As districts prepare for the remainder of this school year and the many needs ahead, educators must make crucial decisions for appropriate use of ESSER III funding. However, before purchasing priorities can be planned, there are important questions to ask and new funding parameters to explore that will help all educators make the best decisions to ensure educational equity for every student. Additionally, looking back at last year’s funding decisions can help inform the best use of new funds. Join Lexia® Learning’s Director of State Initiatives, Jon Hummell, and Education Department Relations Manager, Brittany Martin, for an illuminating podcast conversation about strategies and considerations for effectively leveraging relief funding. In this podcast, our funding experts will discuss: Determining whether district purchases with previous funds were effective or notLessons learned about the investments districts made so farWhat do these purchasing decisions mean going forward? What are some of the best ways to use ESSER III funds?How can spending decisions improve and advance a district toward equity?And much more!

EDVIEW 360

Maximizing Equity & ESSER III Funds: Smart Decision-Making for Districts to Accelerate Learning for ALL Students

After taking a backseat in the education world for many years, handwriting is back. While assistive technology can help students with writing problems, it does not remove the importance of teaching explicit handwriting. Handwriting reinforces reading and spelling skills, and is linked to reading and spelling achievement. In this insightful podcast, you will learn how handwriting supports the science of reading and strategies educators can use immediately in the classroom to build handwriting into their daily lessons.In this podcast, listeners will learn: The connection between handwriting, reading, and writingThe evidence around two “great debates”Printing or cursive? Handwriting or keyboarding? Key recommendations for handwriting instruction

How Handwriting Supports the Science of Reading

The Equity Gap, or differentials in race, ethnicity, income, language, and background, has become even more prominent during the pandemic. Minority students from low-income communities were among those most affected by the lockdown and the move to remote learning—where they faced social and economic stress in their families and communities. In this important podcast, assessment expert Dr. Roland Good explores the Equity Gap and how it affects assessment data. You will also learn about reporting tools educators can use to discover skill gaps and provide students with the support they need. In this podcast, Dr. Good will discuss:How assessment data shows the skills most affected by gaps in equityHow the pandemic affected the Equity GapReporting tools that can help educators disseminate student dataHow to use assessment data to provide differentiation, prepare for state testing, and close skill gapsNext steps to closing the Equity Gap  Please join us for this informative and engaging discussion with EDVIEW360 Podcast Host and Education Leader Pam Austin.

What Assessment Data Tells Us About the Equity Gap

For our podcast, we talk with Kristen Jones, LETRS Literacy Champion and Curriculum Director at Enid Public Schools in Enid, Oklahoma. This inspiring educator will share how Enid Public Schools used literacy professional learning to transform teacher knowledge and raise student achievement. Jones will discuss steps taken by Enid Public Schools as they implemented LETRS professional learning district-wide. She’ll also address how the training increased teacher knowledge of the science of reading and transformed the school district and community, leading to the school district becoming one of the winners of the first Dr. Louisa Moats Award for Excellence Implementing the Science of Reading.Jones will also address:Why her district chose a program aligned with the science of readingHow the district encouraged teacher buy-in Challenges faced in a district-wide implementationTips for administrators to roll out a new literacy professional learning program“Enid Public Schools has strong leaders who ‘owned’ the challenge and are fully committed to the idea that almost all kids can learn to read. It has talented teachers who have dug into substantive learning about reading science, and who are working diligently to refine their teaching skills. I would like to express my sincere admiration for these educators and congratulate them on making a significant, transformational contribution toward the improvement of student literacy in their district.” –Dr. Louisa Moats, LETRS author 

Enid Public Schools: Transforming Teacher Knowledge Through Literacy Professional Learning

The future depends on our children and one way to fully empower them is to recognize that literacy is a fundamental right in society.  Join Dr. Maria Murray—founder and president and CEO of The Reading League—for an engaging podcast episode as she explains why the science of reading is now regarded as a defining movement and addresses the need to protect the integrity of its findings so that the promise of successful reading outcomes for our students can be realized. In this podcast, Dr. Murray discusses:Defining the Science of ReadingRecognizing literacy as a human rightWhat the Science of Reading is NOT‘Science’ separates what the Science of Reading isWhat we have learned; What we still have to learnHow to be good citizens for the Science of ReadingCreating equity and much more!You don’t want to miss this engaging conversation!

