Episode Details

In this episode, originally published on Transformative Principal, Jethro Jones introduces a special conversation between Dr. Erin Bailey, Vice President of Literacy Programs and Research at Reading is Fundamental, and Barb Solish, the NAMI National Director of Innovation. They discuss the partnership between Reading is Fundamental (RIF) and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), supported by Macy's, to provide books and mental health resources to children nationwide. 

The conversation dives into the youth mental health crisis, the literacy crisis, and how these two organizations are working together to support children's mental and emotional well-being through literacy and other resources.

• NAMI and RIF joining together with the support of Macy’s
• Being next to someone is powerful
• Name it to tame it. 
• Identifying emotions for kids is powerful
• Literacy for skills in both areas. 
• The power of a mother reading aloud to her children. 
• NICU mothers reading aloud to kids every day lowered rates of post-partum depression and stress. 
• Routine and trust are built together. 
• Early intervention 
• The Presence and the connection is what really matters. 

Listen to more from Transformative Principal: https://transformativeprincipal.org

• (00:00) - TP RIF & NAMI Episode
• (02:25) - Intro
• (32:12) - Jethro's final outtro

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also 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 technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve 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.