1/15/2024

Lexia Announces Second Season of “All for Literacy” Podcast Series

Podcast series doubles number of episodes per month, introducing companion “research to practice” episodes that focus on practical applications of literacy research findings

BOSTON (Jan. 4, 2024) –Lexia, a Cambium Learning Group brand, has announced the second season of its “All for Literacy” podcast series. Hosted by Lexia’s Chief Learning Officer Dr. Liz Brooke, the podcast explores how scientific findings are being applied in classrooms today — and how teachers can use this information to help all students become successful readers. The series debuted in February 2023 and has a rating of 4.9 on Apple Podcasts. Season two will premiere on January 2.

Since the series’ debut in February, its episodes have been downloaded more than 40,200 times. “I’m excited to see that even our older episodes are still being downloaded, which speaks to the value educators have found in this podcast,” said Brooke. “In fact, our premiere episode with Emily Hanford and Dr. Tiffany Hogan, currently has more than 9,000 downloads, and over half of those downloads occurred in the second half of this year.”

“Due to wonderful audience response, we’re increasing the frequency of the episodes from once a month to twice a month,” continued Brooke. “First, we’ll discuss a trending literacy topic with a prominent expert. Then in the second episode for the month, we’ll discuss the same topic with a current practitioner who can speak about the practical aspects or applications of the challenge, best practice, or research in today’s classrooms.”

The first episode of season two will feature an interview with Dr. Sharon Vaughn from the University of Texas at Austin and Dr. Jeanne Wanzek from the Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development. The trending literacy topic these two experts will talk about is adolescent literacy. Because the focus in recent discussions around science of reading has been on early elementary students, Vaughn and Wanzek will share research findings and strategies related to literacy instruction in upper elementary and middle and high school to further listeners' understanding of how to support students in the upper grades.

Vaughn is the Manuel J. Justiz Endowed Chair in Education and the executive director of The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk at The University. She has written more than 35 books, 250 peer-reviewed research articles, and 65 chapters regarding research and practice with learning problems. Wanzek is the Currey-Ingram Endowed Chair and associate professor in the Department of Special Education at Peabody College. She has a number of publications as well as national and international presentations in the areas of early reading, learning disability, response to intervention, and adolescent reading intervention.

The first “research to practice” episode will air on January 16. Brooke will continue the discussion about adolescent literacy strategies, this time from a practical application standpoint, with Rhonda Nelson, the Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Coordinator for Bettendorf Community School District in Iowa.

Other topics planned for the season include:

• Developing equity-minded school leaders
• The impact of literacy on adult lives
• Supporting educators through the effective implementation of science of reading and implementation science.

“We’re lining up a fascinating roster of guest experts for this season,” said Brooke. “I’ll be talking with other figures in education such as Dr. Gretchen Givens Generett, the dean of Duquesne University’s School of Education on equity-based leadership and Harvey Hubbell, the producer of thedocumentary ‘Hopeville: How to Win the Reading Wars.’ . This podcast is my passion project because I want to make sure we not only make sure educators have access to the research findings, but that we connect those findings to the real world of schools and classrooms. I’m looking forward to sharing all my guests’ insights on elevating literacy and creating real equity in the classroom.”

To listen to episodes or learn more about the “All for Literacy” podcast series visit http://www.allforliteracy.com/. Listeners can also tune in to episodes via Apple Podcasts, Audible, Podchaser, and Spotify.

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About Lexia

Lexia®, a Cambium Learning Group brand, is a leader in science of reading-based solutions. For 40 years, the company has focused on pre-K-12 literacy and today provides solutions for students and educators. With a complete offering of professional learning, curriculum, and embedded assessment, Lexia helps more learners read, write, and speak with confidence. For more information, visit www.lexialearning.com.

About Cambium Learning Group

Cambium Learning Group is the education essentials company, providing award-winning education technology and services for K-12 educators and students. With an intentional collection of respected global brands, Cambium serves as a leader, helping millions of educators and students feel more seen, valued, and supported every day. In everything it does, the company focuses on the elements that are most essential to the success of education, delivering simpler, more certain solutions that make a meaningful difference right now.

To learn more, visit www.cambiumlearning.com or follow Cambium on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The Cambium family of brands includes: Cambium Assessment, Lexia®, Learning A-Z®, Voyager Sopris Learning®, ExploreLearning®, Time4Learning®, and Kurzweil Education®.