Literacy Talks

Dyslexia awareness has grown dramatically—but has that awareness translated into meaningful change for students? Stacy, Donell, and Lindsay explore what’s happening in schools, what may still be missing, and what it will take to turn greater awareness into better support for struggling readers.
Show Notes
Dyslexia is now part of the conversation in schools across the country. Nearly every state has adopted some form of dyslexia legislation, screening has become increasingly common, and educators have greater access to information about reading difficulties than ever before.
But identifying a student who may be at risk is only the beginning.
In this episode, Donell Pons, Stacy Hurst, and Lindsay Kemeny discuss research examining what has—and hasn't—changed since states began adopting dyslexia laws. Their conversation moves beyond legislation to the larger systems surrounding students: screening and assessment, teacher knowledge, intervention, curriculum, professional development, diagnosis, accommodations, and the resources available to schools and families.
They also explore an important question for educators: Once the data tells us a student is struggling, what happens next?
The conversation highlights the need to move beyond awareness alone toward systems that help educators respond effectively—with strong Tier 1 instruction, appropriate intervention, knowledgeable teachers and specialists, useful assessment data, evidence-aligned instructional tools, and ongoing professional learning and coaching.
The hosts also acknowledge encouraging examples of schools and districts investing in teacher knowledge and sustained support, offering a reminder that meaningful change is possible when the pieces work together.
Resources Mentioned
Nearly Every State in the U.S. Has Dyslexia Laws, But Our Research Shows Limited Change for Struggling Readers
The Conversation
This February 2026 article provides the research that prompted the episode's discussion. The researchers examined fourth-grade reading data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress across 47 states, comparing trends before and after the adoption of dyslexia legislation.
The Nation's Report Card — National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
The federal assessment program whose reading data was examined in the research discussed during the episode.
International Dyslexia Association (IDA)
A resource for evidence-based information about dyslexia, professional learning, research, and support for educators and families.
Tests of Dyslexia (TOD™)
An assessment referenced by Donell during the discussion, developed by Nancy Mather and colleagues to help identify individuals who may have dyslexia and provide information useful for intervention planning.
Decoding Dyslexia
A grassroots network of state-based parent advocacy organizations working to increase dyslexia awareness and improve access to identification and appropriate educational support.
LETRS® Professional Learning
Lindsay references LETRS while discussing examples of districts investing in teacher knowledge and professional learning grounded in the science of reading.

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Core Instruction and Reading Intervention. One System. One Path Forward.
From Pre-K readiness to advanced fluency, Ascend®️ gives educators a consistent, needs-based approach to literacy—helping every teacher deliver the right instruction and every student build lasting mastery, one skill at a time. Coherent literacy for lasting impact.
See how Ascend works.
Do you teach Structured Literacy in a K–3 setting?
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Fresh from the Big Sky Literacy Summit, Stacy Hurst and Donell Pons bring Lindsay Kemeny—and listeners—inside the conversations that had them thinking, questioning, and taking notes. Hear which ideas rose to the top and why they could matter for the way educators approach literacy instruction.
Show Notes
The best conferences don't just leave you with pages of notes—they leave you thinking differently about what happens when you return to the classroom.
In this Conference Rewind episode, Stacy Hurst and Donell Pons recap the Big Sky Literacy Summit for Lindsay Kemeny, sharing ideas and conversations that stood out across several packed days of learning.
Their discussion explores the connection between research and practice, including what teachers need to know about language and literacy, the role of teacher knowledge and preparation, and why practical experience matters. They also reflect on emerging questions around AI in education, the importance of syntax and language comprehension, assessment, self-regulation, and what it really means to move beyond simply finding or comprehending information to actually learning it.
Throughout the conversation, one theme keeps resurfacing: strong research matters most when educators can translate it into stronger teaching and better learning for students.
Resources Mentioned
Big Sky Literacy Summit
Bridges in Higher Education
10 Maxims: What We’ve Learned So Far About How Children Learn to Read (2026) — Reading Universe
AI Hub for Education — Stanford University

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Core Instruction and Reading Intervention. One System. One Path Forward.
From Pre-K readiness to advanced fluency, Ascend®️ gives educators a consistent, needs-based approach to literacy—helping every teacher deliver the right instruction and every student build lasting mastery, one skill at a time. Coherent literacy for lasting impact.
See how Ascend works.
Do you teach Structured Literacy in a K–3 setting?
Sign up for a free license of Reading Horizons Discovery® LIVE and start teaching right away—no setup, no hassle. Sign-up Now.

