinguistic Analysis of Reading and Learning to Read (1971) practices in classrooms is still a work in progress (Chester Finn, were seminal in moving Whole Language philosophy from 2007; Fisher, Frey & Lapp, 2021). academic circles into classrooms. More recently, a host of others What can be done to bring scientifically based reading have joined this band: Marie Clay (Reading Recovery), Lucy Calkin instruction into more classrooms across the United States? While (The Units of Study Teaching Reading), Gay Su Pinnel & Irene this brief paper cannot address this in full measure, the following Fountas (Leveled Literacy Intervention). strategies can be used to disrupt the status quo.

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graduate education programs are not providing teachers with this 1. Clarify Terminology knowledge. Writing in the Journal of Learning Disabilities (2009), The term “scientifically based” needs to be clearly defined, and Louisa Moats cites research by Walsh, Glaser, & its use by publishers closely scrutinized. According to provisions Dunne-Wilcox (2006) that states, “courses provided in teacher contained in the No Child Left Behind legislation (2002), “To licensing programs are often insufficient in content and design to say that an instructional program or practice is grounded in enable the students to learn the subject matter and apply it to the scientifically-based research means there is reliable evidence that the teaching of reading.” program or practice works” (Smith, 2003). Shanahan (2020), while An earlier study (Moats & Lyon, 1996) supporting the use of well-established also demonstrated that teachers have evidence to make instructional decisions, “insufficiently developed concepts about warns against overgeneralizing findings Entire futures, including language and pervasive conceptual from basic research that have not been weaknesses in the very skills that are needed supported by instructional experiments. job and financial security, for direct, systematic, language-focused Hence, many teachers believe that reading instruction, such as the abilities to scientific evidence is not the only source confidence, and a sense count phonemes and to identify phonic of knowledge of effective reading relationships.” Moats and Lyon’s findings instruction, nor is it, in their opinion, of accomplishment, have been confirmed by Cheesman et al. necessarily better than knowledge gained (2009) who found that only 18% of firstthrough personal experience (Education rest on the ability to year teachers could distinguish between Week, 2019). Educators need to be phonemic awareness and phonics read and write. informed about the hierarchy of the instruction. More recently, these findings quality of evidence obtained by different were confirmed by the National Council research methodologies: randomized on Teacher Quality’s (NCTQ) annual review (2021) of teacher controlled trials; quasi-experimental, including pre- and post-data; preparation programs. correlational studies with statistical controls; correlational studies NCTQ found that teacher prep programs nationwide are most without statistical controls; and case studies. While all these research likely to omit phonemic awareness, the first and most challenging methodologies can produce “reliable evidence,” the quality of the instructional skill teachers need to teach before children can learn to evidence decreases in descending order for each of the other research read.

Only 51% of teacher preparation programs provide methodologies listed. instruction in this skill in which children must accurately identify 2. Establish the Components of the speech sounds in words. The review also discovered that too Scientifically Based Reading Programs few teacher preparation programs, only 53%, spend enough time The National Reading Panel (2000) reviewed the findings of many teaching about the importance of reading fluency. research studies to determine whether there was sufficient scientific 4. Strengthen Professional Development evidence to determine the components of effective reading There remains a significant disconnect between the preparation instruction. The panel concluded that, to be effective, reading teachers need in order to be successful and the preparation they programs need to address phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, actually receive in their pre-service and graduate education courses reading comprehension, and vocabulary. "Scientifically based” (Solari et al., 2020). Teacher preparation programs simply do not reading programs fully incorporate these five components (Moats, sufficiently prepare new teachers for the classroom, and state 2007). Balanced Literacy programs may contain some of these licensing examinations are not rigorous enough to protect students elements, but do not fully incorporate them, and frequently deviate from teachers who are ill-equipped to teach reading (NCTQ, from evidence-based ones in the instructional practices used to 2021). In public and independent schools across the nation, there deliver them. Further, the use of structured, sequential, systematic, has been a very slow but increasing awareness of the inadequacy of explicit instruction to teach these components is critical in learning teacher preparation programs. to read (Birsh et al., 2018; Dehaene et al., 2010; Petscher et al., 2020).

