How can school leaders make informed decisions about reading curriculum when they know the home environments among their student body vary widely?

I don’t envy people tasked with these kinds of decisions.

My opinion is that schools should ensure students get their instructional needs met during the school day, because it’s difficult to control what happens to students once they leave the school campus.

Direct instruction of reading has to fall on the plate of educators. If we assume certain practices will be done at home consistently, we create huge equity issues.

With all that being said, school staff can work to create a shared partnership with families and communities. Even though they might aim to include the essentials during the school day, they can provide opportunities and tools for students and families to support literacy outside formal classroom instruction.

I invited Susan Brady, a reading specialist from Illinois, to De Facto Leaders episode 179 to discuss how she’s helped her community get access to books and extracurricular activities that support literacy.

Susan Brady has been in the teaching profession for over 40 years. She worked in a private school where she taught first grade and kindergarten. Sixteen years ago she began work in the public schools as a kindergarten teacher. In 2008, she received her Master’s Degree in Reading from Governors State University and became a Reading Specialist. She moved to middle school 5 years ago and works with small groups, large groups, and push-ins. She also has started and run engaging book clubs for her students to help get them excited about reading.

This episode is part of the National Literacy Month series of podcasts, presented in partnership between the Be Podcast Network and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).

In this conversation, Susan shares:

✅Are reading teachers getting the pre-service training they need to critically evaluate research and implement instructional practices?

✅Relying a curriculum versus leveraging a curriculum to guide your practice

✅How to start a book club and get students excited about reading

✅Where to find inexpensive or free books for schools and families

✅Navigating logistical and equity issues when hosting community events and running extracurriculars.


The following resources were mentioned in this episode:

Our partner for the National Literacy Month Campaign, Reading Is Fundamental (https://www.rif.org)

Better World Books (https://www.betterworldbooks.com/)

First Book (https://firstbook.org)

BookShare (https://www.bookshare.org)

United for Literacy (https://www.bookshare.org)

Little Free Library (https://littlefreelibrary.org)

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

In this episode, I mention Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/

You can get 25% off either program when you join between September 15-October 15. Just enter coupon code RIF25 on the checkout page to get this special rate.

*If you’re already a member of either program and you refer a friend, tell them to email me at talktome@drkarenspeech.com if they join and let me know you referred them and I’ll send you a $100 referral bonus.

Here’s what you can do right now to support this campaign and ensure you don’t miss any of these amazing interviews/commentary.

Go to Apple, Spotify, or any other directory you use for podcasts and subscribe to the De Facto Leaders podcast.

Once you listen to an episode or two, leave me a rating and review. This helps get my show into the hands of people who need the information.

Do you have a colleague or friend who needs to learn more about the research surrounding language and literacy? Do you want to spread the word about practices and ideas you’d like to see in your school, community, or state? If so, tell them about the De Facto Leaders podcast so they can listen to all the episodes in this special campaign.

Reading Is Fundamental is a nonprofit that focuses on connecting educators and families with materials and training aligned with evidence-based literacy instruction. Not only is their model aligned with the science of reading; they also offer unique book ownership solutions for professionals and families to address book equity issues. You can learn more about Reading Is Fundamental here. 

You can also learn more about the other BE Podcast Network shows at https://bepodcast.network

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.