Are we reading less—or is the way we read changing? Inspired by a provocative recent article in The Atlantic, Stacy, Donell, and Lindsay take on some big questions about reading, attention, and what it means to be a reader today. Their conversation explores what may be changing, what may be at stake, and what educators can do about it.
Show Notes
A recent Atlantic article makes a provocative claim: America may not be becoming illiterate, but post-literate—a society in which people can read but increasingly choose other ways to learn, think, communicate, and entertain themselves.
In this episode, Stacy Hurst, Donell Pons, and Lindsay Kemeny unpack that idea and consider what declining reading habits, shorter attention spans, digital distractions, and changes in classroom reading experiences could mean for students and adults alike.
Their conversation explores the difference between knowing how to read and actually being a reader, including:
The distinction between reading ability, reading behavior, reading stamina, and reading culture
How smartphones, social media, short-form content, digital devices, and AI compete for attention
Why sustained reading asks something different of the brain than more passive forms of media
Whether schools have unintentionally contributed to the problem by relying more heavily on excerpts and short passages instead of whole books
Why explicit reading instruction and opportunities for deep, meaningful reading shouldn't be treated as competing priorities
The importance of read-alouds and shared reading experiences at home and in the classroom
What teachers can—and can't—control when it comes to helping students become lifelong readers
Some encouraging signs that reading may not be disappearing after all
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
The Atlantic: “The End of Reading Is Here” by Rose HorowitchThe August 2026 article that sparked this episode's conversation.
Read the article in The Atlantic

Maryanne Wolf: “Elbow Room: How the Reading Brain Informs the Teaching of Reading”Wolf explores the relationship between foundational reading skills and the development of deep reading and comprehension.
Read Elbow Room at the Shanker Institute

Daniel Willingham: Raising Kids Who Read: What Parents and Teachers Can DoMentioned by Donell in the discussion of the many factors that contribute to developing an enjoyment of reading.
Learn more about Daniel Willingham and the book at Reading Rockets

Dallas ISD: Cellphone Restrictions and Library CheckoutsStacy and Lindsay reference reports of increased library use after cellphone restrictions. Dallas ISD reported more than 200,000 additional library checkouts through March 31, 2026—a 24.35% increase over the same period the previous school year.
Read the CBS Texas report

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Core Instruction and Reading Intervention. One System. One Path Forward.
From Pre-K readiness to advanced fluency, Ascend®️ gives educators a consistent, needs-based approach to literacy—helping every teacher deliver the right instruction and every student build lasting mastery, one skill at a time. Coherent literacy for lasting impact.
See how Ascend works.
Do you teach Structured Literacy in a K–3 setting?
Sign up for a free license of Reading Horizons Discovery® LIVE and start teaching right away—no setup, no hassle. Sign-up Now.

Third-grade retention laws are gaining momentum—but does repeating a grade actually help struggling readers? Stacy, Donell, and Lindsay explore what the research suggests and why earlier, evidence-based intervention may be the better answer.
Show Notes
More states are turning to third-grade retention policies as a way to improve reading outcomes. But as Stacy, Donell, and Lindsay discuss, the research raises an important question: Is retention itself making the difference, or are the interventions that come with it responsible for improved outcomes?
In this episode, the hosts examine the complicated realities behind third-grade retention, including the social-emotional impact on students, the challenges faced by children with reading difficulties, and the role attendance can play in early literacy development.
The conversation ultimately moves upstream. Rather than waiting until third grade to respond, what would happen if schools placed greater emphasis on early identification, strong Tier 1 instruction, evidence-based intervention, and educator knowledge beginning in preschool and the primary grades?
In this episode:
Why third grade became a major literacy benchmark
What research suggests about retention versus intervention
The potential social-emotional impact of repeating a grade
Why attendance in kindergarten and the early grades matters
The importance of identifying reading difficulties early
How retention policies can change adult behavior and increase support
Why effective MTSS and strong Tier 1 instruction matter
Where schools and districts might reconsider how literacy resources are allocated
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Core Instruction and Reading Intervention. One System. One Path Forward.
From Pre-K readiness to advanced fluency, Ascend®️ gives educators a consistent, needs-based approach to literacy—helping every teacher deliver the right instruction and every student build lasting mastery, one skill at a time. Coherent literacy for lasting impact.
See how Ascend works.
Do you teach Structured Literacy in a K–3 setting?
Sign up for a free license of Reading Horizons Discovery® LIVE and start teaching right away—no setup, no hassle. Sign-up Now.