At Windward, we have long recognized the deficits that smart, 3. Improve Teacher Preparation conscientious teachers bring with them simply because they did not In order to teach reading effectively, teachers must be knowledgeable receive proper training at their colleges and universities to effectively of oral and written language concepts as well as the most effective teach reading and writing. Recognizing that all of its teachers research-based instructional practices (Budin, Mather, & Cheesman, would benefit from a comprehensive research-based professional 2010; Seidenberg, 2020). Unfortunately, undergraduate and development program, The Windward Institute (WI) is dedicated

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to providing the type of training that enables professionals to acquire the expertise needed to teach children of all abilities in both mainstream and remedial classrooms. It offers professional development based on the most current, scientifically validated research in reading and writing instruction as well as child development, learning theory, and pedagogy. WI courses, workshops and lectures translate this research into practical classroom applications.

5. Strengthen Licensing Requirements Only 20 states require a test that fully measures candidates’ knowledge of the science of reading, and only 11 states require such a test of their special education teachers, even though difficulty reading is the primary reason students are assigned to special education (NCTQ, 2021). All elementary teacher candidates in New York must pass the New York State Teacher Certification

Examination (NYSTCE) Multi-Subject: Teachers of Childhood (Grade 1-Grade 6) test, as a condition of initial certification. This test includes a separately scored English language arts/literacy section. However, this subtest does not address the science of reading and therefore does not amount to a standalone reading test.

Concluding Thoughts This short paper does not do justice to the scope and severity of the problem. Not being able to read proficiently can have a devastating impact on an individual’s life. Entire futures, including job and financial security, confidence, and a sense of accomplishment, rest on the ability to read and write. Despite the sincere efforts of dedicated educators in classrooms throughout the tri-state area and beyond, untold numbers of children struggle to master these most basic skills that are the foundations for future academic achievement.

The status quo must be disrupted.

FAST FACTS

65%

18%

66% 65% of fourth graders and 66% of eighth graders were reading below the proficient level of achievement in reading in 2019.

51% Only 18% of first­year teachers could distinguish between phonemic awareness and phonics instruction.

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Only 51% of teacher preparation programs provide instruction in phonemic awareness in which children must accurately identify the speech sounds in words.

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53% Only 53% of teacher preparation programs spend enough time teaching about the importance of reading fluency.

Only 20 states require a test that fully measures teaching candidates’ knowledge of the science of reading.

Only 11 states require a science of reading knowledge test of their special education teachers, even though difficulty reading is the primary reason students are assigned to special education.

Data from the National Council on Teacher Quality’s 2021 annual review

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Q&A with Inspiring Leaders in the World of Dyslexia

Shawn Anthony Robinson, PhD Doctor Dyslexia Dude

In this Q&A series, we will interview individuals from the dyslexia community who are influencers in their respective fields. We hope this series will provide insight into how dyslexia impacts our world and will inspire our readers to see the potential that dyslexic children can achieve in the future.

By Stephanie Huie, Associate Director of Digital Communications & Publications Dr. Shawn Anthony Robinson is on a mission to change the narrative for students with dyslexia, particularly for African American boys. He personally faced difficult challenges early in life and was not diagnosed with dyslexia until age 18, but his life changed when he met Dr. Robert T. Nash, who taught him how to read using an Orton­Gillingham method. Today, Dr. Robinson is the owner of the “Pure and Complete Phonics” curriculum and author of the graphic novel series Doctor Dyslexia Dude—just to name a few of his many endeavors—and his message is to empower all students to see themselves as superheroes and allow themselves to be successful.

What was school like for you in the early days when you didn't read yet?

Looking back, I was angry, bitter, and not approachable, and these emotions were attached to not being able to read. Academically, I was lost and didn’t care about school, which led to inappropriate behavior. Not being able to read was psychologically damaging for me.

What support systems did you have to help you stay motivated despite the adversity you faced due to your dyslexia?

I ended up splitting my time between high school and an alternative high school for special ed students, and I had a lot of great teachers and coaches who helped get me on the right path.

They instilled confidence in me and helped turn me around by guiding me on how I could control my behavior. For example, they helped me get involved with coaching Special Olympics. That opportunity helped me realize I had leadership skills to contribute, which helped give me a different outlook on life.

In your senior year of high school, you were finally diagnosed with dyslexia. Can you share that story and how that impacted the trajectory of your life?

