Breaking Barriers: Advancing Literacy Through Equity and Action

Narrator:

Welcome to EDVIEW360.

DeJunne’ Clark Jackson:

We are creating, hopefully, citizens of the world that will be able to apply what they've learned. They will be meaningful participants in society, but society has to be welcoming of them just like we expect the K–12 system to adjust and adapt. And so, I really believe that this is only the beginning. We are going to do great things from here, and I'm excited to see it. To envision it, I can. If I could paint, I could, I can draw it out, but I am excited to be a part of what is to come next.

Narrator:

You just heard from literacy expert and advocate DeJunne' Clark Jackson, president of The Center for Literacy and Learning. Ms. Jackson is our guest today on EDVIEW360.

Pam Austin:

Hello, this is Pam Austin. Welcome back to the EDVIEW360 podcast series. We are so excited to have you with us today for our February Literacy Conversation. I'm conducting today's podcast from my native New Orleans, LA. Today, we are excited to welcome a respected literacy expert and science of reading advocate DeJunne' Clark Jackson. I'm thrilled to know and work with DeJunne', another native Louisianian.

DeJunne' is the president of The Center for Literacy and Learning and she is a certified academic language therapist and nationally credentialed AET educational therapist. She is a dedicated, respected leader with more than a decade of experience supporting children and adolescents across various stages of their academic journeys, from early childhood development to college readiness. Clark Jackson has worked tirelessly to help students achieve success in their educational pursuits. DeJunne' is the founder of Learning Fundamentals Educational Therapy & Consulting, serves as president of The Reading League Louisiana, and is state leader of Decoding Dyslexia Louisiana. She actively contributes to state-level initiatives such as the Louisiana Department of Education's Dyslexia Bulletin Workgroup, Louisiana Literacy Advisory Commission and Special Education Advisory Panel. She is also the co-author of the Speech-Language Pathologist's Guide to Dyslexia. Welcome, DeJunne'. Let's talk about breaking barriers and advancing literacy through equity in action.

DJ:

Thanks for having me, Pam. I appreciate this conversation.

PA:

It is going to be marvelous having this conversation with you. I'm sure our listeners want to pick your brain and just learn so much from your experiences. You know, let's start off by having you share just a bit about your journey and what led you to become a literacy advocate and leader at the Center for Literacy and Learning.

DJ:

Well, I don't know where to start with answering this. Gosh. I often describe it like a cat with nine lives. I've worn so many hats over the years and lived so many professional lives that really have just prepared me for this moment where I am right now. I began, actually began, my work in higher education first, so I was the disability coordinator and facilitator for students who were incoming freshmen to help with their disability transition into college, and that was such a rewarding and, as you can imagine, frustrating process. But I left higher ed to run a child advocacy center where I was working with our local district attorney's office and police departments to support children of abuse and their families, and so that was a life that was completely different from the one that I'd left.

And from there, though, I jumped headfirst into K–12 education, teaching preK through third grade students, like getting with those littles. I was a school counselor, a student service coordinator, literacy interventionist, and that's when I pursued my certification in dyslexia. But what I can say is that my journey wasn't just my journey alone. It was actually my child's journey, and through his education it's really … That was the catalyst to where I am today. Just a staunch advocate and believer in like the perceived impossible, and so I'm very grateful for this journey and all of those hats that I've worn, all those lives that I've led, that's led me to lead the center as the president and with an amazing team of other passionate educators and all other adjacent opportunities that it's afforded me, and so this is an amazing community to be a part of.

PA:

Wow, it has been a journey. Just listening to you speak about the myriad of roles and experiences that you've had, I say that definitely gives you an understanding of the vast ways that we can support, not only in that K–12 environment where you are, but across the board. What does the center focus on as its goals? Give us a brief overview of your purpose at the center.

DJ:

Yeah. So, our purpose at the center is to create lifelong learners and to have our educators make a huge impact. So, the center was founded in 1992. So, we just celebrated 32 years.

