Teaching Reading, Empowering Parents, and Challenging the Status Quo

Science of Reading Leadership

“The missing piece is we are missing the parents. I’ve never met a parent who wanted their child to go to school and not succeed. I’ve met a lot of parents who don’t have the skills or the tools necessary to help their child become successful. We talk about no child left behind, but what about no parent left behind? Let’s bring those parents along with us.” Dr. Rob Picou, Superintendent of Tupelo Public School District

Join our conversation with Dr. Rob Picou, Superintendent of Tupelo Public School District, as we explore the district’s literacy journey, from their current phase of implementing the science of reading research to visions of future initiatives to overcome obstacles, challenge the status quo, and transform reading achievement.

We discuss:

• Embracing the science of reading and evidence-based instruction
• Leveraging literacy strengths and addressing challenges such as professional development for district leaders and student school readiness
• The need to provide the tools parents need to support literacy at home
• Challenging the status quo to prioritize a genuine love for reading

In this episode:

00:00 Tupelo Public School District

00:45 Tupelo’s science of reading journey

01:53 Building upon literacy strengths in phonetic instruction and evidence-based programs

03:09 Supporting principals and school leaders

06:15 Partnering with community members and parents to support literacy development

07:37 Superintendent Picou's advice on challenging the status quo

Connect with Dr. Picou

Website

Science of Reading Resources

The Science of Reading: What You Need to Know

A Guide to High-Quality Structured Literacy Materials

If you liked this episode, listen to this conversation with Dr. Sarah Calveric to learn practical strategies to accelerate reading achievement.