Afleveringen

  • Many therapists feel as though they have limited upward mobility in their careers.

    Graduate programs understandably focus on direct clinical practice and understanding evidence-based practices.

    Unfortunately, this leaves many clinicians unprepared to navigate policy work, salary negotiations, or running a business.

    This makes many therapists less confident in advocating for reasonable caseloads or better compensation because they feel they have limited options for earning a living.

    That’s why I invited Rachel Archambault to episode 194 to talk about how state and local policy impacts clinical disciplines and how therapists can expand their career options.

    Rachel Archambault M.A. CCC-SLP is an award-winning speaker and consultant for trauma-informed care as well as a licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP). She collaborates with service providers (SLPs, doctors, PT/OT, etc.), parents, businesses (schools, hospitals, universities, rehab), and communities to incorporate trauma-informed care into their setting.

    In 2018, Rachel was an SLP at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL when an internationally publicized traumatic event happened at her workplace. After wondering how she could better work with her students (and self) who had undergone trauma, she found trauma-informed care. Her lived experience of trauma in combination with her profession allow her to bridge the gap for SLPs and other service providers who want to learn about and implement trauma-informed care in any setting. Rachel is a neurodivergent SLP, (PTSD & ADHD) and advocates for mental health trainings for SLPs.

    Rachel uses her unique journey to help put a face to trauma for healthcare providers, parents, and universities.

    In this conversion, we discuss:

    ✅Negotiating salary for SLPs at the district level and giving public comment.

    ✅Making a case for districts to hire additional clinicians; including how to show the negative impact of high caseload numbers.

    ✅How to stay informed and understand how state and local policy impacts your ability to provide quality services.

    ✅Common knowledge gaps for clinicians; including people management, business operations, sales, marketing, and personal finance.

    Listen to Rachel’s previous interview on De Facto Leaders here: EP 115: Trauma-informed care for therapists, teachers, and school leaders (with Rachel Archambault) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-115-trauma-informed-care-for-therapists-teachers-and-school-leaders-with-rachel-archambault/

    You can learn more about Rachel’s services or how to book her for a speaking engagement here: https://www.ptsdslp.com/

    Follow her on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/ptsd.slp/

    Follow her on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/PTSD.SLP/

    Connect with her on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-archambault/

    Listen to the Speech Science Podcast here: https://www.speechsciencepodcast.com/episodes

    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


    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:

    Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments

    🚀 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.

  • Most people agree that the “online learning” that happened during COVID was a challenge for many students; especially those with disabilities.

    However, what happened during the pandemic wasn’t a true version of what “distance learning” or “telehealth” should be.

    There’s a difference between leveraging technology to enhance in-person experiences vs. using it as a temporary solution in an emergency situation.

    There’s also a difference between using technology to provide opportunities that wouldn’t be possible in-person vs. having an unhealthy relationship with social media.

    That’s why I invited Seth Fleischauer to De Facto Leaders to discuss distance learning best practices, social media, and how to use technology responsibly in education.

    Seth Fleischauer is the President of Banyan Global Learning, which he founded in 2008 after teaching elementary school with NYC Teaching Fellows. Banyan pioneered daily international EFL distance learning and has since expanded to train teachers and educate K-12 students across three continents. His programs focus on teaching digital and cultural competencies through a global lens and have delivered over 40,000 live teaching sessions. Seth has also hosted nearly 100 podcast episodes, including Make It Mindful and Why Distance Learning?

    In this conversation, we discuss:

    ✅Why “COVID online learning” wasn’t an accurate representation of true distance learning.

    ✅Opportunities, access, and equity: Using distance learning experiences when IRL isn’t possible.

    ✅How do we know when kids are ready for social media?

    ✅Defining the “digital footprint” and how to talk to kids about safe online practices.

    You can learn more about Seth’s company, Banyan Global Learning at: https://banyangloballearning.com/

    Listen to the Make it Mindful Podcast at: https://feeds.transistor.fm/make-it-mindful-an-education-podcast

    Listen to the Why Distance Learning Podcast at: https://whydistancelearning.transistor.fm/

    Learn more about the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration here: https://www.cilc.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


    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:

    Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments

    🚀 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.

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  • The writing process comes with internal resistance, even for strong writers.

    Most people who say they enjoy writing don’t enjoy the entire process; particularly the “getting started” part.

    This is why writing is a common challenge when executive functioning is impacted.

    Layer on issues with background knowledge, language, and decoding, and it becomes even more complex.

    Kids need support with the “puzzle pieces” that fit together to support writing. Things like vocabulary, syntax, the ability to decode words, and the ability to spell.

    But while we’re working on these foundational skills, we also need to make sure kids get support with the “glue” that holds them together.

    This is where self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) can be really powerful. SRSD is a metacognitive strategy designed to help students with the planning and execution of challenging academic tasks like writing.

    That’s why I invited Dr. Nelly Kaakaty to episode 192 of the De Facto Leaders podcast to talk about her research and work in the field with SRSD and supporting students with learning differences.
    Dr. Nelly Kaakaty is an educational therapist and psychology professor dedicated to creating a more accessible world, one classroom at a time. She has spent the last 12 years as a teacher, learning specialist, and researcher, designing academic programs to support all types of learners. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Child Learning and Development from the University of Texas at Dallas, a Master’s degree in Psychology from Texas A&M University-Commerce, and a doctorate in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in Special Education from A&M-Commerce. Her current work is twofold: she is learning specialist at an independent school, where she provides academic support to high school students, and she is a professor at a community college, where she teaches courses in psychology.