The Science of Reading: A Defining Movement

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a hot topic. ESSA is intended to ensure that all students receive a high-quality education that prepares them for long-term success, and includes a repeal of the Adequate Yearly Progress report in favor of state accountability. With every state having their own plan for ESSA, it is hard to know how to get started. We’re here to help! In this podcast, you will learn how to find out the accountability requirements of your state, how to obtain funding for your school or district, and much more.Additional topics include:How ESSER funding relates to COVID-Relief bills (CARES ACT, CARES Supplemental ACT, and the American Rescue Plan)The part Title 1 plays in ESSAWays schools can use funds to address issues brought on by the pandemicAdditional funding optionsWhere to go if you have questions

Education Funding Series Part 2: Understanding ESSA and Other Funding Options

During uncertain times—and as schools recover from a year like no other—education funding is more important than ever. The CARES Act, which passed in April 2020, includes $13.2 billion for an Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund and $3 billion for a Governor&apos;s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) fund in order to help school districts overcome the unique challenges associated with the pandemic. Join us for the first podcast in our funding series and learn everything a school or district administrator needs to know about the CARES Act.Topics include:How to get much-needed CARES Act funding to your school/school districtWhat funding options are available through the CARES ActThe best way to determine school/district needsHow states and school districts are spending their CARES Act funds

Education Funding Series Part 1: The CARES Act

Despite the efforts of the American education system to provide an equal education for all students, achievement gaps between disadvantaged and more advantaged students remain—and often lead to negative outcomes. The passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) represents an opportunity for districts to choose intervention solutions that bridge the gap and help all students receive an education that prepares them for future success. In this informative podcast, host Pam Austin will discuss why ESSA-rated solutions are so important in addressing equity gaps and offer strategies for educators to immediately use in the classroom.

Why ESSA-Rated Solutions Are Needed to Address Equity Gaps

With vaccination efforts in full swing, September is likely to see a strong return to in-classroom instruction. How can educators prepare for summer school or a new school year after students have seen extended periods outside the classroom? In this important podcast, assessment expert Dr. Kelly Powell Smith—vice president and associate director of research and development at Acadience—shares the key indicators that educators should look for when reviewing spring literacy assessment scores, along with how to pinpoint where students are struggling so you can plan for summer or fall intervention and instruction.

Look Ahead to Summer and Fall Success Using Spring Assessment Data

Research shows a gap between what teachers know about reading and whether or not they are prepared to teach it. Why are teachers graduating from college without the skills they need to teach reading? Join former educator Donna Hejtmanek as she discusses this topic and shares the story behind creating her incredibly popular Facebook group “Science of Reading—What I Should Have Learned in College.”

The Science of Reading: Why Didn’t We Learn What We Needed to Know in College?

We now know sound walls should replace word walls in the classroom, but what are the best ways to integrate them into your daily lesson to educate and engage your students, including English language learners? In this informative podcast with literacy experts Dr. Mary Dahlgren and Dr. Antonio Fierro, our educators will share tips about how to use your sound wall to transform reading instruction.

How to Use Sound Walls to Transform Reading Instruction

Explicit reading instruction is an approach to teaching reading that is based on research about the brain and how we learn, combined with structured and sequenced literacy instruction. Join explicit instruction expert Dr. Anita Archer for this informative podcast as she discusses the importance of explicit instruction and how it promotes achievement for students of all reading levels.During this podcast, we will discuss:What explicit instruction is and how it works hand in hand with systematic reading instructionHow explicit instruction benefits students with reading challengesWhy explicit reading instruction is especially important in a remote learning environmentHow to use explicit reading instruction to deliver more effective lessons

The Importance of Explicit Reading Instruction

As 2020 began, the assessment you knew as DIBELS Next® acquired a new name, Acadience® Reading K–6. Do you know why the name changed and that Acadience Reading (and its product family) are the only assessments developed by authors Dr. Roland Good III and Dr. Ruth Kaminski, based on 30 years of research? Join us as we discuss how Acadience Learning assessments can be used to support data-driven instructional decisions and improve student outcomes.If you used DIBELS Next in the past, and/or are thinking about how to use assessment to drive student instruction in your school or district, this is a can’t-miss podcast.

New Year, New Name, Same Assessment: What Happened to DIBELS Next?

The past year has uncovered more equity issues in education than in years before. The struggle to provide equitable access to technology, learning tools, emotional support, and even meals is now at the forefront of educators’ minds as they struggle to keep learning going forward for their students. Join us for a timely discussion about equity in education, specifically around assessment, with assessment expert Dr. Thomas Guskey.

Equitable Practices in Assessment, Grading, and Reporting in the Time of COVID

This school year, the importance of closing reading gaps and maintaining strong skills is more important than ever due to COVID learning loss and a shift to remote learning. Join us for a timely and insightful podcast with respected literacy expert and author Dr. Tim Rasinski, as he discusses the long-term impact of COVID learning loss on reading fluency and skills. Dr. Rasinski will share strategies educators can use to help students maintain strong reading skills, whether they are learning remotely or in the classroom.

The Impact of COVID Learning Loss on Reading Fluency

Hosted by Pam Austin, these discussions will feature dialogues with experienced educators, inspiring thought leaders, social media influencers, and leading education innovators.