Braxton was in kindergarten when the pandemic interrupted his first year of formal reading instruction. But his mother, Kristie, soon realized there was more to his struggles. Donell Pons talks with Kristie about the years Braxton spent “hanging on,” his eventual dyslexia identification, and what changed when he finally received targeted support—just as he prepares to enter middle school.
Show Notes
Today’s middle schoolers were just beginning their education when the pandemic disrupted classrooms across the country. For some students, that interruption came at a critical point in learning to read—and years later, foundational reading needs may still be following them into the secondary grades.
Braxton was one of those beginning readers.
He started kindergarten in fall 2019. When COVID closed his school the following spring, he spent the final two and a half months of kindergarten at home. That was when his mother, Kristie Nelson, a former kindergarten teacher, began noticing that something wasn’t right. Braxton struggled to identify letter names and sounds, and Kristie ultimately decided to have him repeat kindergarten.
But the pandemic wasn’t the whole story. Kristie remembered concerns dating back to preschool, and as Braxton moved through elementary school, he continued to struggle with reading even as he found ways to compensate. He made progress. He worked hard. He was “hanging on.” And because he was never dramatically behind, the underlying problem remained difficult to see. But by fifth grade, the work had become harder and those compensatory strategies were no longer enough.
In this episode of Literacy Talks, Donell Pons talks with Kristie about the journey that ultimately led to Braxton being identified with dyslexia. Kristie shares the signs she learned to recognize, how his school responded, and what began to change once instruction could target his specific needs.
The results have been encouraging. With focused work on phonics and other foundational skills, Kristie reports substantial improvement in Braxton’s reading accuracy. Perhaps even more telling, a child who had found reading difficult and exhausting began asking to read aloud.
Now another transition is coming: middle school.
Instead of spending most of his day with one teacher who understands how he learns, Braxton will move among multiple teachers and face increasingly complex reading and writing demands. An IEP, targeted intervention, and continued support will be critical as he enters sixth grade.
Braxton’s story is his own. But it also raises a much larger question: How many students are entering middle school with unfinished foundational reading needs—and what will it take to ensure those needs don’t follow them any further?
This conversation is Part 1 of The Braxton Story, a Literacy Talks series following Braxton and his family through the transition to middle school. We’ll check back during his sixth-grade year to hear about his progress, the challenges that emerge, and what his experience can teach us about supporting older struggling readers.
In this episode:
How the pandemic interrupted the end of Braxton’s first kindergarten year
The early reading difficulties Kristie noticed before and after that disruption
How Braxton compensated for reading difficulties through the elementary grades
Why increasing academic demands made his struggles harder to overlook
How learning about dyslexia helped Kristie recognize what she was seeing
What happened when his school identified his needs and targeted instruction accordingly
Why putting an IEP in place mattered before the transition to middle school
What Braxton’s experience can teach us about the unfinished reading needs students may carry into the secondary grades
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Core Instruction and Reading Intervention. One System. One Path Forward.
From Pre-K readiness to advanced fluency, Ascend®️ gives educators a consistent, needs-based approach to literacy—helping every teacher deliver the right instruction and every student build lasting mastery, one skill at a time. Coherent literacy for lasting impact.
See how Ascend works.
Do you teach Structured Literacy in a K–3 setting?
Sign up for a free license of Reading Horizons Discovery® LIVE and start teaching right away—no setup, no hassle. Sign-up Now.