We are thrilled to bring you this interview with Dr. Heather Peske. Heather is the President of the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) and a former elementary school teacher. She shares how her early experiences teaching reading, combined with her experience as a parent of a struggling reader, fuel her commitment to improve teacher preparation nationwide. In addition, her work as a state policymaker transformed her understanding of effective literacy instruction.

In our conversation, Brett and Heather discuss how parents and school districts can leverage NCTQ’s research to influence market forces and push Colleges of Education toward evidence-based practices. Heather explains how NCTQ evaluates teacher preparation programs, revealing that most fall short in training future educators in evidence-based reading instruction—particularly for English Learners and students with learning differences such as dyslexia. She also highlights the role of state-level policy reforms and how parent advocacy is driving meaningful improvements. Heather offers valuable insights on addressing teacher shortages, the power of parent-led efforts, and leaves listeners with a powerful message: stay optimistic, stay engaged, and know that change is possible—together.

⁠NCTQ website⁠

⁠NCTQ Teacher Prep Review- Reading Foundations⁠

⁠NCTQ Teacher Prep Review State Data Profiles⁠

⁠NCTQ Five Policy Actions to Srengthen Implementation of the Science of Reading⁠

⁠NCTQ State Data Profiles⁠

⁠NCTQ False Assurances report⁠

⁠NCTQ Reimagining Teaching⁠

Socials

Facebook: @NationalCouncilOnTeacherQuality

LinkedIn: @NationalCouncilOnTeacherQuality

X: @NCTQ

‐-------------------------------------------------------------------

Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.Host Brett Tingley is the president of OH-KID, a grassroots parent group dedicated to ensuring all children in Ohio learn to read. She is also an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. She is the founder and president of Parents for Reading Justice.

Join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward, and DONATE on our website!

FOLLOW US:

Check out our LinkTree to find us on all social media platforms:

⁠https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjustice⁠

DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, with the intention of helping others to understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice pertaining to their individual circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!

#education #reading #dyslexia #behavior #motivation #awareness #change #podcast #school #readingskills #schoollife #scienceofreading #readmorebooks #dyslexiaawareness #dyslexiasupport #readingcommunity #fypyoutube