Literacy in Color: A Science of Reading Aligned Podcast for Educators

What does dyslexia actually look like – from preschool through high school – and how can educators recognize when a student’s struggles may be telling us something more?
In this Dyslexia Awareness Month bonus episode, Certified Dyslexia Therapist and teacher educator Barb Golub joins the show for an honest, practical, and incredibly fun conversation about recognizing and supporting students with dyslexia.
Barb shares the personal story that ultimately led her into dyslexia therapy, and explains why dyslexia can be easy to miss, particularly in bright students who have become skilled at compensating. She walks through signs educators and families might notice at different ages. We also dig into why multilingual learners may be under-identified for dyslexia and why evaluators must consider both language acquisition and reading development rather than defaulting to a “wait and see” approach.
They also discuss what needs to change at the systems level, why intervention shouldn't become a permanent placement without meaningful progress, and what general education teachers can do when they suspect a student is struggling – even when they don't have a specialist standing beside them.
And because it's Barb, the episode ends with push-ups, miniature tchotchkes, irregular high-frequency words, crispy Diet Coke, and some literacy hot takes… obviously!
Key Takeaways:
What dyslexia is – and some persistent misconceptions about it
Signs of dyslexia from preschool through adolescence
Dyslexia therapy versus traditional tutoring
Fidelity, dosage, mastery, and responsive instruction
Why strong instruction for dyslexic readers can also support other readers
The importance of vetting literacy materials and practices

Connect with Barb Golub:
Website: https://www.barbgolub.com/
Email: hello@barbgolub.com
Instagram: @literacy_barb
LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:
Reading Science Academy
Get your FREE grouping resource bundle here: https://www.stephaniestollarconsulting.com/groupingsheets?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=podcast

Join The Reading Science Academy: https://www.stephaniestollarconsulting.com/register?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show-notes&utm_campaign=literacy-in-color

What happens when schools treat academics and behavior as two completely separate systems?
Dr. Dawn Miller and Dr. Pamela Radford of MTSS Innovations help us explore what it really means to build an integrated Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS): one that recognizes that students’ academic, behavioral, social, and emotional needs don’t exist in isolation.
We unpack the powerful relationship between academic success and behavior, including what can happen when a student’s academic struggles show up as avoidance, disengagement, disruptive behavior, or missed instructional time. We also explore the reverse: how behavioral needs and time away from instruction can compound academic difficulties.
Dawn and Pam take us inside an integrated MTSS model, discussing how schools can move away from siloed academic and behavior teams and instead create systems in which educators examine multiple sources of data side by side. We talk about universal screening, attendance, office discipline referrals, behavioral screeners, and implementation data.
We also dig into what this means for Tier 1 instruction and evidence-based practices. Dawn and Pam explain why selecting an evidence-based practice isn't simply about finding something that “works”; it's about considering the student, the context, available resources, implementation, and the interaction between academic and behavioral needs.
For leaders wondering where to even begin? Dawn offers an important reminder: “don't let perfect be the enemy of good”. You may begin by strengthening one part of your system, but the vision from the beginning should be one of integration.
Key Takeaways:
What an integrated MTSS model actually looks like & why academic and behavioral data should be examined together
The relationship between academic struggles, behavior, engagement, and access to instruction
Behavioral data sources including attendance, office discipline referrals, universal screeners, and daily progress reports
How engagement and opportunities to respond can influence both academic and behavioral outcomes
Selecting evidence-based practices based on student need, context, resources, and fit
The role of implementation fidelity, and why fidelity data should be used to support educators
How leaders can begin moving from siloed systems toward an integrated MTSS
Why continuous improvement really does have to be continuous

Resources Mentioned:
Book: Leading Equity-Based MTSS for All Students
Book: Promoting Effective MTSS Implementation: Challenges and Solutions for School Consultation
Book: Explicit Instruction
https://www.mtss-innovations.com/
MTSS Fidelity Integrity Assessment (FIA)
Self Assessment of MTSS Implementation - Illinois (SAM-I)
MTSS Innovations: The Collective & Additional FREE Resources:
Recorded webinar: "Epic Fails" where Dawn shares the journey of an integrated model in a first-ring suburban district
Recorded webinar: “Find Your Focus,” that highlights the 6 habits of MTSS to incorporate into an integrated approach
A MTSS Discussion Guide for District and School Leaders

This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the podcast!
Connect with Pam and Dawn:
Email: dmiller@mtss-innovations.com & pradford@mtss-innovations.com
LinkedIn: Dawn Miller & Pam Radford
Website: https://mtss-innovations.com/
Join MTSS Innovations: The Collective to learn in community and receive research-backed support alongside other MTSS leaders.