And we are an education nonprofit whose mission is to advance literacy and learning through evidence-based practices in the classroom, home, and community. And those three buckets are so important for us because not one silo can do this alone. And we often say it's not just the responsibility of the teachers, it's not just the responsibility of families, it's not just right, it takes this village, it's this village mindset. And so the center helps to work toward closing this achievement gap by providing educators with professional learning that is specifically designed to empower them to recognize, to assess, to respond to the multiple needs of all of our learners, to build on the science of reading. That has resulted in positive forward movement change for schools and communities. It's not just about the impact in that school building on that student, on that family, but what does that mean for the community at large?

And so, obviously our pride and joy, the apple of our eye, is our Plain Talk about Literacy and Learning® Institute that we host annually in New Orleans, and for us and many people who attend, it is the nation's premier literacy conference and it brings together literacy and learning experts and attracting education industry professionals like you, Pam, into that space. And it really is and when I came on to the center I kept using this term magical, like it really is, this magical experience like none other that brings folks together. And so since then we've just finished our inaugural Plain Talk About Dyslexia Summit and so just wanting to bring that additional awareness and magic to what we call our baby Plain Talk, and so it's been quite a passion project since the moment that I stepped foot into this organization, and we are just really excited and really just proud to be just one part of everyone's journey through the science of reading and teaching reading.

PA:

Yes, you know why this experience is magical. There's a lot of work that goes on behind the magic and I know that you are working behind the scenes, along with your staff, to make it happen. When we think about those three aspects, I love it. The classroom is where we normally focus, right? What is the teacher doing? And the idea of empowering those teachers, because once they know and understand and learn, they will extend. And then, that home in the community. It all is so important and I love the way you speak to the three being that experience that's going to make a difference. You know what I want to ask you. You gave us a lot of information about the myriad of experiences that you've had. What experiences have most influenced your approach to education and literacy?

DJ:

You know all of my experiences. I look at them as building blocks, right? All the things that have sort of been stacked on top of the other to curate and to create what you know, what we have today. But as I look back, I think as a teacher of littles as I mentioned preK–3, the babies are my heart. I don't know how those folks do it with those middle schoolers, but I will stay in my lane. But as a teacher of littles, I thought like many and my story is not unique, I thought that I was prepared to support my own little in his journey. But he struggled through school and I didn't identify and I wasn't aware of the depth of knowledge that I needed to support him. And that as an educator, as a parent educator, it was frustrating, it was sad.

I always say that in education we're, and as teachers, we're expected to show up for our students that are before us. But oftentimes, not oftentimes. Sometimes, some of us have better discipline than others. Sometimes, that's at the sacrifice of those red flags that appear in your own child, right? And so, there's some underlying guilt to that. And so, I was just on this journey to find my why of helping him to work through that, and so I was fortunate enough to dive into those things that I didn't know and to learn all that I could learn, both formally and informally, and this led me to become this, you know, and this led me to become this, you know, connoisseur of all information related to dyslexia, ADHD, and the like.

I really dove in to figure out: (1.) How to help my kid but also it served a dual purpose, because I was still in education. I was still in the classroom, rather and so I needed to help the kids that were in front of me, who I knew that the information that I was learning would impact them as well, and so I was determined to not only support, like I said, my child, the children that were in front of me, but to support teachers, administrators, families alike, and to really educate them in a way that would have direct positive impact on students because it was a systemic issue is what I learned. And so, I was really determined to sort of unpack and dismantle the system that I found to not be really supportive, in a way that it was transparent and available for us to help all kids.

PA:

Oh, that is definitely a major influence there. Just thinking about your personal need to support your child led you to expand your knowledge, your growth, your professional learning and we all can learn more, right? Just having that opportunity to gain those experiences. It's definitely made an impact on the community itself as a whole. Thank you so much for all that you've done.

It's interesting how that journey you just repeated that journey there, DeJunne'. Thank you so much for sharing.

