Voyager Sopris Learning EDVIEW360 Podcast Series
The Language Connection: How Early Development Shapes Lifelong Reading Success
Release Date: Thursday, April 09, 2026
During this episode of EDVIEW360, we welcome Dr. Ann P. Kaiser, renowned professor at Vanderbilt University and one of the nation’s leading experts on early language development. With decades of groundbreaking research, Dr. Kaiser has illuminated how the earliest years of language learning—long before children enter school—lay the foundation for reading and academic success. Her work bridges developmental psychology, linguistics, and education, offering educators and administrators a holistic framework for understanding how language, cognition, and environment interact to shape learning outcomes.
Listeners will gain practical insights into how responsive adult-child interactions, linguistically rich environments, and intentional teaching strategies can transform early language development and, ultimately, reading proficiency. Dr. Kaiser’s contributions have not only advanced the science of reading but also provided educators with actionable tools to support diverse learners from the start.
Listeners will learn:
- Why language development in the first three years is a powerful predictor of later reading success
- How biology and environment interact to influence children’s language growth
- The role of responsive, linguistically rich adult-child interactions in accelerating development
- Practical strategies for supporting oral language skills in preschool and early elementary classrooms
- How early language differences can signal later reading challenges such as dyslexia or developmental language disorders
- Ways educators can strengthen oral vocabulary, syntax, and phonological awareness to support struggling readers
- How social-emotional and cognitive development are intertwined with language learning
- Why intentional teaching of language foundations is essential for equity and long-term student achievement
AI and a New Era of Math Tutoring: Have We Seen This Movie Before?
Release Date: Thursday, March 26, 2026
Join author and respected mathematics expert Dr. John Woodward for a provocative look at how technology—from microcomputers to AI—has shaped, challenged, and often overpromised its impact on math education. Drawing on decades of research and classroom experience, Dr. Woodward explores how shifts in computing power, curriculum design, and student motivation has influenced what we teach, how we teach it, and why it matters.
This session will begin by drawing on historical trends in educational computing to today’s much discussed and possibly overhyped promise: Can AI tutor students in math in ways that match if not exceed human capabilities? Parallels to this kind of promise can be found during the last 45 years since microcomputers emerged in education in the early 1980s. Dr. Woodward will also drill down into what tutoring and curriculum mean in light of AI.
What You’ll Learn
- How technology has historically influenced math instruction—and what’s different about AI
- Why motivation and mindset matter more than ever in today’s tech-saturated classrooms
- Why tutoring students who are struggling with this week’s material in math is a different issue from meeting the instructional needs of students who are months or years behind grade level
- What educators should consider before adopting AI tools for math learning
MTSS: Ensuring Structured Literacy Across All Tiers and the Importance of Oral Language
Released: Thursday, February 19, 2026
During this insightful episode of EDVIEW360, literacy expert Dr. Antonio Fierro joins us to unpack the critical role of Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) frameworks in ensuring explicit, Structured Literacy instruction reaches every learner. Dr. Fierro provides a clear, operational definition of language and explains the importance of embedding oracy across all language systems and across all tiers of instruction. His perspective highlights why collaboration between language and literacy is not optional—it is foundational to building equitable systems that serve all students.
Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of how Structured Literacy can be implemented with fidelity across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 instruction, and why oracy, when intentionally embedded, is foundational to reading proficiency. With a special emphasis on English learners, Dr. Fierro challenges educators to rethink how language and literacy intersect, and how intentional, evidence-based practices can transform outcomes for diverse classrooms.
What You’ll Learn
- How a clear, operational definition of language strengthens MTSS by promoting coherence and consistency across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 instruction
- Why oracy must be intentionally embedded across language systems and instructional tiers, rather than treated as a standalone or developmental component
- How Structured Literacy instruction, when aligned with oracy, better supports reading proficiency—particularly for English learners
- Practical ways educators can foster meaningful collaboration between language and literacy to improve outcomes for all students
Rocket Science Revisited: Where Should Reading Research Take Us Next?
