During the month of October, The Windward Institute joined activists around the world in recognition of Dyslexia Awareness Month to advocate for children and adults with dyslexia. The #disrupt4dyslexia campaign called to disrupt the current educational status quo to support students with dyslexia around the world.

Advocacy for high quality, evidence-based reading instruction in all classrooms continues. Over the past few months, certain articles have caught our attention in advocating for research-based reading instruction.

Do you want to learn more about the foundations of evidence-based, reading instruction, and how it can be applied in classrooms? Read more about Multisensory Reading Instruction, a course offered in the Fall, Spring, and Summer by The Windward Institute. Grounded in decades of research as well as data of its success at The Windward School, Multisensory Reading Instruction is proven effective for all early readers and is fundamentally essential for struggling readers. Ms. Deirdre McKechnie, a faculty member of The Windward Institute and lower school teacher at The Windward School, discusses her experience teaching the course and applying the pedagogy/curriculum in her own classroom: TWI Faculty Highlight: Deirdre McKechnie.

What We’re Reading Now:

Influential literacy expert Lucy Calkins is changing her views
The Windward Institute team has been inspired by Emily Hanford’s groundbreaking investigative work with APM Reports about the science of reading, the barriers to its implementation in schools, and the dire consequences on children across the country. Her latest article features Lucy Calkins, the founder of the Teacher’s College Reading and Writing Workshop. Calkins is notably associated with the “three cueing system.” Read more about Calkins’ shifting views toward teaching reading what this change means in the national debate over reading instruction.

Teaching Reading is Rocket Science (2020)
Louisa Moats, EdD, leading literacy researcher, discusses the fundamentals of research-validated reading instruction, asserting the need for trained teachers to deliver this instruction to students. Read Danielle Scorrano’s commentary on the 2020 article, citing similarities to Moats’ 1999 article and calling for action in education and policy arenas.

Restarting the “Science of Reading” Conversation
“In the end, parental demand for effective reading instruction may be the most potent long-term lever for change.” Read about how more parents are becoming involved in advocating for the science of reading in classrooms.

Disrupting change requires a village of advocates to push for the instruction that all our children fundamentally need. We can all commit to continue the conversation and reengage in action to support our readers everywhere.