My mom was at a beauty salon and heard other mothers talking about a program for adult learners with dyslexia at a college run by Dr. Robert T. Nash. She called him up to ask if he would meet with us, because we were looking for answers on why I was struggling academically. He tested me, and I remember I couldn’t spell sight words. At the end, Dr. Nash told me I had dyslexia. He also said he saw a lot of potential in me because I was one of the most literate kids he has ever met; however, the school system failed me. Dr. Nash explained that learning how to read would be one of the hardest things I would ever face in my life, but he would teach me how to crack the code with multisensory instruction. Once he did that, I caught on quickly and took off.

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You graduated high school reading at an elementary level, but you went on to participate in Dr. Nash’s Project Success Summer Program at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh before being accepted to attend the university for your bachelor’s degree.

What was that experience like?

It was the real world and a wake-up call. I couldn’t have the same attitude that I did as an adolescent coming into an adult world. My mentors told me to mature or go home so I wouldn’t waste my time or my professors’ time. In college, I began to understand who I was becoming, and I knew that I wanted to give back and serve in some capacity. I always felt like an outcast and didn’t want others to feel the same way. Finally, after six years, I earned my undergrad degree.

Dr. Nash became a lifelong mentor for you, and he gave you the rights to his curriculum “Pure and Complete Phonics” before he passed away in 2017. What is being done with the program today?

It was an honor for Dr. Nash to give the program to me, because he saved more lives than any researcher that I know of in Wisconsin.

I have used his work for adult learners with dyslexia where I teach at the Madison Area Technical College. Last semester, we had piloted a free course, which is the first of its kind in the state, to teach not only dyslexic students, but also ESL learners. We saw some great results from our pre- and post-tests, and we already have two sections for the fall filled up. It’s exciting to teach these adult learners, because I can relate to them, where they did not get the services they needed from the system to be successful.

I always felt like an outcast and didn’t want others to feel the same way.

Afterwards, you received your master’s in education and a doctorate in language and literacy. What encouraged you to keep progressing academically at a graduate level?

I wanted to keep going, in part to prove to myself that I could achieve high levels of academic success regardless of where I started. A part of me also wanted to prove other people wrong. I had professors who told me I wasn’t going to be anything or who told me I should do something different, but I just kept plugging away. With my PhD, I wanted to know more not only about myself as a dyslexic, but also about the space that I have lived in so I could try to help others like me. I was in my master’s program for five years, then my doctorate program for seven years, so I spent a total of 18 years in school after high school!

In your research, you focus on the intersection of race, giftedness, and dyslexia. Why those particular areas of interest?

At the time, I had read a lot of literature by Dr. Donna Ford from The Ohio State University, where she discussed traits of exceptional multicultural individuals, such as leadership and academic abilities.

Then I started reading the research on dyslexia, but there wasn’t much research on the intersection between the two. I wanted to write about Black and Brown kids who look like me, who are dyslexic, and who possess traits that are characterized as giftedness.

For example, Black and Brown kids are underidentified in both giftedness and dyslexia. If they excel in leadership, art, science, theater, they are underidentified. If they can’t read, they are not usually identified as having a learning or behavioral disability. I saw that this needed more attention.

In addition to serving adult learners, some younger audiences may know you as Doctor Dyslexia Dude, which is a character in your graphic novel series that you co­authored. When did this concept come about?

My wife and I sat down and said we wanted to take the research publications that I’d done to make them more accessible for kids and families. We wanted to try something different that would spread the messages of equality, equity, confidence, and selfempowerment. We knew that graphic novels can help students who struggle to read improve their engagement and comprehension, so we thought let’s try that in order to reach more kids. It has always been priceless to see kids with smiles on their faces and feel they have some hope because they recognize themselves in our books.

At Windward, we have students who, like you, are dyslexic or have other language­based learning disabilities. What words of wisdom would you have so they, too, see themselves as superheroes?

You are not alone, and it is okay to feel the way that you feel. We are all going to experience failure in our life, but how we handle and channel our emotions is what matters. It is okay to think outside of the box because that’s what we do; we are creative in our thinking!

Nothing is guaranteed in life, and nothing will automatically come to you, but keep working hard at whatever you are doing. There is no failure when you have done your best.

Note: All information and insights shared in the Q&A demonstrate the expertise and views of our interviewees.

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Turning the Tide

Bidialectal Bridges: Addressing the Need for Inclusionary Language Instruction

By Annie Stutzman, MS, Associate Director of The Windward Institute

“Language is the road map of a culture, it tells you where its people come from and where they are going.”