DJ:

If I can really stress, because again, I want to push the fact that my story is not unique in how we sort of stumble upon this. I always say in the dyslexia work that dyslexia is personal. If you speak to many parents, many educators who are parents, they came about this journey. Most didn't set out to, even as educators, didn't set out to say I want to learn about dyslexia. It is something that impacted them personally and that was their catalyst to learn more.

And so, when we know more, we do more. When we know better, we do more. When we know better, we do better. And I think that everyone has benefited from our personal struggle and that we can essentially pay it forward to ensure that the next student, the next family, the next mom or dad won't experience the initial hardships perhaps that we sort of stumbled through. And so, I discovered this to be true by listening to the stories of those who were in my cohort of dyslexia therapist training in my master's degree program and just to hear how everyone sort of ended up in that first day of class, whether they were a speech therapist who decided to expand their knowledge, many were parents, many were educators and many were there because it was this desire, this innate instinct to do and know more, so that they could apply it to their immediate circle and then sort of ripple effect that to everyone else around them.

PA:

Definitely giving back to the community with the support that they have learned. 

DJ: 

Absolutely.

PA:

Excellent that paying it forward. You know those stumbling blocks become building blocks. Yes, it's amazing. So, you describe challenges faced by students with dyslexia. What are some common misconceptions that are out there?

DJ:

Well, even in this year, there are still so many common misconceptions. Well, there are many challenges also, but I find that just when we feel like we've addressed them all and surely we, you know, we can get past those, you know sort of 101 style misconceptions or challenges there's always someone who say, “Well, I always thought that I was told that” or “It was passed down to me.” And so, I think the biggest common misconception is that dyslexia looks the same in everyone and only affects someone's ability to read. And that was the biggest revelation, not only in my own life but in the lives of the students that I had before me, was that this array and range of how the students with dyslexia, either diagnosed or undiagnosed, were presented with, and so those challenges varied from person to person.

Dyslexia happens on a spectrum and we know that it can be mild to severe. And these common red flags, or yellow warning flags, if you will, there are these early indicators that we can look to to say, “OK, let's look a little deeper.” I think about the early years, things like rhyming or mispronouncing words. So, my favorite word for mispronunciation is spaghetti, when those babies say paschetti, and it's just so cute, and then at some point it's not so cute anymore and then we have to go let's look into this. But also understanding that it affects spelling and speaking and expressing ideas, and not just reading, but the depth of reading, which is decoding the words at the root level, substituting words when reading. Oh, my goodness, those of us who work with students who see those habits that they've formed to just sort of get over it and get through it. And obviously writing is another one that it affects. But dyslexia has also non-academic challenges and those are the places that we find ourselves sort of in some sticky situations, what I like to call it, those non-academic challenges that we look at as secondary consequences.

That affects a person's social, emotional, and behavioral functioning. That's things like anxiety and stress, avoidance or isolation. You think about the child who says my stomach hurts, I don't want to go to school, or who acts out every day at the same time in Miss So-and-So's class, you know, misbehaving. Well, they're avoiding, right? And so, remembering things that if we look back at patterns of behavior, that could really get us to the point where we can figure out that there's something happening, even when I think about older kids.

So, as my kid, from the time he was diagnosed in third grade to the time that he's now a junior in high school like I can't even say that without getting a lump in my throat there's this evolution of how it affected him socially. So, looking at things like in conversation, saying the wrong words in his relationships with friends, maybe remembering things wrong. So, those are some things that we know, that there's again this spectrum of challenges and things that we need to look for those indicators, whether early or evolving, but that we just keep looking for those indicators, whether early or evolving, but that we just keep in mind that dyslexia is not cut equally and so we need to see and give leverage to those who it displays differently with.

PA:

Right, and I'm sure our listeners appreciate that aspect because we do hear about the literacy and even the communication. But the idea of dyslexia being on a spectrum different for all students and actually the non-academic areas, we know that they exist but we normally don't attend to those patterns of behavior and across the timeline of a student, as they grow from year to year to year, that makes a difference. Thank you so much for sharing that. You know we talk about empowering male teachers, giving them the information that they need to know and we know that there's definitely a connection between the science of reading and effective dyslexia support. Can you talk a little bit about that?