Released: Thursday, January 22, 2026
In this powerful episode, two of the most respected voices in literacy education—Dr. Louisa Moats and Dr. Tim Odegard—come together to discuss the urgent need for systemic change in how reading is taught, understood, and supported across the U.S. Drawing from decades of research, policy work, and classroom experience, they explore the persistent gaps between what science tells us about reading and what many educators are still expected to implement. Their conversation is candid, evidence-based, and deeply rooted in a shared commitment to literacy as a civil right.
Dr. Moats reflects on the evolution of her work, including the impact of her seminal paper “Teaching Reading Is Rocket Science,” and the barriers that continue to prevent widespread adoption of structured literacy. Dr. Odegard brings a complementary perspective from his leadership at the Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia, highlighting the importance of teacher preparation, data transparency, and the moral imperative to serve all learners—including those with dyslexia. Together, they challenge assumptions, clarify misconceptions, and call for courageous leadership at every level of education.
Listeners will walk away with a renewed understanding of what it means to teach reading well, and a renewed understanding of what is necessary to capitalize on the lessons of reading science.. This episode is essential for educators, administrators, policymakers, and advocates who want to move beyond buzzwords and toward meaningful, measurable change.
What Dr. Moats and Dr. Odegard will discuss:
- Why “Teaching Reading Is Rocket Science” remains relevant today
- Priorities for improving implementation of evidence-aligned instruction
- Why higher education holds the key to sustaining literacy reform and preparing future teacher educators
- What the national landscape of dyslexia laws reveals about progress—and what’s still missing in impact research
- Why current policies overemphasize foundational print skills while neglecting morphological and etymological depth in spelling and word study
- How oral language and comprehension continue to be overlooked in screening, curriculum adoption, and teacher preparation
- What Kansas and Ohio’s systemic literacy blueprints teach us about building coherent, statewide literacy systems
EDVIEW360 Podcast is available for download anywhere you normally listen to podcasts.
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Pam Austin has over 36 years of experience as an educator. Her current role as a Professional Learning Facilitator Manager and previous positions as the Director of Instructional Technology, and Professional Learning Facilitator includes over 17 years of experience in training and supporting districts in various literacy and numeracy interventions for Voyager Sopris Learning in addition to delivering LETRS professional development sessions.
She has also shared her love of proven VSL solutions as a product marketing manager when she began her role as a EDVIEW360 podcast host in 2019 and continues to this day. Her goal is to aid teachers in changing the lives of students so that they not only become proficient and successful learners, but also, individuals confident in pursuing personal and professional life goals. She previously held the role of literacy specialist at the Center for Development and Learning (CDL) now the Center for Literacy and Learning.
As an educator, in the New Orleans Public Schools for 14 years, she served as an elementary teacher, a reading interventionist, a school-based reading coach, and a Central Office Field Literacy Facilitator. These varying roles allowed her to gain a myriad of experiences that has enhanced her ability to work in collaboration with other educators, schools, and districts for impactful professional learning. Pam’s first steps into a life-long career as an educator began as a fourth-grade teacher, in small school, in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. And the journey continues…
Cassondra Mantovani brings more than 25 years of leadership experience at the intersection of education, leadership, and technology–leading teams that directly support teachers and students in classrooms every day across K–12 and higher education. She currently serves as Vice President of Revenue & Operations for Voyager Sopris Learning® & Kurzweil Education, where she has spent more than a decade partnering closely with educators and school leaders to improve outcomes for students.
As host of EDVIEW360, she is passionate about making complex, often challenging education topics accessible and actionable—turning big ideas into meaningful takeaways, insights that inspire broader audiences, and taking a student-centered approach to the advancement of education. On EDVIEW360, she loves sitting down with some of the smartest and most passionate minds in education to explore not only what they do, but why they do it—uncovering the aha moments, lessons learned, and perspectives that move the field forward.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, she has called Dallas home for the past decade. She is deeply driven by the belief that learning to read, empowering students to graduate, and valuing education can fundamentally change the trajectory of a person’s life—opening doors to enhanced life opportunities and lasting family legacy.
Above all, she is a proud boy mom, a lifelong learner, and a steadfast advocate for better serving students—today and for generations to come.