– Rita Mae Brown

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s more and more educators discover the decades-long evidence behind the Science of Reading (SoR), the field is beginning to address the foundational gaps in their pre-service programs. An even larger number of teachers have not been exposed to the imperative concepts and prejudices surrounding bidialectal language, or speaking two varieties of one language, such as African American English (AAE), and how it can influence the path of literacy for many students. As people with a stake in pedagogy, the shared intention must be to have all students achieve success in reading, and many teachers will need to unlearn the notion that children who are multilingual (speaking/reading more than one language) or bidialectal are more likely to lack proficiency in the skills needed to attain achievement in reading.

While more and more schools begin to align themselves with evidencebased practices and navigate towards the incorporation of explicit, structured, sequential literacy instruction (ESSLI), it is vital for all educational communities to underscore the importance of a wider knowledge of linguistic difference in bidialectal children and how it affects student outcomes, both academically and socially.

Just as a percentage of monolingual children struggle to “crack the code” due to a specific language-based learning disability,

deficits in instruction, or both, a portion of children who are bidialectal (or multilingual) will also encounter difficulties in learning to read. What is essential to understand is the difference between a learning disability and the multidimensional demands of acquiring aptitude in the rules and usage of a dialect not spoken in one's home. While many might hold onto unfounded beliefs that AAE does not follow a set of rules for usage or was an inadequate language system (Gupta, 2010), both General American English (GAE) and AAE include specific features of language, such as morphology, phonology, pragmatics, semantics, and syntax (Wolfram, et al., 1999).

The same methods teachers use to instruct a child who is monolingual (learning and communicating in one language) or multilingual (learning and communicating in two or more languages at once) should be employed with a child who is operating in more than one dialect. This includes, but is not limited to: • providing sufficient opportunities to learn; • using materials and practices that are effective given the students’ backgrounds; • eliminating unwanted stigma associated with using AAE (Washington & Seidenberg, 2021).

Including common dialect variants in whole­class lessons is one means to avoid shame associated with AAE and a powerful technique to further the classroom language development.

Fall 2021 The Beacon

In order to enact these reforms, teachers must first have the resources to implement them thoroughly and thoughtfully. One way to increase this equity in education is through an emphasis placed on empowering educators with the intricate knowledge base of phonological awareness. If teachers are aware of the key pieces involved with building literacy skills, they will be able to better attune to the differences between the students who speak GAE at home and in the classroom and students who speak AAE at home.

This, in combination with effort placed on basic accommodations such as visual supports and transcribing important information delivered orally (Beyer et al., 2015), will provide a safe, supportive, and productive environment for all students.

This viewpoint linked with feelings that AAE is inherently incorrect or improper English minimizes the highly complex cognitive task of code­switching.

Another key element which should umbrella all instruction, including for AAE/GAE students, is explicit instruction. “Like speakers of any nonstandard dialect, from Swiss German to Cypriot Greek, most speakers of African-American English do learn to codeswitch naturally,” Washington explained (Brennan, 2018).

She continued, “Some start during kindergarten, then we see a big wave at the end of first grade and another at the end of second grade. Then you get to third grade and it’s over.” At that point, about a third of them still can’t speak the standard dialect (GAE), and “code-switching isn’t going to happen unless you teach it. We know those kids will have trouble.”

Just as Snow and Juel (2005) said in reference to direct instruction for reading, “Explicit teaching of alphabetic decoding skills is helpful for all children, harmful for none, and crucial for

Glossary African American English (AAE): the variety of English spoken by many African American communities in the United States

Bidialectal: speaking using two dialects of the same language

General American English (GAE): the variety of English spoken in the greater part of the United States, particularly with reference to the lack of regional characteristics

Monolingual: a person who speaks only one language

Multilingual: a person who speaks two or more languages

some.” We are under obligation as educators to address the specific needs of specific children in our classroom while understanding that it is not a detriment to the classroom as a whole. This will also help reinforce the destigmatization of AAE use.

By the end of fourth grade, “switching” students—that is, students who are proficient in both their home dialect and standard English—score at least a full academic year ahead of their nonswitching classmates in reading” (Brennan, 2018). The “wait to fail” model has resulted in thousands of children being deprived of a proper education and in the simplest terms, the right to read.

