Episode Details

Reading comprehension is one of the most important skills for academic success. It's a skill that can help us to continue to learn new information throughout our lives. On the other hand, kids who struggle to understand what they read are at a disadvantage when it comes to getting in school and beyond. When I worked in the school systems as a speech-language pathologist, a large portion of my caseload was referred to me because of language and literacy challenges.

Poor reading comprehension was often the red flag that resulted in those referrals. The challenge was knowing what to do for those students.

That's why in this episode, I aim to answer the question of "Whose job is it to support kids' reading comprehension skills?"
Specifically, I share:
✅The typical scope and sequence of reading instruction across K-12, and why some kids struggle with it.
✅The common causes of reading comprehension difficulties, and what schools and professionals typically do to address them.
✅What SLPs, teachers, and parents can do to work as a team in supporting reading comprehension. In this episode, I share my brand new presentation that walks through my framework I teach SLPs I mentor.

This process is designed to help professionals like SLPs give kids the foundational skills they need to support strong reading comprehension. I designed it with SLPs in mind, so if you're a speech pathologist supporting a K-12 caseload, it will give you a ton of clarity. If you're a teacher or a parent, you're welcome to check it out as well (or share with your child's speech pathologist). You can save your seat in this presentation here. The De Facto Leaders podcast was formerly the “Are they 18 yet?®” podcast. As of November 2022, the name of the show has changed, and we’ve shifted from a focus on parenting to a focus on supporting clinicians and educators to design effective services for kids (but parents are still welcome to listen). Episodes published before November 24, 2022 will still contain some of our old branding. 

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

Learn more about Renaissance:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

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

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