    In this conversation, we discuss:

    ✅Why so many writing challenges are tied to executive functioning.

    ✅The power of micro-commitments and working through the struggle.

    ✅Scaffolding, fading prompts, and giving “just enough” support.

    ✅“We start writing before we start writing” and why starting with 5 minutes is okay.

    ✅Self-talk is for strategy and self-image: We need to model and explicitly teach both.

    You can connect with Dr. K on Instagram @learningwithdrk, or on her website here: https://learningwithdrk.com/?ref=collabs.io

    Learn about the resources she offers on her Amazon page here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/learningwithdr.k?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsfshop_aipsflearningwithdr.k_BMWF4ZEERV80HH7SES3B

    Connect with her on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nellykaakaty/?ref=collabs.io

    In this episode, I mentioned the following resources:

    Think SRSD : https://thinksrsd.com/

    IRIS Center: SRSD Resources : https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/srs/

    EP 130: Using private practice to offer accessible services and advocate for your profession (with Ebony Green) : https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-162-the-summer-slide-real-phenomenon-or-invented-by-tutoring-companies-with-david-schipper/

    EP 176: Building the language skills for reading, writing, and spelling (with Dr. Jan Wasowicz): https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-176-building-the-language-skills-for-reading-writing-and-spelling-with-dr-jan-wasowicz/

    “Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching” by Anita L. Archer and Charles A. Hughes : https://explicitinstruction.org/

    “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield : https://stevenpressfield.com/books/the-war-of-art/

    “Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12543.Bird_by_Bird

    Tim Ferriss Show Episode Episode 263: Master Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky-Exploring Creativity, Ignoring Critics, and Marking Art: https://tim.blog/2017/09/09/darren-aronofsky/

    Tim Ferriss Show Episode 154: The Habits of a Master-Paulo Coehlo, Author of the Alchemist: https://tim.blog/2016/04/23/paulo-coelho-the-alchemist/

    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


    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:

    Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments

    🚀 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.

  • High-impact tutoring has a wide body of evidence to support its efficacy, but how do you know what is and isn’t “high-impact”?

    Is it better to brand yourself as an academic coach or an executive functioning coach?
    Should “executive functioning” be a class in school, or should it be embedded into all the classes?
    I invited my colleague David Schipper to episode 191 of De Facto Leaders to ponder some of these questions.

    David Schipper is the director of Strategic Learning Clinic, a position he has held since 2013. David obtained a B.A. in English Literature from Concordia University in 1998 as well as a B.Ed. in Secondary Education (English and History) from McGill University in 2002. After some work as a local teacher in Montreal, David founded 2Torial Educational Centre in 2007. Aside from his ability to put both parents and students at ease, David uses his clinic's fairly unique approach to help get to the root of students' learning challenges and propose the most suitable remediation to resolve these weaknesses. As a father of two children, David knows how to relate to the concerns of parents and as an experienced educator, thoroughly understands the struggles of students. His passion and dedication to teaching and learning is second to none.

    In this conversation, we discuss:

    ✅The features of high-impact tutoring vs. traditional tutoring.

    ✅How are “COVID high schoolers” doing now that they’re in college?

    ✅Strategies are important, but can you use a strategy without content knowledge?

    ✅Executive functioning in the schools: How should it look across Tiers 1, 2, and 3?

    You can connect with David on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-schipper-1537972a/

    You can learn more about Strategic Learning Clinic on their website here: https://strategiclearning.ca/
    on their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/SLCStrategicLearningClinic
    or on Instagram @strategiclearningclinic (https://www.instagram.com/strategiclearningclinic/)

    You can find the National Education Association article on High-Impact Tutoring here: https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/high-impact-tutoring, and can find additional research on the impact of High-Impact Tutoring and COVID learning loss here: https://educationlab.uchicago.edu/2024/03/national-study-finds-in-school-tutoring-programs-are-successfully-accelerating-student-learning-reversing-pandemic-era-learning-loss/

    We also mentioned Natalie Wexler’s work in this episode. You can learn more about her work on her website here: https://nataliewexler.com/

    Listen to David’s previous interview on De Facto Leaders here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-162-the-summer-slide-real-phenomenon-or-invented-by-tutoring-companies-with-david-schipper/

    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


    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:

    Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments

    🚀 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.

  • Many of my colleagues working in the public sector are skeptical of companies selling products to school districts.

    I’ve felt some of this skepticism myself as I’ve seen certain approaches gain traction because they’re well-marketed (yet not evidence-based).

    So it’s understandable to me that people would question the motives of companies selling products; especially in the for-profit space.

    The elephant in the room, of course, is that Dr. Karen, LLC is a for-profit EdTech company.

    I’ve also spent a fair amount of time interacting with people who either work for larger EdTech or curriculum companies, or who have started one themselves.

    Most of them are therapists, administrators, or teachers who felt inspired to create something who are trying to make a living doing something that matters.

    This would describe many of the hosts on the Be Podcast Network, which is why I wanted to invite one of the network co-founders, Ross Romano, to De Facto Leaders to talk about his experiences coaching EdTech and education-related start-up founders.

    Ross Romano has worked with over 100 companies and nonprofit organizations in the education space and collaborated with countless schools, districts, and educators. Ross is founder and CEO of September Strategies, an award-winning consulting firm helping leaders and organizations connect vision to decision through coaching, strategic advisement, and marketing consulting. Ross is also co-founder of the BE Podcast Network, a media company producing 40+ series reaching more than 50,000 educators and parents every month. He is also Strategic Advisor for the American Consortium for Equity in Education and the Founding Program Chair of the Consortium’s Excellence in Equity Awards.

