Glen Rose Independent school District is a small, rural district outside of Fort Worth, Texas. Families who live in the community are often drawn to what the district’s website calls small town values with big time vision. “We were seeing a real lack of growth in reading skills among students,” said Mehgan Shuelke, an educational diagnostician and reading specialist. “We knew something needed to change.”

Southside Independent School District is in the southside of the city of San Antonio, Texas, and serves more than 5,000 students. In fall of 2021, the district’s elementary school teachers participated in a professional learning course on the science of reading, which helped them learn the evidence-based approach to developing literacy skills through phonics instruction. Next they needed the best resources available for turning their new knowledge into practice.

We're excited that our president and co-founder Dr. Susan Hall was featured as a guest author on the International Literacy Association's (ILA) blog LiteracyDAILY where she revealed two critical elements that administrators often overlook when introducing campus reading intervention plans. What are they and how can you make sure these components are in place in your school?

When the conversation moves from intervention to prevention, the immediate question is what can we do now? Here are some ideas for “first steps”:

It’s well known that phonemic awareness is a critical skill for reading. In the past we’ve viewed it as something that kindergarten and first grade teachers are responsible for teaching. However, our view of PA is evolving.

Since the advent of the Common Core, we have seen a flood of informational text in classrooms. While this is seemingly all good, there is reason for caution, particularly

Many teachers report that they have students who have reached grade 2 and above who struggle to read multisyllable words. Do you have this challenge in your school?

It’s the final day of school. Teachers and students alike are watching the clock as it ticks down. 3…2…1… The bell rings. Students throw their homework in the air in celebration, dance on the desks, run screaming through the hallways, burst through the doors to the outside, where the sun is shining brightly...

Are you looking for ways to make your phonics instruction more fun for students? There are many benefits in using manipulatives, especially with struggling readers.

The most effective phonics intervention instruction is explicit, systematic and sequential. Students acquire skills more quickly when teachers explain phonics patterning using...