If your school's intervention system feels like an endless treadmill, this episode is a must-listen. Dr Sarah Brown (President of System Impact Consulting) and Dr Stephanie Stollar (Creator of the Reading Science Academy) join the podcast to dismantle the most common mistakes schools make with Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS).

In this episode, you will learn why the MTSS pyramid is actually a map of school resources rather than a tool for sorting students. Stephanie reveals the dangers of the "screen to intervene" trap, explaining why we must evaluate core Tier 1 instruction before pulling kids into intervention groups. We also discuss why expecting teachers to overhaul their practice without structural support ignores the reality that adults go through an acquisition stage of learning too. Get ready to shift your focus from admiring the problem to taking definitive instructional action.

Resources mentioned:

• MTSS for Reading Improvement by Dr Sarah Brown and Dr Stephanie Stollar
• MTSS for Reading Improvement - Free Reproducibles
• Routines for Reading Results (upcoming second edition of Teaching Struggling and At-Risk Readers)
• Effective Universal Instruction book by Bradley C. Niebling, Kimberly Gibbons and Sarah Brown
• StephanieStollarConsulting.com
• System Impact Consulting

You can connect with Sarah:

Linkedin: @sarah-brown-ph-d-9177b516

Website: systemimpactconsulting.com

You can connect with Stephanie:

Twitter/X: @SStollar6

Facebook: @StephanieStollarConsulting

Linkedin: @stephanie-stollar

Website: stephaniestollarconsulting.com

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter/X: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Linkedin: @brendan-lee-kft

Website:learnwithlee.net

Substack: knowledgeforteachers.substack.com/

Dr. Sarah Brown is a consultant and co-author of the books, Effective Universal Instruction, MTSS for Reading Improvement, and Routines for Reading Results. She empowers schools through her MTSS Data Academy. She’s served in a variety of educational roles, including Bureau Chief leading Special Education and MTSS implementation for Iowa, Special Education Director, Professional Learning Administrator, and School Psychologist. Dr. Brown is passionate about empowering systems to improve outcomes for every learner. She splits her time between the midwest and the southwest and her greatest accomplishment to date is toilet-training her cat, Oliver.

Stephanie is passionate about using MTSS as the framework for helping all students become skilled readers. She is the co-author of the books MTSS for Reading Improvement, Promoting Effective MTSS Implementation, Reading Assessment Done Right and Routines for Reading Results.

Stephanie is creator of the Reading Science Academy, co-creator of MTSS CollecAve, and serves on the boards of the Evidence Advocacy Center and the International MTSS Association.

Her past roles include Assistant Professor, Vice President of Professional Learning at Acadience Learning, and School Psychologist. Stephanie believes that supporting all educators to have deep knowledge about reading is foundational to high achievement for every student.

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this episode Brendan Lee is joined by Professor Stuart Kime, a leading voice in evidence-informed school improvement and co-founder of Evidence-Based Education. We dive into the Great Teaching Toolkit and explore how to bridge the knowing-doing gap in professional learning. Knowing the research is important, but it does not automatically translate into changing your teaching habits. Stuart explains how to hold a mirror up to our practice using objective tools. You will discover why video feedback is critical for bypassing our expert blind spots and how student surveys can reveal the true reality of your classroom environment. They also discuss why schools need to move away from standalone courses and build a supportive culture of continuous improvement. If you want to turn evidence into concrete action this conversation is essential listening.

Resources mentioned:

• Evidence-Based Education (EBE)
• The Great Teaching Toolkit
• The Great Teaching Toolkit: Evidence Review (2020)
• The Great Teacher Toolkit: School Environment and Leadership Evidence Review (2022)
• EEF Teaching and Learning Toolkit (Steve Higgins)

You can connect with Stuart:

Twitter: @profkime

Linkedin: @stuart-kime-ebe

Website: evidencebased.education

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter/X: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Linkedin: @brendan-lee-kft

Website: learnwithlee.net

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this episode of Knowledge for Teachers, host Brendan Lee sits down with Karen Robertson, national CEO of Life Ed Australia, to explore the escalating youth health crisis and the critical role of health literacy. Far from just kicking a ball around, modern preventative health requires a robust, evidence-backed approach.

Listeners will discover surprising data from the frontlines of education, including why 81 per cent of children aged two to five are already using the internet. Karen unpacks how to transition from traditional, fear-based warnings to a strength-based curriculum that builds critical thinking. Crucially, you will learn how Life Ed carries the load for time-poor educators, with research revealing that 89 per cent of teachers report significantly improved confidence in embedding wellbeing strategies post-visit.

Tune in for a thoughtful discussion packed with practical, research-grounded insights to help your students truly thrive.

You can connect with Karen:

Linkedin: @karen-robertson-mtc

Website: lifeed.org.au

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter/X: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Linkedin: @brendan-lee-kft

Website:learnwithlee.net

Substack: knowledgeforteachers.substack.com/

Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast:

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast