The Adolescent Literacy Podcast

Storyshares

The Adolescent Literacy Podcast brings together educators, researchers, and literacy leaders to explore what it really takes to transform reading outcomes for older students — diving into the evidence, the practice, and the people driving change. Want to connect? Reach out to melanie@storyshares.org

  1. 6d ago

    Episode 17: Different Perspectives, Shared Vision (Kevin Smith, co-founder of the Adolescent Literacy Alliance)

    This week we sit down with Kevin Smith, adolescent literacy expert and co-founder of the Adolescent Literacy Alliance, to talk about building the systems that older striving readers deserve. Kevin is one of the minds behind the Self-Study Guide for Implementing Literacy Interventions in Grades 3–8, developed for the Institute of Education Sciences — and today he walks us through how schools and districts can use it to move from good intentions to real, measurable change. We dig into: The eight areas every school needs to examine when implementing literacy intervention The biggest systemic barriers to getting adolescent literacy right at scale Tangible steps school leaders can take to create a cohesive literacy ecosystem What educators can do tomorrow — without waiting for district-level change 🔗 Links to resources: Self-Study Guide for Implementing Literacy Interventions in Grades 3-8 : https://ies.ed.gov/sites/default/files/migrated/rel/regions/southeast/pdf/REL_2016224.pdf Adolescent Literacy Infographic : https://ies.ed.gov/sites/default/files/rel-southeast/document/2025/12/6.2.x.14%20Improving%20Adolescent%20Literacy%20ELA.pdf Florida Center for Reading Research : https://fcrr.org/ Adolescent Literacy Alliance: https://fcrr.org/educators/adolescent-literacy-alliance Kevin’s email: ksmith@fcrr.org Questions or want to connect? Reach out to melanie@storyshares.org

  2. Sep 2

    Episode 16: Key Adolescent Literacy Terms, Defined (with Shira Engel)

    This week, Melanie sits down with Storyshares Chief Academic Officer Shira Engel to give you the PD you wish you'd had — breaking down the key terms, acronyms, and foundational concepts that come up again and again in the adolescent literacy world. No jargon. No gatekeeping. Just clear, accessible definitions that will help you engage in these conversations with confidence. We cover: What adolescent literacy actually means — and why the definition might surprise youThe science of reading — and why it's not a curriculumAcronyms on acronyms: ORF, MTSS, HQIM, PLCFoundational literacy skills — phonics, phonemic awareness, morphology, fluency, and moreThe decoding threshold — and why it matters for older striving readersAssessments: universal screeners vs. secondary literacy diagnosticsInterdisciplinary vs. disciplinary literacyStrategies you can use in your classroom tomorrow Links: Decoding threshold research: https://www.ets.org/research/the-decoding-threshold-measuring-the-roots-of-older-students-reading-diffulties-new-evidence.htmlReading Universe resources: https://readinguniverse.org/Information on MTSS: https://www.nwea.org/blog/2025/reimagining-mtss-4-ways-to-move-from-intervention-to-empowerment/Adolescent literacy definition: https://www.unr.edu/education/research/centers-and-student-resources/initiatives/naln Questions or want to connect? Reach out to melanie@storyshares.org

  3. Aug 19

    Episode 15: The Adolescent Literacy Research We've Been Waiting For (with Julia Yi)

    This week, we sit down with Dr. Julia Yi, adolescent literacy researcher and assistant professor at MGH Institute of Health Professions, whose team has been doing groundbreaking research on the language and literacy gap for adolescent learners. We dig into: What the research actually tells us about what older striving readers need — and what the language and literacy gap looks like for secondary studentsThe dosage question — how many sessions, how long, how intensive — and why it matters more than most educators realizeSystem-wide recommendations for school leaders and concrete strategies educators can use tomorrowHow to fit any of this into an already packed secondary school schedule Link to Julia's research here Questions or want to connect? Reach out to melanie@storyshares.org

