I recently reread one of my favorite books, Daniel James Brown’s, The Boys in the Boat, which recounts the resilient and heroic journey of the United States crew team to earn gold in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Brown vividly captures the team’s hardships as well as their celebrations and moments of joy. The book illuminates two key themes- resistance and the power of the collective- both deeply resonating with me as the host of the READ Podcast and member of The Windward Institute.

Throughout the book, Brown describes moments of resistance- often the raging and somewhat uncertain tides of the river’s rapids. The team needs to combine individual and collective stamina, armed with physical strength and handcrafted oars, to turn the tide.  

Brown’s book has served as a reminder of our current times, especially over the past year since the launch of The Windward Institute and the inception of the READ Podcast. As I reflect, it’s hard not to draw parallels to the team of the scrappy, gritty 1936 team pursuit for gold. Our “gold”- ensuring that all children have access to high-quality reading instruction and educational support toward increasing literacy rates and ultimately, promoting the flourishing of children across the world. I’m reminded of the collective community of advocates including researchers, educators, policymakers, advocates, families, who, over the course of decades, have charted the course towards the implementation of instruction that aligns with the science of reading. 

Our “gold”- ensuring that all children have access to high-quality reading instruction and educational support toward increasing literacy rates and ultimately, promoting the flourishing of children across the world.  

Throughout decades, communities of proponents for the science of reading have utilized both individual and collective stamina to advocate for the implementation of evidence-based reading instruction in all schools, delivered by trained teachers. Armed with our own oars- decades of well-documented research and data that proves the effectiveness of these methods- we have confronted the resistance of the currents toward continuing to turn the tide in education in support of young readers across the country and around the world. 

The READ Podcast was launched to contribute to informing the global community about effective practices to support reading and child development, providing actionable insights from experts who have charted the course to ignite change for children around the world.  We appreciate the opportunity to contribute to turning the tide in education toward increasing childhood literacy rates. We thank the steadfast, collective commitment from the READ community for your support. With over 6,500 downloads across six continents and listeners in countless countries, we recognize your value and dedication to achieving the same goal. 

We thank the steadfast, collective commitment from the READ community for helping us turn the tide in education.

But the journey to “gold” has not ended. In fact, capturing the ultimate prize requires a continued determination as we surge ahead in the uncharted waters. As you read this, we are still in the midst of a global pandemic, one with an uncertain end, and even greater ambiguity of its impacts on literacy and educational attainment around the world. Instructional pedagogy and curriculum touted as research-based but lack adequate scientific evidence of its effectiveness are still utilized in classrooms across the United States. Disparities in reading education and special education invoke pervasive inequities across our system, detrimentally impacting our most vulnerable readers. 

Capturing the ultimate prize requires a continued determination as we surge ahead in the uncharted waters. 

Armed with our collective power and dedication, we must stay the course. The Windward Institute and the READ Podcast look forward to a new year. Despite the potential rocky, uncharted waters, we thank you for your continued support in this journey, together.

“Perhaps the seeds... lay not just in perseverance, hard work, and rugged individualism. Perhaps they lay in something more fundamental—the simple notion of everyone pitching in and pulling together.” - Daniel James Brown, The Boys in the Boat.

Until next time, READers.