DJ:

Absolutely so. The science of reading, as we define it with The Reading League, is a body of research. We're talking about how this research is over 40-plus years, and it helps to teach us how the brain learns to read and write and then why some students are experiencing difficulty. So, they provide us with guidance on how to teach reading so that more students can learn to read proficiently. How to teach reading so that more students can learn to read proficiently, right? But this is really critical for the foundation of instruction for all students, let alone students with dyslexia. But I always say that dyslexia research dates back centuries, even from where it evolved, from word blindness, in terms of what it was perceived to be, and how it's evolved to what we know to be today as dyslexia. So, that science of reading is the foundation that we need to apply to students with dyslexia. Without it, it is going to be difficult to identify students who struggle with dyslexia versus those who struggle just due to lack of appropriate instruction.

Now, Pam, as you might be aware, Louisiana has made amazing strides in the last four years toward remedying our reading shortfalls. Right at the onset, though, of this movement here in our state, when funding was abundant, I wrote a white paper explaining the need to pour it into our Tier 1 instruction plan as a necessary first step to our reading revival. It was appropriately titled Falling Through the Cracks is Harder on a Solid Foundation and it spoke to the intersection of the science of reading, research and practice and dyslexia identification and intervention. Because if we don't have appropriate science of reading-based research and practice in our instruction for all, then those students with dyslexia will continue to be under-identified and misidentified. We have to.

Once we shore up that foundation, then those students who are truly struggling with dyslexia, on whatever part of the spectrum, we are then going to be better equipped and better knowledgeable to be able to support those students using interventions that are beyond what we are doing for our foundational reading instruction, and so that is so necessary. There is certainly an intersection, but it is the absolute, like we talked about earlier, a necessary building block to be able to reach those students with dyslexia. And it doesn't mean more of the same, because sometimes we'll hear, “Well, if students with dyslexia need explicit instruction and science of reading calls for explicit instruction, then I'm doing what I need to do for students with dyslexia.” Well, no, that is what we need to do at minimum, and then we build on that and we do above and beyond, deeper and wider for our students with dyslexia. 

PA:

Deeper and wider but starting off on that field where all teachers have that knowledge to deliver those strategies, that's connected to the 40 years of research, right? From the science of reading, and that is just marvelous. So, supporting all these students so that we're able to first, number one, identify those kids. I just love how you laid that out so beautifully. We need to know who they are so we can give them the support. Early is better, right, DeJunne’? 

DJ:

Absolutely the earlier the better.

PA:

OK, and I like the idea of the more instruction being deeper to allow students those exposures. Thank you so much for that.

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PA:

You know when we talk about what kids will need can you give us some strategies for delivering this accessible instruction? What might that look like? How can we break down those barriers for students with these diverse learning needs? 

DJ:

Absolutely, there are many strategies. I'm sure we can write a book on the number of strategies that we can do for delivering accessible instruction. And, you're right, it all leads to breaking down those barriers. The first sort of no-brainer, I would say, strategy is that explicit instruction. It's so necessary for our students with dyslexia. Breaking those tasks right into manageable steps, to model steps, clearly identifying the expectation and not just assuming that a skill is already gained when moving on to another skill. So, really that you know guided practice and immediate feedback through that explicit instruction is necessary. Assistive technology … So, here's an area that is necessary, but really we have to look at the individual student to see what their specific needs are and level of AT is needed.