It is not simply best practices in instruction that should be prioritized, but related adjustment in assessment as well as instruction must be considered. Research has shown that African American students score lower on fluency than their peers when they read aloud as they slowed down their reading in order to improve the grammatical accuracy (Craig, et al., 2004). Accounting for fluency in reading being affected by the discrepancy in rate vs. accuracy is a key to not over-identifying AAE speaking children for special education. Including common dialect variants in whole-class lessons is one means to avoid shame associated with AAE and a powerful technique to further the classroom language development.

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“It is important that teachers understand that language varieties are linguistically equal, even when they are not socially equal.”

—Washington and Seidenberg It is not enough to address the knowledge gap of teachers; we also must speak to the larger systems in place which further injustice for Black students, such as preconceptions involving the usage of AAE in a predominantly GAE setting as well as the opportunity gaps for these students from lower-socioeconomic status backgrounds. In a survey study that took place in a high-needs school district in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region, most teacher respondents felt that AAE contributed to problems with reading, writing, and performance on standardized tests (Gupta, 2010).

This viewpoint linked with feelings that AAE is inherently incorrect or improper English minimizes the highly complex cognitive task of code-switching.

Regarding the Matthew Effect, or equity in education, with nearly 100% of high-density (dialect influence greater than or equal to 50% of speaker’s oral language) speakers of AAE from

low-income families (Washington et al., 2018), income inequality and educational inequality can sadly be considered synonymous (Hanushek, 2019). With the intention to stop the cycle of classism in the classroom, educators must prioritize understanding the nuances of AAE while simultaneously reflecting on their bidialectal biases.

Educators are meant to meet children where they are in their abilities, build the foundations of learning, and provide reinforcement of the skills comprised in multifaceted tasks, such as reading. This is especially imperative for children who are navigating in two dialects synchronously.

As American activist Verna Myers famously said, "Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.” Now that all children have been invited to the classroom, we must teach them to read.

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Fall 2021 The Beacon

Research Roundup

The Role of Implicit Bias: Dyslexia Diagnosis and Race

By Resha Conroy, Dyslexia Alliance for Black Children Founder

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cross school districts in the United States, parents of According to The Nation’s Report Card, an alarming 82% of children with dyslexia share an eerily similar narrative of Black fourth graders were not reading at proficient levels compared the barriers faced when seeking a diagnosis. The stories to 65% of all fourth graders (NAEP, 2019). A study conducted in echo language, often voiced by public school administrators and 2016 sought to determine how the public perceived differences in educators, that takes a “wait to fail” approach or that blames test scores by race. When asked, “How much of the difference in students and families for academic difficulties. Likewise, families of test scores between White students and Black students can be Black children with dyslexia echo the same story, with the added explained by discrimination against Black individuals or injustices layer of language rooted in historical and systemic racism: the in society?” Nearly half (44%) of respondents chose “None.” Only language of low expectations, misinterpretation of developmentally 10% chose “A great deal” (Valant & Newark, 2016). The results appropriate behaviors, and the exclusion of families as partners in reflect a lack of understanding of historical factors and the effects of educational decisions. The consistent nature of these narratives, systemic racism and fuel implicit bias. supported by quantitative data demonstrating disproportionate Dyslexia is the most common learning disability (Peterson & adverse outcomes, highlights the impact of systemic racism for Pennington, 2015) and is reported to affect 5-17% of the Black children with dyslexia. population (Butterworth & Kovas, 2013; Shaywitz, 1998).

With the prohibitively expensive nature of private evaluations, According to the National Center for Education Statistics, only the public education system’s 4.5% of students in public schools ability to identify students remains are diagnosed with "specific The examination of implicit bias the most likely access to diagnosis. language disorders," which include However, the public education dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia must not be confused with a system's failure to identify dyslexia (Hanford, 2017). The diagnosis is game of blame, but rather a move even less for Black children, who are disproportionately impacts students of color (Hettleman, underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed. towards professional excellence 2003). Unfortunately, It circles back to the question, unremediated dyslexia leads to honoring and serving all students. "Why?" Why are Black children less decreased self-esteem, increased likely to be identified with dyslexia? frustration, and stress for students.

