This podcast is hosted by Jesica Glover

This podcast is produced by KB PODCASTS

In this special bonus episode of My Child Can’t Read: A Heartland Crisis, host Jesica Glover sits down with Tammy Kofford, whose 30-year journey from classroom confusion to literacy transformation captures the heart of our bonus title: When the Teacher Gets It, Literacy is Unlocked for Everyone.

Tammy’s story begins in the era of whole language, where teachers were told that reading would come “naturally.” It wasn’t until she discovered the Science of Reading — and her own dyslexia — that everything changed. From that moment, she dedicated her career to training other teachers and giving struggling readers the instruction they deserve.

• • How Tammy’s early teaching years revealed the gaps in her college preparation
  • What led her to the Scottish Rite Learning Center of West Texas and the Alphabetic Phonics program
  • The breakthrough that came when she discovered her own dyslexia
  • How structured literacy approaches transformed not just her students, but her confidence as a teacher
  • Moving success stories — from a child who memorized entire books to a sixth grader who finally volunteered to read aloud

• Why teacher training, not just curriculum, is the key to unlocking literacy for all

“Teaching reading isn’t about giving teachers a program. It’s about giving them the knowledge to teach reading the way the brain learns.” — Tammy Kofford

If you’re an educator, parent, or policymaker, Tammy’s story is your reminder: teacher knowledge is the foundation of literacy. Share this episode with a teacher who’s ready to “get it.” When they do, everything changes.

Resources & References:

• Phillips Fundamental Learning Center
• Andeel Teacher Literacy Institute

This podcast is produced by KB PODCASTS

Mississippi has gone from near the bottom to top 10 in the nation for fourth-grade reading — and other states are following its lead. In this episode, we explore the blueprint behind Mississippi’s success: statewide alignment, sustained professional learning, intensive coaching, strategic assessment, and university partnerships. We also look at what Kansas can learn from these models and the actions parents, teachers, and policymakers can take now to ensure literacy for all.

In This Episode You'll Hear:

• Kelly Butler – Former CEO of the Barksdale Reading Institute, shares how Mississippi built a “marathon” of literacy reform through teacher preparation, policy, and assessment.
• Kay Peterson – Literacy trainer and dyslexia therapy educator, explains the critical role of structured literacy training for teachers and preservice teachers, and how equity and support for all students drives success.
• Diane Lyon – Mississippi literacy leader, underscores how a coordinated system of support, accountability, and science-based instruction created measurable improvements.
• Jill Hoda – Assistant Mississippi State Literacy Director, explains why fidelity to structured literacy and coaching is essential to systemic change.
• Katie Williamson – Assistant Director, Mississippi Literacy Initiatives, highlights the non-evaluative, supportive coaching model that empowers teachers and strengthens literacy efforts.
• Jon Rolph – Shares how individual ownership and leadership in schools can spark wider cultural change.
• Alana McWilliams – Emphasizes the importance of aligned stakeholders — educators, parents, legislators, and business leaders — to create a statewide literacy movement.

Key Quote: "Mississippi shows that sustained effort, layered support, and alignment matter more than any one program or 'miracle.'" — Jill Hoda, Assistant Mississippi State Literacy Director

Resources & References:

• NAEP: The Nation’s Report Card
• Mississippi Literacy‑Based Promotion Act (3rd Grade Reading Law)
• Tennessee Literacy Success Act (2021)
• North Carolina Science of Reading Initiative
• Colorado READ Act & K–3 Teacher Training
• LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling)
• AIM Pathways Literacy Training
• Barksdale Reading Institute
• Phillips Fundamental Learning Center

Call to Action: If Mississippi can do it, so can Kansas. Share this episode with policymakers, educators, and parents — the Reading Revival is possible if we act together. Fund coaching networks, train teachers in structured literacy, align curricula with the Science of Reading, and support every child’s right to read.

This podcast is produced by KB PODCASTS

Show Notes:

What actually happens in the brain when a child learns to read?

In this episode, host Jesica Glover explores the neuroscience behind reading — uncovering why the Science of Reading works from a biological standpoint and how understanding the brain’s reading circuitry can transform how we teach.

You’ll hear from experts, educators, and Kansas leaders who explain what decades of research have revealed about decoding, comprehension, and how structured literacy can literally rewire the brain for reading success.

• How the brain learns to read — why reading isn’t “natural,” and how the brain repurposes regions built for vision and language to process print.
• Why phonics and phonemic awareness matter — connecting letters to sounds activates the left-hemisphere reading network essential for fluent reading.
• Hope through brain change — neuroscientist Dr. Reid Lyon describes brain scans showing struggling readers’ neural patterns transform after structured literacy instruction.
• What effective instruction looks like — insights from Dr. Louisa Moats on how explicit, systematic teaching unlocks the alphabetic principle.
• The Kansas connection — Dr. David Hurford and Cindy Lane share how state leaders are using brain science to reshape teacher training and literacy policy.
• Why “three-cueing” fails — guessing words bypasses the brain’s reading circuit, reinforcing habits that make decoding harder over time.
• The takeaway: Reading can — and must — be taught in a way that aligns with how the brain learns best.

Reading isn’t firmware in our brains. It has to be explicitly taught — step by step — so that written language becomes a code we can unlock. — Dr. David Hurford, Center for Reading, Pittsburg State University

1. Dehaene, Stanislas. Reading in the Brain: The New Science of How We Read (2009)
2. Dehaene, S. (2009). Interview with Scientific American: “The Brain That Reads.”
3. Fletcher, Jack M. et al. (2018). “Classification and Identification of Learning Disabilities: A Hybrid Model.”
4. Gabrieli et al., MIT, 2014
5. Hanford, Emily. “At a Loss for Words.” APM Reports (2019).
6. Moats, L. (2020), NCTQ Reports
7. Shaywitz, Sally. Overcoming Dyslexia (2nd Ed., 2020)
8. Seidenberg, Mark. Language at the Speed of Sight
9. National Council on Teacher Quality (2023). Teacher Prep Review
10. National Reading Panel (2000). Teaching Children to Read
11. The Reading League Compass, 2023
12. Saygin, Z.M. et al. (2014). “Tracking the roots of reading ability.” Nature Neuroscience

This podcast is produced by KB PODCASTS