Tools like text-to-speech, speech-to-text, audiobooks. Look, I am an audiobook fanatic and I don't have dyslexia. Can I get through a book in the same manner you know as hard copy than I can with an audio book? Probably not, but it's a thing that we should certainly allow for students to have in schools, and even screen readers to support those students where necessary. Incorporating apps and software for students with learning disabilities, like these are all things that we continue to combat in school systems as crutches, right? We think about a calculator, and schools are still believing in the theory that if I give them this calculator, I give them this text speech, then they'll never learn. They'll never learn on their own, it'd just be a crutch. I think we just need to dismantle that thought, that mindset, to understand that this is a necessary tool to use to afford those students to access the information at the level of their non-identified peers. And so, we just need to use our discretion when applying AT, because all students don't need the same thing, and we just don't want to throw technology at students without explicitly instructing them on how to utilize that tool either.

Another thing is scaffolding their learning. Obviously, this is something that we are doing, likely in whole-group instruction anyway, but again, going deeper and wider with our students with dyslexia, all of our instruction, whether students with diverse learning needs or not, should be culturally responsive in their teaching practices. So, using those things that allow those students to connect their learning with their own background. How are we incorporating that and using those diverse texts and materials to reflect this wide range of perspectives? And then, the other thing that I think is necessary, again not an exhaustive list, but the last thing I'll say is not forgetting our parents and caregivers and the engagement that's necessary. That should definitely be incorporated as a strategy for instruction.

We think about it as two separate things, but if we incorporate that into our accessible instruction, then we've extended. We know about extending the learning. We're extending that learning into our parents and caregivers and allowing them to be engaged, sharing strategies and tools with families. That supports the learning at home. You don't have to be in those homes to teach, but allow yourself to engage with families in a way that you're sharing what's happening in the classroom so that they continue that learning at home and then communicate that regularly so that students can progress and you can collaborate on what works best for them and then what works best for you in the classroom. So, again, those are just a few strategies, but I will stand on the hill and shout them from the rooftops that we just need to lean into them and we will see them work.

PA:

All of your strategies, honestly, just scream support for students, parents, teachers. You know it all boils down to teachers keeping a pulse on the finger of where students are and what their needs are. When you think about differentiating instruction, differentiate with that guided practice, right? Before moving into independent, the assistive technology. I love what you said about the idea of knowing exactly what tool. What it's used for, and teaching the kids and not just tossing it at them. It's all about accessibility, correct? Because that's what assistive technology is. It is to assist in order to help get students to the resources that they need in order to dive into, maybe, as you said, that grade-level text that they have difficulty with.

You know, when you talk about making things culturally relevant, I love the idea we hear often: A mirror and a window. So, kids having both makes a huge impact on their learning. I learned about other cultures, I learned about myself and I see myself as well. And you know what? I love? Your idea, DeJunne’, of having our parents, the homeschool connection, whether it's the parents or it might be a foster parent, it might be an aunt, an uncle, a grandmother, someone involved. You know, there are always ways to help students shine and say, “Hey, look what I did at school.” and that connection is awesome.

Thank you so much for sharing these tips and tools. They are so relevant but also so easy to understand and incorporate. Now, we might not do them all at one time right, but bit by bit we can make these things happen, one bite at a time. That's how we eat an elephant. So, moving on, you know what evidence-based strategies you gave some specific recommendation for instructions to break down those barriers. Making some connections, are there any specific strategies that you would suggest for engaging students and their families? You know I love the idea of getting those families involved. Is there anything in particular that you would recommend?

DJ:

Yeah, well, those are all based on Dr. Karen Mapp's work of dual capacity framework for family engagement. At the center, we took that model that's general and broad, and we really apply it with a myriad of doors and windows that will allow us to really build community and a community of shared responsibility. So, when we do things like build trust, we link our family engagement to learning, to learning building capacity with both the families and the educators. So, sometimes we think that and we have a misconception in education that teachers should already know how to engage families. They do probably. If anyone who's gone through a teacher-prep program, you can probably remember a half a course maybe about how to engage with families. And even now that's evolved in how we communicate, the avenues of communication, what's appropriate and what's you know, not what's culturally relevant and culturally appropriate and what's not. And so, not assuming that the parents automatically know how to support their kids. Like it's your kid, right? You should know what to do.

Half of us don't. Myself included. We don't know what we're doing. We need a village and so we continue to be the village for one another and not assume that it's you know, automatic. This is where that explicit communication, explicit instruction, even with our families, comes into play, and then we create this environment where we are co-creating. It's not just here's this thing that I'm handing to you to do. It's let's figure out how we can create something together that works for both, or create the thing that works for you and I can translate it in a way that works for me, and we have this sort of open door, welcoming and respectful practice that we've created that honors you and your bank of knowledge and recognizes me and my bank of knowledge, and we can sort of be in this partnership that allows us to align our engagement efforts with our equity goals, like what is it?

What's the purpose? Why do I want to do this ongoing collaboration? And we can't just assume also that our families are readers. We have a lot of adults. If we look at our national data, we know that it's inevitable that we have some families that will struggle with reading themselves and that we have to look at those families' possible adverse and traumatic experiences with schools in their own journey and how that shows up in their ability to support their child, grandchild, family member. And so, when we take all that into consideration and we humanize where we are, then we can better, you know, break down that barrier and come to the table in an equitable, you know way.

PA:

Yeah, so it's not a blanket outreach. It's based on so many factors to consider. I love the idea of the collaboration for that engagement and it could be different and we have to keep these things open and also supporting teachers with this. You're right, I don't remember taking a course on outreach. 

DJ:

I keep saying, “I remember half a course,” but I also have to remember that I went through counseling as one of my degree programs. So, maybe it was in counseling that I took it.

PA:

Most likely. So, educators will appreciate hearing that level of connection and how, “Hey, you know, it's OK if I don't know. I can learn.” We can learn together. This can be a collaborative effort. I just love that idea. What keeps you motivated in your work and how do you stay passionate about advancing literacy?

DJ:

Outcomes, outcomes, keeps me motivated and I know that I don't know how that comes across but to see the fruits of your labor as a whole, as a community, as a movement. The fruits of your labor become ripened and not rotten. That is when it does your heart good. That is when you know you are creating a lasting impact, a legacy on those around you and beyond you they're obviously your immediate circle is where you get to see the results and, listen, the results are not immediate. You have to have patience. You have to have time. We know that we are going to see it if we believe in what it is that we do. And we've seen the success and we've seen the outcomes and we've seen the lives change and you know the believers and the non-believers.

You cannot come out of this not believing. When you've seen it and you've seen the light bulbs go off and look, it's not a miracle, it doesn't happen, like I said, overnight. But also it's not always pretty. Like, it's not always magical. When you see the things come to fruition, it's the continued application of this learning and when it's applied to the children and adults, those who are fortunate enough to work with adults, to see it work. That is motivation enough. That has been, for me, the fuel for my passion. Another thing that has had me passionate through my journey is the lack of knowledge of others. And so, when I see that there's a gap in knowledge or a gap in understanding, that just makes me want to continue, just keep going. There's more work to be done and I want to ensure that you know each one, reach one, so that we can continue to spread this farther and wider.

PA:

Oh, thank you for bringing back that word. Magical and how, when you have that success and it breeds the success and that is magical. But then you attach the fact that it can be messy. You know that magic that's happening behind the scenes. It looks like it's easy when we get that success, but there's a lot of work that goes into that.

DJ:

Oh, the road is often bumpy and you're walking barefoot.

PA:

I absolutely love it. What trends do you foresee in the field of literacy? We talked a lot about where kids are with dyslexia. We talked about the needs of our educators. We talked about the needs of the community, the parents, the students, all of it. But what do you foresee in the near future in regards to the field of literacy itself?

DJ:

I foresee dyslexia education being elevated. I think that is our next wave. When I think of the science of reading movement that just took place in the last five to seven years, I think about the question of what's next, right? We are building this house, we've laid this foundation. What's next? And so, I think there's so many that will benefit from this foundation and that we've laid in the early grades.