Although many causal factors must Perhaps even without knowing the statistics, many families be considered, implicit bias appears to contribute to the intuitively realize the protective factors of literacy. Protective factors underdiagnosis of dyslexia in Black individuals. are typically defined as characteristics of an individual or What is Implicit Bias? environment that reduce the negative effect of adversities (Mastern The examination of implicit bias must not be confused with a game & Reed, 2002). Families with resources resort to private and costly of blame, but rather a move towards professional excellence evaluations, making dyslexia seemingly a diagnosis of privilege. Yet, honoring and serving all students. Implicit bias is a term coined by literacy is not a privilege; it is a human right. The United Nations psychologists Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald, where they includes education, including literacy, as a human right, acknowledging that lack of literacy negatively impacts life outcomes suggested that social behavior is influenced by unconscious associations and judgments (Greenwald & Banaji, 1995). Since (UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948). McKinsey & Company’s The Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap in America’s 1995, psychologists have extensively researched implicit biases and found that we all possess implicit biases (Ruhl, 2020). Implicit bias Schools states, “The perpetuation of illiteracy leads to ‘heavy and related to race and ethnicity is the psychological residue of persistent often tragic consequences, via lower earnings, poorer health and structural racism (Dhaliwal, et.al., 2020). higher rates of incarceration’” (Auguste et al., 2009).

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National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2019 Reading

11%

82%

23%

65% 82% of Black or African­American fourth graders scored below proficient reading level compared to 65% of all fourth graders.

Reading proficiency by the end of third grade is a key predictor of high school graduation. Among 4th graders, only 11% of African­ American boys living below the poverty line, scored at or above 4th­grade proficiency level.

This level only increased to 23% for African American boys not living below the poverty line

U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2019 Reading Assessment; KIDS COUNT.).

Researchers have hypothesized that implicit bias contributes to educators are unaware of their bias, there is no internal check to selfracial disparities in educational outcomes, suggesting that teachers’ monitor, which increases the likelihood of perpetuating bias when unconscious racial beliefs could produce biased evaluations of applying the definition of dyslexia as “unexpected.” students’ academic performance (Dhaliwal et al., 2020). While Synthesis of teacher expectations studies from 2008 to 2018 studies have explored various causal factors, there is limited research showed that teacher expectations are associated with students’ longon the factors that influence the chances of a dyslexia diagnosis. A term academic pathways (Johnston, Wildly, Strand, 2019). consideration of the impact of Specifically, studies also found that implicit bias on dyslexia White teachers have lower identification in traditional public expectations for Black students and For Black students with dyslexia, the lowest for Black boys and private schools is warranted.

(Gershenson, Holt, & Papageorge, their difficulty acquiring reading “Unexpected” Requires 2016). Furthermore, Odegard High Expectations found that if Black students raises no alarms due to Our definitions and tools must attended school with a greater hold up to the pressure tests of these low expectations population of Black and Brown structural racism and the resulting children, the child was less likely to and, therefore, excludes them implicit bias. In the absence of be identified with dyslexia or universal dyslexia screening or a special education needs, which from a dyslexia diagnosis. parent’s request for an evaluation, further creates a disparity (2020). an educator would be expected to For Black students with dyslexia, recognize the symptoms of dyslexia. their difficulty acquiring reading raises no alarms due to these low The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) defines dyslexia “... as expectations and, therefore, excludes them from a dyslexia diagnosis. a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin… unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision Implicit Bias and Behavioral Expectations of effective classroom instruction.”

Implicit bias may impact diagnosis based not only on academic For an educator to suspect dyslexia, the educator must first expect expectations but also on the way behavior is interpreted. A Black that a child can be taught to read. Given the research on implicit student’s misbehavior often occurs and is related to the subjective bias and lower teacher expectations, the reliance on unexpected perception that Black students are defiant (Stanford et al., 2018). difficulties negatively affects Black children with dyslexia. When Implicit bias shapes how we perceive behavior and react to it. It

Fall 2021 The Beacon

makes it easy to dismiss the child’s needs and instead hyper focus on While grassroots parent-led dyslexia advocacy has had an the behavioral manifestations, while ignoring root-cause issues such undeniable impact on dyslexia legislation, a glance at the as dyslexia. membership in most dyslexia advocacy groups will reveal a gross Black students are more likely to be labeled as intellectually underrepresentation of Black families and an increased amount of disabled or emotionally disturbed. In NYC, Black children are two contentious debate around the necessity of a focus on Black literacy. times more likely to be identified in Let us not forget that the category of emotional disturbance advancements in both racial equity than White children (Fancsali et al., and disability rights in public 2021). In addition, individuals with education stem from the efforts, Literacy is not the great unaddressed dyslexia have an marches, and sit-ins of Black families equalizer when it exists increased risk of mental health issues and allies leading to Brown v. Board of related to anxiety and depression thus laying the foundation in the shadows of implicit bias Education, (MacDonald et al., 2016). This for disability cases that followed. To increases the likelihood that exclude Black families is to ignore fueled by systemic racism. unaddressed dyslexia may be their cultural assets and victorious misdiagnosed as a behavioral or legacy in the fight for educational emotional disturbance or that coequity. occurring dyslexia is missed.

Exploring Solutions This is potentially devastating for Black children with dyslexia This discussion focused on implicit bias as just one possible barrier because it is met with harsher punishment for similar behaviors as to dyslexia identification and diagnosis. As we explore solutions, the their White peers, despite research confirming that Black students first step is to approach this subject with a degree of intellectual and do not misbehave at a higher rate (Whittenberg, 2021). Research cultural humility. There is a lot we do not know about dyslexia in documents that academic underachievement and over-discipline Black communities, mainly because we have not asked or looked, correlate with the school-to-prison pipeline (Stanford et al., 2018). and we have not engaged Black families as stakeholders.

Implicit bias fuels the dyslexia-to-prison pipeline at a We have not acknowledged the duality of existence and the lived disproportionate rate. experiences of Black children with dyslexia. And as outlined in this Excluding and Undervaluing Black families brief article, we have not accepted that the effects of systemic racism The voices of parents and caregivers matter when advocating for shape our beliefs, practices, and actions. their child and as part of a larger movement towards equity.

Let the fight for literacy continue, but be warned, literacy is not However, implicit bias also contributes to the way schools engage the great equalizer when it exists in the shadows of implicit bias fueled with Black families and inhibits equitable parent participation by systemic racism.

(Brion, 2020). Implicit bias creates notions that Black parents are less engaged with their children’s academics (Bridges et al., 2012).

About the Author Resha Conroy is the founder of the Dyslexia Alliance for Black Children, a non-profit organization working to eliminate the amplified inequities for Black children experiencing unaddressed dyslexia and related learning disabilities.

A mother of two children with learning disabilities, including a son with dyslexia, Ms. Conroy is motivated by her family's journey to pursue her lifelong passion for education reform. She has over a decade of experience in education and non-profit management, serving on school leadership teams and as a consultant for charter schools in Washington, D.C. and New York City. Ms. Conroy has shifted her career to a clinical and direct service role; she is currently a speech-language pathologist and an executive functioning coach with a strong interest in language, literacy, and culture.

She is a proud lifelong New Yorker and graduate of the Bronx High School of Science. She has a BA in economics from Smith College, an MPA in non-profit management, and an MS in communicative sciences and disorders from New York University.

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News Around Windward

Windward Establishes Promise Project Partnership

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wo major goals within year one of Windward’s three-year diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging plan were to increase the diversity of the student body and to establish ongoing outreach and resources for underserved communities. To meet those goals, in the fall of 2020, The Windward School and The Windward Institute partnered with Promise Project, a nonprofit organization that serves New York City schoolchildren from low-income backgrounds who are struggling with learning and attention issues. Through their program, PROMISE at Columbia, children receive, at low or no-cost, state-of-the-art neuropsychological assessments, clinical recommendations, and the necessary follow-up to get the services they need to learn.

Windward’s Three­Pronged Approach Since the inception of its partnership with the Promise Project, Windward has taken steps toward advancing equity in education in underresourced populations.

1. Increasing opportunity for Promise students to benefit from Windward’s instructional program: The Promise Clinic and Windward’s Admissions teams have regularly collaborated to identify and admit students who would benefit from explicit, structured, sequential literacy instruction. For the 2021-22 academic year, Windward committed to offering scholarship assistance.

2. Expanding the reach of instruction and faculty expertise through a collaborative tutoring project: This spring, The Windward Institute and Promise Clinic teams launched a pilot program to pair Windward faculty with students already participating in the Promise Clinic programs. Windward tutors worked with students virtually throughout the summer, noting the progress made in students’ reading using Windward’s instructional program. The tutors shared that they enjoyed the opportunity in partnering with the Promise Clinic to cultivate relationships with more students across New York City, beyond Windward. This tutoring project, which expands upon The Windward Institute’s pillars and mission, will continue throughout the 2021–22 academic school year.

3. Targeting the needs of older students through Windward’s renowned summer program: Members of the Promise Clinic and The Windward’s School Summer Program leadership team identified older students to participate in the four-week academic and social program.

Through this partnership with Promise Project, Windward’s aim is to truly embody its mission, to live its vision of a world where every child with a language-based learning disability is empowered to achieve unlimited success.

Wyoming Educators Called to Disrupt the Status Quo

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t the Wyoming Department of Education Embracing Literacy conference on July 20, Special Projects Advisor to The Windward Institute, John J. Russell, EdD, gave a presentation, “Disrupting the Status Quo: Advancing ResearchBased Practices,” to an audience of more than 500 attendees, including educators, administrators, and legislators on how they could improve literacy rates in Wyoming through changes in preservice programs and certification. The state is reevaluating its reading curriculum and teaching models, as research shows significant room for improvement for students. The latest Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) worldwide ranking of average scores of math, science, and reading ranked the United States as 31st in the world for students’ scholastic performance.

Meanwhile, The Nation’s Report Card indicated 59% of Wyoming fourth grade students were reading below the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) proficient level and 66% of Wyoming eighth grade students were reading below the NAEP proficient level.

In his presentation, Dr. Russell outlined six strategies for disrupting the educational status quo in Wyoming: clarifying terminology, establishing the components of scientifically-based reading programs, improving teacher preparation, strengthening licensing requirements, using data to drive decision making, and advocating the Science of Reading in all classrooms.

Dr. Russell was then invited by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow to meet with additional Wyoming educators on September 21 at the Wyoming Education Summit “Pursuing Excellence Together: Moving Forward.” He joined fellow speakers, including psychologist David Yeager and authors Frederick Hess and Pedro Noguera, to share Read more on the six knowledge on education, strategies to disrupt the leadership, and instruction educational status quo in in K-12 education.

Inside the Institute penned

by Dr. Russell on page 14.

Fall 2021 The Beacon

News Around Windward

Windward/Haskins Study Enters Year 3 of Data Collection

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he Windward Institute continues to move forward with its partnership with the Haskins Global Literacy Hub in its multi-year research project, Predicting Literacy Outcomes at The Windward School (PLOW). The longitudinal study is entering its third year, focusing on in-school research to better understand which instructional strategies work best for which students, a critical step in moving toward individualized brain-based instructional programs.

The Windward students, known as Junior Scientists, participating in the study are asked to perform behavioral assessments, which analyze their reading and language skills over the course of their instruction at The Windward School.

Brain imaging from electroencephalography (EEG) testing is another tool that provides Haskins researchers with a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of speech and print processing for children with language-based learning disabilities to help identify new biomarkers of response to intervention.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, EEG data was not collected during the 2020-21 school year, but other behavioral measrures were collected on a virtual platform giving the research team another interesting data component to consider. Full EEG data collection resumed, along with the behavioral assessments, on-site at Windward’s campuses in October 2021.

Meet the PLOW Research Study Team Haskins Laboratories Members

Nicole Landi

Director of EEG Research and Principal Investigator

Daniel Kleinman Research Scientist

To receive the latest news from The Windward Institute, subscribe to the WI digital newsletter at

www.thewindwardschool.org/WImailinglist Nikole Parrilla

Research Associate

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The Windward Institute Journal for Educators and Parents Fall 2021

EDITORIAL BOARD

Jamie Williamson, EdS Head of School and Director of The Windward Institute John J. Russell, EdD Special Projects Advisor Annie Stutzman, MS Associate Director Danielle Scorrano Research & Development Director CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Resha Conroy Jana Cook Stephanie Huie Emily Solari, PhD Kristen Wynn EDITOR

Stephanie Huie Associate Director of Digital Communications& Publications

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The Windward Institute, established in January 2020, has a mission to increase childhood literacy rates by disrupting the educational status quo to save more lives.

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Advocates for students with language­based learning disabilities Offers Professional Development Enhances Windward’s reputation and expertise

The Beacon is a biannual journal publication for educators and parents of children with language­based learning disabilities that will support the Institute in advancing its mission.

Every issue will contain manuscripts documenting the latest research, thought pieces by Windward leaders, a Q&A series with inspirational leaders in the world of dyslexia, and stories of how Windward is closing the knowledge gap between proven research and current teaching practices.

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