    Prior to starting September Strategies, Ross was Managing Director of MindRocket Media Group, a K-12 marketing firm. Previously, he was head of communications for ASCD, working closely with the organization’s authors, product developers, administrator members, constituent leaders, and advocacy teams on a diverse array of initiatives. Ross has created and/or hosted dozens of podcast series, written a number of white papers and ebooks, is a contributing editor to Educate AI Magazine, and has been a contributor to Entrepreneur, The Learning Counsel, edCircuit, Access & Equity PreK-12, and more.

    Ross serves on the advisory boards for Shenandoah University’s Transformative Leadership program and Morning Brew Learning. In 2023, he was listed as a Top 10 leadership coach of the year and was profiled by CIO Views as one of the visionary leaders transforming education.

    In this conversation, we discuss:

    ✅Business advice that creates ethical dilemmas for companies selling products to school districts.

    ✅Can companies stand for equity without sacrificing product quality and customer service?

    ✅Who is the true end-user when products are sold to schools?

    ✅When a product isn’t resulting in increased student outcomes, is it really just about the quality of the product?

    ✅Who is making purchasing decisions for schools, and what matters to them?

    Learn more about the BE Podcast Network here: https://bepodcast.network/

    Listen to Ross on The Sideline Sessions Podcast here: https://ss.bepodcast.network/people/ross-romano

    Listen to Ross on The Authority Podcast here: https://authoritypodcast.net/

    Learn more about Ross’s coaching and media services for education-related companies here: https://www.septemberstrat.com/

    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


    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:

    Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments

    🚀 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.

  • Many people treat social skills groups as if they’re the complete package, when in fact they’re just one part of a bigger service plan.

    When we “lesson plan” we can’t think of our intervention as something that starts and ends with a 20-minute therapy session. Instead, we should think of it as a “planning” or a “priming” session.

    That’s why one of the very first things I teach clinicians in the School of Clinical Leadership is how to utilize multiple service delivery models when supporting executive functioning because social skills should fall under this umbrella.

    In this episode, I wanted to share two sneak peaks from the program. I’ll share the audio from two video clips from the School of Clinical Leadership that will set the stage for effective social skills intervention.

    You’ll learn:

    ✅How to use social skill-building sessions in a way that builds resilience, situational awareness, and considers a student’s neurodevelopmental differences.

    ✅Why many premade social narratives don’t result in good generalization, and how to be a good consumer of commercially available products.

    ✅The three components of effective social skills intervention and where the “social skills group” fits.

    ✅The components of good social narratives, and how to create them “on the fly”.

    *In the video modeling tutorial, I mention that a lot of people write goals for eye contact-and I wanted to clarify that I do not recommend writing eye contact goals. Instead, I recommend focusing on helping kids with the underlying communicative function, such as showing others you're paying attention or gaining attention of others, which can be achieved through other ways besides eye contact.

    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

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


    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:

    Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments

    🚀 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.

  • Syntactic use is considered an “academic” skill that’s useful for reading comprehension and writing, but the impact of sentence comprehension goes way beyond school.

    Our ability to comprehend messages at the word and sentence level in oral and written language has a huge impact on our ability to function.

    So when clinicians ask me, “Should I focus on syntax, or should I focus on life skills?”, my response is that syntax IS a life skill.

    The same is true about semantic knowledge because of the significant impact background knowledge has in our ability to navigate in functional situations.

    Yet scaffolding for students who are not yet able to read and write can be challenging; which is why I wanted to share two questions on this topic from a session done with my Language Therapy Advance Foundation’s members’ group.

    In this session, I share:

    ✅Examples of complex syntax that may occur during functional tasks, like signing up for medical appointments, applying for a job, or grocery shopping.

    ✅Why effective vocabulary instruction in content areas, such as science and social studies, is essential for positive life outcomes.

    ✅Scaffolding syntactic study for nonreaders or emergent readers.

    ✅Does it make sense to do semantic feature analysis with a student who has an intellectual disability?

    ✅Following directions, topic maintenance, and self-advocacy: What language skills do we need to meet these type of goals, and should even we be writing IEP goals for these skills?

    In this episode, I mentioned the following episodes of De Facto Leaders:

    EP 102: The science of reading: A team approach (with Brett Stevens) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-102-the-science-of-reading-a-team-approach-with-brett-stevens/

    EP 180: The relationship of language and literacy and involvement with the justice system (with Dr. Shameka Stewart) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-180-the-relationship-of-literacy-and-language-skills-and-involvement-with-the-justice-system-with-dr-shameka-stewart/

    EP 181: Developmental language disorder: Impacts on literacy and life outcomes beyond school (with Dr. Karla McGregor) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-181-developmental-language-disorder-impacts-on-literacy-and-life-beyond-school-with-dr-karla-mcgregor/

    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/

    If you’re already a member of either program and you refer a friend, tell them to email me at [email protected] if they join and let me know you referred them and

    I’ll send you a $100 referral bonus.


    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:

    Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments

    🚀 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.

  • I regularly hear from therapists who ask me questions about how to evaluate language in a way that gives detailed, meaningful, and accurate information.

    Most people know standardized tests only show a small fraction of what we need to know when it comes to language and cognition, yet many clinicians still don’t consistently utilize a complete portfolio evaluation.

    A lot barriers get in the way, including:

    👉Lack of clarity on what “dynamic assessment” means.

    👉Misconceptions about how a robust protocol looks (hint: “robust” doesn’t always mean “standardized”).

    👉Pressure from leadership who want to see standard scores.

    👉Confusing or outdated guidelines that don’t enable clinicians to effectively evaluate diverse populations.

    That’s why I invited Destiny Johnson to episode 187 of De Facto Leaders to talk about dynamic assessment for monolingual and multilingual learners.

    Destiny Johnson, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a bilingual speech-language pathologist (English/Spanish) with a deep passion for culturally responsive assessment and treatment practices, as well as advocating for policy change. She has presented on dynamic assessment at the CSHA Convergence 2024, focusing on the importance of dynamic assessment in bilingual children. Destiny has experience working as a school-based SLP, in private practice, and in early intervention. She is also the founder and CEO of Multimodal Communication Speech Clinic P.C.

    In this conversation, Destiny shares key concepts relating to dynamic assessments, including:

    ✅Modifiability and assessing learner potential.

    ✅Using graduated prompting and test/retest to make treatment recommendations.

    ✅The Mediated Learning Observation Sheet and other tools that make dynamic assessment robust, without relying solely on standard scores.

    ✅What is examiner effort, and how do we use this concept to put explicit supports in place?

    ✅Do school leaders really want standard scores, or is it something else they need?

    You can connect with Destiny on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/destinybrookjohnson/
    On Instagram @destinyjohnsonslp
    On her private practice website here: https://www.multimodalcommunication.org/

    The following resources were mentioned in this episode:

    Dr. Elizabeth Pena’s resources and research on Dynamic Assessment:
    https://learningcenter.asha.org/diweb/catalog/item/eid/PD102345
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saHMtIz7IgA
    https://products.brookespublishing.com/cw_contributorinfo.aspx?ContribID=1557&Name=Elizabeth+D.+Pe%C3%B1a%2C+Ph.D.%2C+CCC-SLP

    Dr. Janet Patterson’s research:
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32750281/

    Information on the Mediated Learning Observation Scale;
    https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/0161-1461(2001/019)
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38758673/

    This previous episode on De Facto Leaders: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-108-how-to-do-multilingual-evaluations-as-a-monolingual-therapist-with-meg-morgan/

    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 31. 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 [email protected] if they join and let me know you referred them and I’ll send you a $100 referral bonus.


    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:

    Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments

    🚀 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.

  • Language evaluations are challenging enough; but when we’re evaluating multilingual and bilingual students, they become even more complex.

    When clinicians ask me about language evaluations, the questions are typically:

    What tools/protocols can I use?

    Who can I go to for help?

    How can I advocate for change if current policies don’t support best practices?

    That’s why I invited Prabhu Eswaran and Puja Goel to episode 186 of De Facto Leaders to help answer some of these questions as they relate to multilingual learners.

    Prabhu Eswaran is an ASHA certified school-based speech-language pathologist in Los Angeles, California. His areas of interests include child language disorders, communication disorders in culturally and linguistically diverse populations and technology in special education. He is now serving in the advisory board of MCCG SAC-ASHA’s Executive Board.

    Puja Goel, MA, CCC-SLP, PNAP, (she/her/hers) is a multilingual school-based speech language pathologist (SLP) who has worked for the Chicago Public Schools and currently works in New Mexico as a supervising SLP. Puja recently completed her administrative licensure in the state of NM which allows her to work as an administrator in schools. Puja is a member of ASHA, CASE and appointed to NAP. She completed the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Leadership Development Program and Minority Student Leadership Program and served on the Multicultural Issues Board.

    Puja is a first-generation South Asian born in the United States. Puja can be contacted via email: [email protected].

    In this episode, we discuss:

    ✅What to do when standardized assessments aren’t normed in a student’s language.

    ✅Making a case for non-standardized data when standard scores don’t provide quality information.

    ✅Service planning for multilingual students and recommended resources

    ✅Getting started with advocacy at the state and national level.


    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:

    Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments

    🚀 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.

  • In this interview, I revisit conversations surrounding the school-to-confinement pipeline, giving students’ the language skills to understand their rights, the link between language, literacy and “behavior problems”, and how to get started with policy work.

    I share my commentary on the following:

    ✅ Why students who’ve received repeated detentions or suspensions should be screened or evaluated to rule out language and literacy issues.

    ✅ Saying “developmental language disorder” is ALLOWED in the schools. But what does that mean in practice and why is it important?

    ✅ Language therapy, read-alouds, and explicit reading instruction: These things aren’t just for younger students; they’re for any student who needs them.

    ✅ Want to address those chronic “behavior issues” at the secondary level? Then give your related service providers the time to provide services.

    ✅ Policy briefs: A tool to help you get started with advocacy work

    I revisit my conversations with Dr. Shameka Stewart (Episode 180), Dr. Karla McGregor (Episode 181), and Dr. Molly Ness (Episode 182) in this episode and share my thoughts on these topics.

    This episode is a follow-up commentary on the National Literacy Month series the BE podcast (https://bepodcast.network/) network did as a partnership with Reading Is Fundamental (https://www.rif.org/).

    You can listen to the two interviews I discussed in this episode here:

    EP 180: The relationship of literacy and language skills and involvement with the justice system (with Dr. Shameka Stewart) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-180-the-relationship-of-literacy-and-language-skills-and-involvement-with-the-justice-system-with-dr-shameka-stewart/

    EP 181: Developmental language disorder: Impacts on literacy and life beyond school (with Dr. Karla McGregor) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-181-developmental-language-disorder-impacts-on-literacy-and-life-beyond-school-with-dr-karla-mcgregor/

    EP 182: Leveraging read-alouds to build language and getting started with advocacy work (with Dr. Molly Ness) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-182-leveraging-read-alouds-to-build-language-and-getting-started-with-advocacy-work-with-dr-molly-ness/

    Additional Resources mentioned in this episode:

    You can listen to all the episodes in the National Literacy Month series at defactoleaders.com.

    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 31. 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 [email protected] 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: https://www.rif.org/

    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:

    Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments

    🚀 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.

  • In this interview, I revisit conversations surrounding the use of the term “dyslexia” in the schools, the use of technology, and equitable access to books.

    I share my commentary on the following:

    ✅Saying “dyslexia” in the schools: Both the positive and negative consequences

    ✅Educational technology definitions: What “counts” as technology? What’s the difference between instructional and assistive technology?

    ✅The tech tools are not the strategy: What’s happening when kids don’t use technology effectively?

    ✅Asking the right questions: School leaders should ask a different question than parents when they’re contemplating the value of “homework”.

    ✅Equity issues that come with homework requirements.

    ✅Educators can’t control everything that happens when students leave campus; but they can help increase access to books.

    I revisit my conversations with Tom Parton (Episode 178) and Susan Brady (Episode 179) in this episode and share my thoughts on these questions.

    This episode is a follow-up commentary on the National Literacy Month series the BE podcast network (https://bepodcast.network/) did as a partnership with Reading Is Fundamental (https://www.rif.org/)

    You can listen to the two interviews I discussed in this episode here:

    EP 178: Are we allowed to say “dyslexia” in the schools? (with Tom Parton)
    Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-178-are-we-allowed-to-say-dyslexia-in-the-schools-with-tom-parton/

    EP 179: Increasing book equity and fostering a love of reading (with Susan Brady)
    Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-179-increasing-book-equity-and-fostering-a-love-of-reading-with-susan-brady/

    Additional Resources mentioned in this episode:

    Literacy and background knowledge: Essential skills for life (with Dr. Pamela Snow)
    Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-158-literacy-and-background-knowledge-essential-skills-for-life-with-dr-pamela-snow/

    School leaders and reading instruction: Time to demand LESS rather than more autonomy
    Link here: http://pamelasnow.blogspot.com/2023/10/school-leaders-and-science-of-reading.html

    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 [email protected] 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: https://www.rif.org/

    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:

    Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments

    🚀 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.

  • How much do we need to know about morphology and etymology to effectively help students? Is etymology an essential component to spelling and reading instruction?

    Will phonics instruction bore students?

    Is exposure to interesting books enough to foster a love of reading for people who don’t have solid word decoding skills?

    I revisit my conversations with Anna Gieger (Episode 177) and Dr. Jan Wasowicz (Episode 176) in this episode and share my thoughts on these questions.


    This episode is a follow-up commentary on the National Literacy Month series the BE podcast network (https://bepodcast.network/) did as a partnership with Reading Is Fundamental (https://www.rif.org/).

    EP 176: Building the language skills for reading, writing, and spelling (with Dr. Jan Wasowicz)
    (https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-176-building-the-language-skills-for-reading-writing-and-spelling-with-dr-jan-wasowicz/)

    EP 177: Debunking reading myths and defining literacy buzzwords (with Anna Geiger)
    (https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-177-debunking-reading-myths-and-defining-literacy-buzzwords-with-anna-geiger/)

    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 [email protected] 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: https://www.rif.org/

    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:

    Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments

    🚀 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.

  • Many skeptics of the science of reading are concerned that structured approaches will bore kids and make it less likely they’ll enjoy reading.

    These concerns are unfounded for a number of reasons.

    First, structured approaches help reach students who don’t learn through implicit learning (which is a lot of kids).

    It’s hard to develop a love of something when you’ve failed repeatedly and no one has given you the tools to do it. Enjoyment comes with competence and confidence.

    Second, many people assume that the science of reading is all about drilling phonics worksheets. But it’s not!

    Good teachers know how to make structured approaches engaging and interesting. Even if they’re challenging. Good phonics instruction is not about drill and kill.

    And finally, the science of reading is WAY more than just phonics. It includes many other linguistic skills that help students decode, comprehend sentences, understand what they’re reading, spell words, or communicate through writing.

    Read-alouds and think-alouds are a powerful, accessible way to build these important language skills.

    That’s why I invited Dr. Molly Ness to episode 182 of De Facto Leaders as part of the National Literacy Month RIF series to talk about literacy advocacy work and the power of using read-alouds and think-alouds to build vocabulary.

    Dr. Molly Ness is a former classroom teacher, a reading researcher, and a teacher educator. She earned a doctorate in reading education at the University of Virginia, and spent 16 years as an associate professor at Fordham University in New York City. The author of five books, Molly served on the Board of Directors for the International Literacy Association and is a New York state chapter founder of the Reading League. Dr. Ness has extensive experience in reading clinics, consulting with school districts, leading professional development, and advising school systems on research-based reading instruction.

    She provided literacy leadership for nationally recognized literacy non-profits, as well as major educational publishers. In 2024, Molly was invited to serve on the New York State Dyslexia Task Force. A frequent speaker and presenter, her happy place is translating the science of reading to schools and teachers. As a tireless literacy advocate, Molly created the End Book Deserts podcast, which brings awareness to the 32 million American children who lack access to books. She is currently writing a forthcoming Scholastic book, helping teachers understand orthographic mapping. In 2024, she founded Dirigo Literacy, a literacy consulting firm supporting schools, districts, and states align with and implement the science of 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, we discuss:

    ✅The impact of vocabulary on comprehension

    ✅The science of reading as an evolving body of work instead of a trend or curriculum

    ✅Book deserts: Concerning statistics and how to help

    ✅Getting started with policy briefs and advocacy work

    ✅Think-alouds and read-alouds: Why they’re not just for younger kids

    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.

    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.

    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 [email protected] 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:

    Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments

    🚀 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.

  • Students who meet the criteria for developmental language disorder (DLD) are often categorized as “speech only” in the school systems.

    In many cases, these students qualify for special education services under the eligibility category of “speech and language impaired”, which puts speech-language pathologists who serve as case managers in a difficult position ethically.

    Sometimes students may qualify for services under other eligibility categories, but there’s still a lack of awareness about the diagnosis; especially relating to how we serve students in schools.

    The impact on literacy and overall academic performance can be substantial; not to mention life outcomes outside of school.

    Unlike other diagnoses that have other pathways to diagnosis in the early years, signs of DLD are often not identified until students start school.

    Therefore, DLD is an essential part of conversations surrounding literacy (even though it can impact way more than just reading).

    That’s why I invited Dr. Karla McGregor to episode 181 of De Facto Leaders to talk about DLD as part of the National Literacy Month RIF series.

    Dr. Karla K. McGregor, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is a Senior Scientist at Boys Town National Research Hospital in Omaha, NE, USA, where she also serves as the Senior Director of the Center for Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning. She is a Professor Emerita at the University of Iowa and a founding member and Chair of DLDandMe.org. Dr. McGregor’s scholarly work on developmental language disorder is funded by the National Institutes of Health and she has also benefited from the support of the National Science Foundation and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She is the former Editor for the Journal of Speech-Language-Hearing Research. Her awards include Honors of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Kawana Award for Lifetime Achievement in Publishing. She has been fortunate to mentor 12 doctoral students, six post-doctoral scholars, and numerous early-career scientists.

    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 episode, we discuss:

    ✅Developmental language disorder: Characteristics and overlaps with conditions like ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and auditory processing disorder.

    ✅School teams are “permitted” to use the term “DLD” in the schools. What does that mean in practice?

    ✅How language disorders impact important life skills such as the driver’s test or understanding your Miranda rights.

    ✅Universal screeners: Reading screeners are an opportunity to identify DLD, but will they catch every child who needs services?

    You can learn more about Dr. McGregor’s work in DLD advocacy along with her colleagues here: https://dldandme.org/

    Learn more about her scholarly work on her Wix site here: https://karlamcgregor.wixsite.com/my-work

    Connect with her via email at [email protected]

    Dr. McGregor mentioned this article she wrote with Dr. Tiffany Hogan for Reading Rockets: https://www.readingrockets.org/helping-all-readers/neurodiversity-and-children-learning-differences/developmental-language

    I mentioned the following conversation about high school language therapy and helping students with language disorders pass the driving exam: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-147-high-school-language-therapy-do-we-still-have-time-to-make-an-impact-with-tiffany-shahoumian-ruiz/

    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.

    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.

    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 [email protected] 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 H...

  • There is a disproportionate number of individuals with communication disorders and reading disabilities involved with the justice system for both children and adults.

    Past research suggests that more than 40% of incarcerated people have some type of nonpsychiatric disability (Berzofsky et al., 2015; Bixby et al., 2022; Thompson, 2022)

    Additionally, once youth are involved in the justice system, it becomes more difficult for them to access the education and therapeutic services they need.

    Both literacy and language skills will impact someone’s ability to comprehend employee or disciplinary handbooks, to read language in legal documents, fill out job applications, and or explain past events during job interviews, when interacting with school staff or with law enforcement.

    Many times things are written off as “behavior problems” when the real underlying issue could be tied to language, reading, or writing.

    That’s why I invited Dr. Shameka Stewart to episode 180 of the De Facto Leaders podcast).

    Dr. Shameka Stewart is an Associate Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders and the Juvenile Forensic Speech-Language Pathologist(r). Dr. Stewart is also a special education advocate trained by the Wright's Law training center. Dr. Stewart’s clinical and scholarly work specializes in Juvenile Forensics, Law Enforcement Interaction with youth with CD, child language disorders, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Her primary research focuses on the Confluence and Impact of cognitive and communication disorders on the school-to-confinement pipeline, status offenses, involvement with the criminal justice system, law enforcement interaction, and criminal recidivism in youth placed at-risk for delinquency and crime (especially Black and Brown youth from under-resourced areas).

    Dr. Stewart is also a clinically certified and licensed speech-language pathologist and is licensed to practice in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and multiple other states. Through her work, Dr. Stewart has created cutting edge social justice and juvenile justice specialty courses for graduate CSD students, nationally known training programs for law enforcement and legal counsel, and national and international CE workshops and training for licensed SLP clinicians, students, and families of children with special needs.

    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, we discuss:

    ✅The relationship between reading challenges and the school-to-confinement pipeline.

    ✅Why “behavior problems” could be related to language processing, reading, or writing challenges.

    ✅When youth become involved with the justice system, how do they get access to special education services (including language therapy)?

    ✅“They should know better”: Why we can’t assume kids comprehend language in the school discipline handbook.

    ✅A case for continuing direct language therapy in high school (and why therapists need support from school leaders in making this happen).