This podcast is brought to you by Reading Science Academy, where our friend Stephanie Stollar is giving Literacy in Color listeners an exclusive, free grouping resource bundle designed to help you spend less time figuring out what to do with screening data and move more quickly into purposeful, skill-based groups.
Get your FREE grouping resource bundle here.
Or, become a member of Reading Science Academy to learn in community and receive research-backed support alongside over 1,600 literacy educators.
Connect with Michelle:
Visit: www.michelleandthecolorfulclassroom.com
Follow me on Instagram: @michelle_thecolorfulclassroom & @logosliteracyacademy
Join our Facebook Community
Sign up for my Newsletter
Shop on TPT: The Colorful Classroom
For Phonics Resources, grab: The COLORFUL Phonics Toolkit

Want to Support the Podcast?
Make a Donation to Support Production

Interested in Learning More about Morphology?
Logos Literacy Academy with Michelle Sullivan & Sarah Paul
Join: Beyond Phonics Club - our Membership Community

Mentioned in this episode:
Reading Science Academy
Get your FREE grouping resource bundle here: https://www.stephaniestollarconsulting.com/groupingsheets?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=podcast

Join The Reading Science Academy: https://www.stephaniestollarconsulting.com/register?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show-notes&utm_campaign=literacy-in-color

Dr. Sarah Brown and Dr. Kelly Powell-Smith, co-authors of Routines for Reading Results: A Practical Approach for Accelerating Growth, alongside Dr. Stephanie Stollar and Beth Madden unpack the principles of Direct Instruction and explain why effective reading instruction depends not only on what we teach, but on the intentional design and delivery of instruction.
They walk through the four phases of learning: acquisition, automaticity, generalization, and adaptation – and explain why students can appear to “get it” during a lesson yet struggle to retain or apply that learning later.
The conversation also tackles a common criticism of scripted instruction: Do scripts stifle teacher creativity and responsiveness? Sarah and Kelly explain why thoughtfully designed routines can actually reduce cognitive load for teachers, provide consistency for students, and free educators to focus on the thing that cannot be scripted ahead of time: how students are responding in the moment.
They also discuss how these routines can live alongside existing high-quality instructional materials, how educators can use data to identify gaps rather than continually purchasing new programs, and what school leaders can do to support implementation.
Key Takeaways:
Direct Instruction (DI) defined & why both the design and delivery of instruction matter
The four phases of learning: acquisition → automaticity → generalization → adaptation & how instructional needs change depending on a student’s phase of learning
The role of precise, concise teacher language
Modeling, leading, testing, firming, and providing individual turns – while building sufficient practice and intentional error correction into instruction
How leaders can support implementation through collaboration, data analysis, ongoing learning, and coaching

Resources & References Mentioned:
Book: Routines for Reading Results: A Practical Approach for Accelerating Growth - Stephanie Stollar, Kelly A. Powell-Smith, Beth A. Madden & Sarah Brown (Amazon)
Book: Routines for Reading Results (Solution Tree)
Book: Teaching Struggling and At-Risk Readers: A Direct Instruction Approach - Doug Carnine and colleagues
Direct Instruction: the instructional approach originating in the work of Siegfried Engelmann
Project Follow Through: “the largest and most consequential educational experiment in U.S. history, and its findings continue to inform NIFDI’s work to promote evidence-based, replicable instructional practices.”
Research on connected phonation/continuous blending (Gonzalez-Frey, S. M., & Ehri, L. C. (2021). Connected Phonation is More Effective than Segmented Phonation for Teaching Beginning Readers to Decode Unfamiliar Words. Scientific Studies of Reading, 25(3), 272–285. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2020.1776290)

This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the podcast!
Connect with Dr. Sarah Brown:
Website: https://systemimpactconsulting.com/
Contact Dr. Sarah Brown on her Website
LinkedIn: Sarah Brown Ph.D.
Join Dr. Brown’s MTSS Data Academy
Dr. Brown also offers Virtual Coaching Sessions!