We are going to crank out the smartest kindergartners that there ever was in the next 10 years, and I think that is just the lift that we need to better support students with learning and attention issues, and not only in the K–12 setting, but I truly believe this will trickle into higher ed and workforce development. I truly see this being again an issue that we all are faced with, and just because a student graduates, it doesn't miraculously absolve them from all the challenges that they've had through this K–12 journey. And we are creating, hopefully, citizens of the world that will be able to apply what they've learned. They will be meaningful participants in society, but society has to be welcoming of them, just like we expect the K–12 system to adjust and adapt. And so, I really believe that this is only in the beginning. We are going to do great things from here and I'm excited to see it, to envision it. If I could paint, I can draw it out, but I am excited to be a part of what is to come next.

PA:

You're taking it to the next level. Well, I want to ask you this because I know we've got all sorts of educators who are listening from our listening audience. I want to focus on administrators in particular and teachers who are striving to improve literacy and make a difference in their schools. What advice would you give them? How do we take that first step?

DJ:

It's so complex, right? Just like learning is complex. Making a difference is to be persistent and to find strength in numbers but be OK to stand alone. And this is part of that messiness, right? Of the journey. I mentioned earlier that I set out to sort of unpack and dismantle a system that wasn't working. Sometimes, that is an absolute necessary. We've got to tear down and build up.

That does not mean that all systems are broken. We have to find the systems that work and we have to work together to work within those systems that work. And administrators are the front lines of that change. And so, we struggle when we have an expectation of our classroom teachers, but the knowledge of the administrators isn't there to really support those teachers in the way they need to be supported. So, if teachers feel like they need more education, more knowledge building, then be persistent in pursuing that. If administrators feel like they need to know more in order to support their teachers, be persistent. They just aren't getting it in spite of applying all the things that we've learned. That's the asterisk there is that we apply things that we know that work. Then, be persistent because we're probably on the cusp of that student's light bulb moment. And so, that's so important and it is a challenge every day and schools, school systems, school communities just really have to work together through their persistence.

PA:

Yes, I love that word persistence. Seeking and you will find and there's so much out there as support for both administrators and teachers. I love, I love getting that information for that light bulb moment for students. And that can be different depending on the student and what those needs are. Is there anything else that you'd like to share with our listeners about the importance of literacy and equitable education.

DJ:

I would like to share this one thought that I think often goes unsaid, but maybe thought of. But often unsaid is: Thank you. Thank you to those teachers, administrators, school communities, families for the knowledge that you're gaining, for the work that you're doing, for the lives that you're elevating. Thank you. It is not for the faint of heart. We are in this journey because we know the outcomes that we are destined to see and we want to shape the lives of those around us. And so, I think it's important for us to lead with open hearts, open minds, and that's how we get to equity, and that we conclude with gratefulness. And so, we are grateful for those who are doing the work.

PA:

We have to have that gratitude for all of those out there working hard with our students. Thanks for joining us, DeJunne’ and sharing your unique expertise with our audience. It has been a pleasure to speak with you. Where can our audience learn more about your work in the Center for Literacy and Learning?

DJ:

Thank you for having me today, Pam. It was an amazing chat. I didn't get on too much of a soapbox, thank goodness. But you and anyone can find more about our work at the Center for Literacy and Learning on our website at mycll.org and certainly visit us during our Plain Talk About Literacy and Learning Institute or our Plain Talk About Dyslexia Summit. We are always ready to welcome folks to Louisiana. We eat really well here. So, come on down.

PA:

Yes, we do. This is Pam Austin, bringing the best thought leaders in education directly to you. Please join us next month for another great EDVIEW360 podcast. Our podcast guests for March are Dr. Louisa Moats and Dr. Reid Lyon. You won't want to miss it.

Narrator:

This has been an EDVIEW360 podcast. For additional thought-provoking discussions, sign up for our blog, webinar, and podcast series at voyagersopris.com/edview360. If you enjoyed the show, we'd love a five-star review wherever you listen to podcasts and to help other people like you find our show. Thank you.