    You can connect with Dr. Stewart on her website here: www.juvforensicslp.com

    Connect with her on Instagram @drjuvenile_forensicslp

    Join her Facebook group SLPs 4 Juvenile Justice here.

    References for this episode’s show notes:

    Berzofsky, M., Bronson, J., & Maruschak, L. L. (2015). Disabilities among prison and jail inmates, 2011–12. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics.

    Bixby, L., Bevan, S., & Boen, C. (2022). The link between disability, incarceration, and social exclusion. Heath Affairs, 41,10. doi: https://.doi.org/10.1377.hlthaff.2022.00495

    Thompson, E. (2022). Reading through the lines; The correlation between literacy and incarceration. Retrieved from: https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2022/03/21/reading-through-the-lines-the-correlation-between-literacy-and-incarceration/

    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.

    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.

    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 [email protected] 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.&n...

  • 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 [email protected] 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:

    Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments

    🚀 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.

  • In 2015, the Office of Special Education Programs published a letter stating that school teams were “not prohibited” from using the term “dyslexia”.

    Unfortunately, this letter left many questions unanswered and is often misinterpreted.

    Parents seeking out services for their children are still unsure how to advocate for appropriate services in their schools and communities.

    School teams are still unsure about what they’re “permitted” vs. “required” to do.

    Professionals are unsure who is qualified or responsible for identifying students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities.

    That’s why I invited Tom Parton to episode 178 of De Facto Leaders to discuss legal mandates, ethical obligations, and factors school teams should consider when making decisions about curriculum and assistive technology.

    Tom Parton is a private Speech Language Pathologist in Normal, Illinois. He retired after 35 years of public-school practice. Tom is President of Everyone Reading Illinois and is a member of ERI’s Legislative Committee. Tom has presented on autism and language/literacy topics at local, state, and national conferences. Tom participated in the ISBE Reading Instruction Advisory Group and Teachers of Reading Certification task forces. He is currently a member of the ISBE Dyslexia Handbook revision team. He is past-president of the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is ISHA Honors Committee co-chair and a member of ISHA’s Leadership Development Committee. Tom is the 2024 chair of the American Speech Language Hearing Association Committee of Ambassadors.

    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, we discuss:

    ✅What do federal guidelines require when it comes to identifying and serving students with reading/writing disabilities?

    ✅Picking the right battles to fight: Do we focus on the labels or the services and curriculum?

    ✅Who is qualified or responsible for diagnosing dyslexia?

    ✅The ethical problem with giving up on word-decoding in secondary school.

    ✅What skills do students need to effectively use assistive technology for reading, writing, and spelling?

    Additional resources mentioned in this episode:

    The Dyslexia Handbook from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) (https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Dyslexia-Handbook.pdf)

    ISBE Comprehensive Literacy Plan (https://www.isbe.net/literacyplan)

    The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) (https://dyslexiaida.org)

    The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) Dyslexia Handbook (https://dyslexiaida.org/ida-dyslexia-handbook/)

    The Reading League of Illinois (https://il.thereadingleague.org)

    The Illinois SLD Support Project (https://sldsupports.org)

    Dyslegia: State Dyslexia Laws (https://www.dyslegia.com/state-dyslexia-laws/)

    Williams, V. (2023) Letter from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services on the use of “Developmental Language Disorder” for special education eligibility. Office of Special Education Programs. Retrieved from: https://www.asha.org/siteassets/advocacy/comments/OSEP-Response-Letter-to-ASHA-on-DLD-5.30.23.pdf

    Yudin, M. K. (2015). Letter from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services on the use of “Dyslexia” for special education eligibility. Office of Special Education Programs. Retrieved from: https://sites.ed.gov/idea/files/policy_speced_guid_idea_memosdcltrs_guidance-on-dyslexia-10-2015.pdf

    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 [email protected] 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: https://www.r...

  • There are many “science of reading” terms being used right now (including the “science of reading” itself).

    Yet debates about how to help kids become literate continues; and part of that is because of common logical fallacies applied to education.

    That’s why I invited Anna Geiger to episode 177 of De Facto Leaders to define important literacy terms and discuss myths associated with teaching reading.

    Anna Geiger is a former teacher, mom of six, the founder and owner of The Measured Mom, host of the TripleR Teaching podcast, and author of books such as “Reach all Readers”. She was a balanced literacy advocate for twenty years. As both a classroom teacher and teacher educator, she promoted three-cueing using leveled texts. She taught phonics, but didn’t use a scope and sequence. She provided very little direct instruction because she was sure it would bore students.

    Fast-forward to 2019, when she began to realize that many of her teaching practices weren’t backed by research. Anna became Orton-Gillingham certified and earned a Science of Reading graduate certificate. She currently runs The Measured Mom website, which includes easy-prep resources that your students will love so much they’ll forget they’re learning.


    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, we discuss:

    ✅The difference between balanced literacy and structured literacy

    ✅Decodable texts vs. predictable texts.

    ✅What is three-cueing and why does it encourage poor reading habits?

    ✅Using syntactic and context clues: Necessary, but not sufficient for decoding.

    ✅Early literacy instruction: Play-based learning vs. playful learning

    ✅Finding the joy in reading and teaching: Can you find joy in something if you haven’t been given the skills to do it?

    You can learn more about Anna Geiger’s resources on her website here: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/

    Order Anna’s book, “Reach all Readers” here.