  4. Aug 12

    Episode 14: The Future of Adolescent Literacy is Teen-Centered (Stories of Transformation from Former Students)

    This week, we sit down with three former students of Storyshares CEO Louise Baigelman and Chief Academic Officer Shira Engel — young people who came to them as older students with gaps in their literacy skills and who, with the right support and the right books, transformed into readers. Three moments from this episode you won't forget: Ruth arrived in fifth grade from Haiti reading at a second grade level. Today she's a mom who reads to her sixteen-month-old every single night.Zaire spent years joking his way out of being called on to read. The first book he ever finished on his own — The Crossover by Kwame Alexander — made him cry. He's now pursuing social work because he wants to make the impact on others that his teacher made on him.Lenn Darla went from fifth grade reading intervention to AP Literature to registered nurse — and uses the comprehension skills she learned in fifth grade to advocate for her patients every single day. Three students. Two teachers. One through-line: it is never too late. To learn more about our work transforming adolescent literacy, visit storyshares.org or reach out to melanie@storyshares.org

  5. Aug 5

    Episode 13: The Truth Nobody Told Me (Malcolm Mitchell, Super Bowl and Literacy Champion)

    Malcolm Mitchell won a Super Bowl. But he'll tell you that learning to read was the harder — and more important — victory. This week, Malcolm joins us to talk about growing up running away from books, feeling bamboozled by a system that never told him the whole truth about what literacy makes possible, and the moment in a college English class that changed everything. Three things you won't forget: He was more nervous reading aloud in class than playing in the Super BowlHe credits reading — not athletics — with getting drafted by the Patriots"I wish someone would've told me the truth. Not the 'pass your class, get an A' motivation — just the hardcore facts." 🔗 Share the Magic Foundation: sharethemagicfoundation.org To learn more about our work transforming adolescent literacy, visit storyshares.org or reach out to melanie@storyshares.org

  6. Jul 29

    Episode 12: Seen, Safe, and Ready to Read (Lynni Nordheim, Director of Adolescent Literacy)

    This week, Lynni Nordheim, District Dyslexia Specialist and Director of Adolescent Literacy for The Reading League Colorado, joins us to talk about the social emotional experience of adolescent readers — how shame and avoidance show up in intervention work, what schools unintentionally communicate about who is and isn't a reader, and what it actually takes to build the safety and trust that makes learning possible. *Plus* practical strategies you can bring back to your classroom literally tomorrow. Because these students deserve educators who believe it's not too late — it isn't. To learn more about our work transforming adolescent literacy, visit storyshares.org or reach out to melanie@storyshares.org

  7. Jul 22

    Episode 11: I Used to Think, Now I Think

    No guest this week, just Louise and Melanie! After 10 episodes of eye-opening conversations with literacy experts, we're taking a moment to reflect on all that we've learned — both on this journey of building Storyshares, but also, just for fun, some things we have discovered along the way in our personal lives as well. We talk about: -how much we value sleep -what we wished we had done differently in college -the ways our thinking has shifted re: best practices to support adolescent readers -how not knowing it all can actually be a superpower -and more!! To learn more about Storyshares and our adolescent literacy solutions, visit storyshares.org

  8. Jul 15

    Episode 10: Books are the Crucial Entry Point (Larry Abrams, BookSmiles)

    We talk a lot about how children and teens learn reading skills. We talk less about whether they have anything to read. In Episode 10, Larry Abrams, founder of the nonprofit BookSmiles, joins us to make the case that book access is one of the most overlooked — and solvable — pieces of the literacy crisis, and that for underserved kids, a book in hand can change everything. Visit booksmiles.org to learn more.

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The Adolescent Literacy Podcast brings together educators, researchers, and literacy leaders to explore what it really takes to transform reading outcomes for older students — diving into the evidence, the practice, and the people driving change. Want to connect? Reach out to melanie@storyshares.org

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