There are 44 phonemes in English, but only 26 letters. Yet, there are more than 240 ways to represent the sounds in English—whew! Sound walls are helpful instructional tools because they provide teachers with an approachable way to begin incorporating evidence-based instruction in the classroom. Thanks to Dr. Mary Dahlgren and her passion for spreading this knowledge, teachers have been eagerly implementing sound walls in classrooms around the world.

Due to learning loss from pandemic-related school closures, the next beginning-of-year universal screening assessments will likely identify a higher-than-usual number of students as at risk.

Universal screening offers a valuable opportunity for the early identification of student needs—and its power lies not in data collection, but in data use.

Here we are at the end of a school year unlike any other. And as you probably already know, Congress has allocated an unprecedented amount of federal education funding to help school districts overcome the unique challenges associated with the pandemic.

Spring leads to summer, and summer usually leads to a change of routine that shifts how students interact with words, text, and all forms of literacy. Known as summer reading loss, this phenomenon affects many students—especially those who are already performing below grade-level expectations.

Written words represent speech and language. This fundamental truth explains why reading and spelling skill depend on language abilities; why explicit teaching of sounds, words, and discourse is the most effective way to ensure that all students learn to read and write; and why we have been persistent advocates for teachers’ knowledge of language—which is the focus of Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS®).