    Listen to my interview with Anna on her podcast, TripleR Teaching here: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/how-to-help-students-improve-language-comprehension-a-conversation-with-dr-karen-dudek-brannan/

    Listen to Anna’s conversation about scaffolding early writing skills with Dr. Sonia Cabell here: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/how-to-scaffold-preschoolers-early-writing-skills-with-dr-sonia-cabell/

    Listen to Anna's conversation with Dr. Susan Neuman about evidence-based instruction for preschoolers here: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/what-does-research-say-about-teaching-preschoolers/

    Listen to Anna’s commentary on decodable texts here: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/dos-donts-decodable-texts/

    Listen to my conversation with Mary Saghafi and Shannon Betts about reading advocacy here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-165-turning-litigious-situations-into-reading-reform-initiatives-with-mary-saghafi-and-shannon-betts/

    Other books mentioned in this episode:

    “Learning to Read: The Great Debate” by Jeanne Chall

    “Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children 1st Ed.” by Susan Neuman, Carol Copple, & Sue Bredekamp

    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.

    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.

    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 [email protected] 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 ...

  • The “science of reading” is trending; but in order for professionals to engage in effective instruction, they need to understand that literacy also includes spelling and writing.

    Writing, spelling, and reading are interconnected, and the growing body of research continues to show us that these skills need to be taught explicitly.

    That’s why I invited Dr. Jan Wasowicz to episode 176 of the De Facto Leaders podcast to discuss the Language Literacy Network
    (Link here: https://learningbydesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/TLLN_11x8.5.pdf); a framework she’s created to help professionals better understand the connections between reading, writing, spelling, and language.

    Dr. Jan Wasowicz has more than 40 years of experience as a speech-language, literacy, and learning specialist working with students in a variety of educational settings, including public schools, Head Start programs, and private practice. Dr. Wasowicz is frequently invited to speak about best practices in literacy assessment and instruction and has taught numerous undergraduate and graduate courses, holding faculty positions at Northwestern University, Elmhurst College, Rush–Presbyterian–St. Luke’s Medical Center, and Governors State University. Her credits include articles published in scholarly journals and U.S. patents for her inventions of literacy software programs including Earobics¼ and Spelling Performance Evaluation for Language and Literacy (SPELL-3).

    Dr. Wasowicz is an author of SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing and lead moderator of the SPELLTalk multi-disciplinary professional listserv. She also currently serves as an advisory board member of The Reading League of Illinois and an external consultant for Purdue University’s inter-disciplinary initiative to strengthen teacher preparation using science-based methods. Dr. Wasowicz is an ASHA-certified, IL-licensed, and FL-licensed speech-language pathologist and an ASHA Board Certified Specialist in Child Language and she holds a professional educator license with multiple endorsements from the State Teacher Certification Board of Illinois. She is the founder, president and CEO of SPELL-Links | Learning By Design, Inc., and she maintains a small private practice in IL via tele-practice and in FL serving students with oral and written language disorders.

    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, we discuss:

    ✅Do we need a “writing rope” to supplement the “reading rope”? Or should reading, writing and language be woven in to one literacy framework?

    ✅Pragmatics, executive functioning, and metalinguistic awareness: How do these components fit in to effective literacy instruction?

    ✅Does working on reading improve spelling? Does working on spelling improve reading?

    ✅Should professionals work on linguistic skills in stages? When/how should professionals start working on morphology in elementary school?

    ✅Defining “print to speech” and “speech to print” approaches (with specific examples).

    You can find the infographic for the Language Literacy Network framework Dr. Wasowicz discussed here: https://learningbydesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/TLLN_11x8.5.pdf

    To engage in professional discussions with leading literary experts, join the SPELL-talk ListServ here: https://lists.learningbydesign.com/mailman/listinfo/spelltalk

    Connect with Dr. Jan Wasowicz on the Learning By Design, Inc website here: https://learningbydesign.com, on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-wasowicz-phd-02917a/ or @spell-links here: http://@spell-links

    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 [email protected] 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. 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:

    Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet T...
  • In this episode, I’m revisiting an older episode in honor of a special event that I'm doing in the month of September, 2024.

    I'm so excited to participate in the National Literacy Month series of podcasts, which we're presented in partnership between the Be Podcast Network and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).

    De Facto Leaders is part of the BE Podcast Network (Link here: https://bepodcast.network/), so I’ll be participating in this effort.

    About Reading Is Fundamental (RIF):

    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: https://www.rif.org/

    What’s happening on De Facto Leaders as part of the Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) campaign:

    In September, I’ll be featuring a series of guests to talk about how we can improve the nationwide literacy crisis. As part of this effort, I’ll be publishing two episodes a week during the month of September.

    In October, I’ll resume the standard once a week schedule and will publish some shorter episodes that outline my key take-aways based on the September interviews. These shorter episodes will give you a chance to catch up on listening to the extra episodes; and will also give you the chance to hear my take on each interview.

    To celebrate this special partnership, I’m giving my listeners 25% off their tuition when they join either Language Therapy Advance Foundations (Link here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy) and the School of Clinical Leadership (Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership) between September 15 and October 15.

    To get access to this special rate, all you need to do is enter coupon code RIF25 on the checkout page.

    In this re-release episode, I share:

    ✅What the current literacy trends show as far as the impact of texting.

    ✅The 3 tenets of effective literacy intervention.

    ✅Common mistakes people make when teaching kids to use reading strategies.

    ✅Three essential skills kids need in order to become fluent readers and spellers.

    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 the Word Study Toolkit, which comes with 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.

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

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

    2. 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.

    3. 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: https://www.rif.org/

    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:

    Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments

    🚀 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.