Connect with Dr. Kelly Powell-Smith:
LinkedIn: Kelly A. Powell-Smith
Mount St. Joseph University: Kelly Powell-Smith

This podcast is brought to you by Reading Science Academy, where our friend Stephanie Stollar is giving Literacy in Color listeners an exclusive, free grouping resource bundle designed to help you spend less time figuring out what to do with screening data and move more quickly into purposeful, skill-based groups.
Get your FREE grouping resource bundle here.
Or, become a member of Reading Science Academy to learn in community and receive research-backed support alongside over 1,600 literacy educators.
Connect with Michelle:
Visit: www.michelleandthecolorfulclassroom.com
Follow me on Instagram: @michelle_thecolorfulclassroom & @logosliteracyacademy
Join our Facebook Community
Sign up for my Newsletter
Shop on TPT: The Colorful Classroom
For Phonics Resources, grab: The COLORFUL Phonics Toolkit

Want to Support the Podcast?
Make a Donation to Support Production

Interested in Learning More about Morphology?
Logos Literacy Academy with Michelle Sullivan & Sarah Paul
Join: Beyond Phonics Club - our Membership Community

Mentioned in this episode:
SOR Fall Book Study
Join us: https://colorful-classroom.mykajabi.com/sor-fall-book-study-2026
Reading Science Academy
Get your FREE grouping resource bundle here: https://www.stephaniestollarconsulting.com/groupingsheets?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=podcast

Join The Reading Science Academy: https://www.stephaniestollarconsulting.com/register?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show-notes&utm_campaign=literacy-in-color

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) affects approximately 1 in 14 people, yet many educators have never heard of it. So what might DLD actually look like in the classroom? How can we better support students when difficulties with language intersect with dyslexia, ADHD, executive function, reading, spelling, and writing?
Speech-language pathologists, Kathleen Love and Beth Coppoc Gunshor take us for a deep dive into DLD and language-based literacy intervention.
Kathleen and Beth unpack the differences and overlap among DLD, dyslexia, and ADHD, including why a student who appears inattentive or off-task may actually be struggling with the language demands of a task. They also share subtle signs of DLD educators can watch for: from vague vocabulary and word-retrieval difficulties to challenges following directions, understanding complex sentences, and telling cohesive stories.
Then, the conversation turns practical. Kathleen and Beth explore ways educators can manage cognitive load, strengthen vocabulary instruction, and provide the repeated, explicit language experiences students with DLD may need. They also take us inside their intervention practices to show how Structured Word Inquiry (SWI) can extend far beyond spelling – supporting morphology, vocabulary, syntax, semantic networks, executive function, oral language, and even confidence.
Key Takeaways:
DLD defined
The overlap and distinctions among DLD, dyslexia, and ADHD
Practical ways to reduce unnecessary cognitive load without reducing the thinking
How to strengthen vocabulary instruction for students with language difficulties
Why Structured Word Inquiry can be a powerful tool for building language as well as literacy

Resources Mentioned:
Conifer literacy app
DLD and Me
OxEd & Assessment / NELI
Dr. Tiffany Hogan / The Speech and Language (SAiL) Literacy Lab
2026 ASHA Convention

Connect with Kathleen Love:
Website: https://conifermatrix.com/
Instagram: @conifermatrix
Conifer Matrix on Facebook
Website: https://www.raincityreading.com/
Instagram: @rain.city.reading
Rain City Reading on Facebook
Rain City Reading on YouTube
Rain City Reading Newsletter

Connect with Beth Coppoc Gunshor:
Website: http://bcgslp.com/
Instagram: @bcgslp
BCG SLP on Facebook
BCG SLP Shop - T-Shirts
BCG SLP Shop - Stickers

This podcast is brought to you by Reading Science Academy, where our friend Stephanie Stollar is giving Literacy in Color listeners an exclusive, free grouping resource bundle designed to help you spend less time figuring out what to do with screening data and move more quickly into purposeful, skill-based groups.
Get your FREE grouping resource bundle here.
Or, become a member of Reading Science Academy to learn in community and receive research-backed support alongside over 1,600 literacy educators.
Connect with Michelle:
Visit: www.michelleandthecolorfulclassroom.com
Follow me on Instagram: @michelle_thecolorfulclassroom & @logosliteracyacademy
Join our Facebook Community
Sign up for my Newsletter
Shop on TPT: The Colorful Classroom
For Phonics Resources, grab: The COLORFUL Phonics Toolkit

Want to Support the Podcast?
Make a Donation to Support Production

Interested in Learning More about Morphology?
Logos Literacy Academy with Michelle Sullivan & Sarah Paul
Join: Beyond Phonics Club - our Membership Community

Mentioned in this episode:
SOR Fall Book Study
Join us: https://colorful-classroom.mykajabi.com/sor-fall-book-study-2026
Reading Science Academy
Get your FREE grouping resource bundle here: https://www.stephaniestollarconsulting.com/groupingsheets?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=podcast

Join The Reading Science Academy: https://www.stephaniestollarconsulting.com/register?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show-notes&utm_campaign=literacy-in-color

Decodable texts are an important tool for helping readers apply their phonics knowledge, but are we squeezing everything we can out of them?
Dr. Wiley Blevins – longtime educator, researcher, author, and one of the most recognized voices in phonics instruction – shares all about choosing and using decodable texts.
When it comes to choosing decodable texts, Wiley shares the prevailing thinking around how decodable a text actually needs to be. We also tackle a question that doesn't always have a neat answer: When are students ready for less-controlled text? Wiley shares what he's currently exploring in his research, why that transition may look different from student to student, and why we shouldn't confuse being able to read a pattern with truly mastering it for spelling.
We also get into using decodable texts for all they’re worth. In fact, decodables certainly can go far beyond simply getting students to practice a target phonics pattern. Wiley shares how he uses decodable texts across multiple days and throughout the literacy block to build oral language, fluency, vocabulary, syntax, writing, knowledge-building, and of course, comprehension. He walks us through practical routines teachers can use and explains how decodables can support differentiation for students who need additional practice with previously taught skills.
Key Takeaways:
Why decodable texts are a practice tool, fluency-building tool, and support for spelling
What the research actually says (and doesn't say) about decodability percentages
What makes a high-quality decodable text & why natural language matters
How to scaffold grade-level decodables for students who need additional support
How to get more mileage from a decodable after the first read

Resources:
Book: Differentiating Phonics Instruction for Maximum Impact by Wiley Blevins
Book: Choosing and Using Decodable Text by Wiley Blevins
Book: A Fresh Look at Phonics by Wiley Blevins
Book: Phonics from A to Z by Wiley Blevins
Book: The Megabook of Spelling (K-2) by Wiley Blevins
Book: The Megabook of Spelling (3-5) by Wiley Blevins
Book: Teaching Phonics & Word Study in the Intermediate Grades by Wiley Blevins
Reycraft Books

This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the podcast!
Connect with Dr. Wiley Blevins:
Website: http://www.wileyblevins.com/
LinkedIn
Twitter/X
Instagram

This podcast is brought to you by Reading Science Academy, where our friend Stephanie Stollar is giving Literacy in Color listeners an exclusive, free grouping resource bundle designed to help you spend less time figuring out what to do with screening data and move more quickly into purposeful, skill-based groups.
Get your FREE grouping resource bundle here.
Or, become a member of Reading Science Academy to learn in community and receive research-backed support alongside over 1,600 literacy educators.
Connect with Michelle:
Visit: www.michelleandthecolorfulclassroom.com
Follow me on Instagram: @michelle_thecolorfulclassroom & @logosliteracyacademy
Join our Facebook Community
Sign up for my Newsletter
Shop on TPT: The Colorful Classroom
For Phonics Resources, grab: The COLORFUL Phonics Toolkit

Want to Support the Podcast?
Make a Donation to Support Production

Interested in Learning More about Morphology?
Logos Literacy Academy with Michelle Sullivan & Sarah Paul
Join: Beyond Phonics Club - our Membership Community

Mentioned in this episode:
SOR Fall Book Study
Join us: https://colorful-classroom.mykajabi.com/sor-fall-book-study-2026
Reading Science Academy
Get your FREE grouping resource bundle here: https://www.stephaniestollarconsulting.com/groupingsheets?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=podcast

Join The Reading Science Academy: https://www.stephaniestollarconsulting.com/register?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show-notes&utm_campaign=literacy-in-color