From Red Flags to Reading Success: The Audit Every School Needs with Stephen Polera & Dr. Wendy Bunker

When K-2 intervention numbers and 3rd-grade reading struggles reached crisis levels, Westmoreland Central School took action. Stephen Polera and Dr. Wendy Bunker explain how aligning district systems with Science of Reading practices creates collaborative cultures that drive measurable reading improvements.

Stephen and Wendy share their revolutionary process for: 
✅ Conducting classroom audits with expert teams 
✅ Implementing phased Science of Reading training 
✅ Creating 4-day teacher bootcamps 
✅ Restructuring schedules for high-dosage tutoring 
✅ Building co-teaching models that work

Episode Mentions:

• District-wide and School-Based Implementation 
• School Administrators Association of New York State
• Westmoreland Central School
• Dr. Benita Blachman
• Dr. Linnea Ehri
• Bolman and Deal’s Four-Frame Model of Leadership
• Section 818: Evidence-based and scientifically based reading instruction
• Rocco Migliori
• Trevor Haskell 
• Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES - Ann Turner
• The Simple View of Reading & Scarborough's Rope
• Orthographic Mapping
• Achieve the Core Audit Tool
• Six Syllable Types
• Dr. David Kilpatrick - Equipped for Reading Success
• Just-in-Time vs. Just-in-Case Scaffolding
• How to Choose a Co-Teaching Model 

0:00 - Introduction & Background 
2:13 - Research Foundations 
4:23 - The Problem: Red Flags in Reading Data
7:14 - Science of Reading Framework Overview 
9:30 - Classroom Audit Process 
12:34 - Audit Implementation & Team Calibration 
16:32 - Four-Day Teacher Bootcamp 
20:13 - Scheduling & Staffing Changes 
22:46 - Classroom Activities That Work 
24:37 - Early Results & Student Joy 
27:36 - Measuring Success: Metrics That Matter 
29:23 - Parent & Caregiver Connections

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Transcript

Olivia: [00:00:00] Hi there. I'm so glad you're here. Here's what you'll gain by listening to the very last second of this conversation with Stephen Polera and Dr. Wendy Bunker. Through my conversation with Steve and  Wendy, you'll learn about why effective literacy instruction requires a strategic data-driven approach. It has to align district-wide systems with classroom implementation of the Science of Reading.

Olivia: And this in turn creates a collaborative culture where teachers understand not just what to teach, but the why, and then what does that result in? More engaged students and improved reading outcomes. You'll leave the conversation understanding why strategic implementation begins with accurate assessment, why professional learning experiences must build both knowledge and application skills, and why system wide alignment is essential for success.

Olivia: Stay with us. I'm so happy to have [00:01:00] you join our conversation today. This is Schoolutions Coaching and Teaching Strategies, the podcast that extends education beyond the classroom. A show that offers educators and caregivers strategies to try right away and ensure every student receives the inspiration and support they need to thrive.

Olivia: I am Olivia Wahl, and I am happy to welcome Stephen Polera and Dr. Wendy Bunker to the podcast today. Let me tell you a little bit about Steve and Wendy. Stephen Polera has served in many roles as an educator for the past 17 years. From a principal with a Syracuse City School district to a principal and now Director of Curriculum Instruction and Assessment with Westmoreland Central School District, Steve always holds what's best for students at the heart of his work.

Olivia: Dr. Wendy Bunker is a familiar and welcome voice on Schoolutions podcast. Over the last nine years, she served Westmoreland Central School [00:02:00] District supporting K through six reading teachers, and most recently supporting K to 12 teachers, with a district-wide Understanding by Design initiative.

Olivia: Steve and Wendy, I reached out to both of you after reading your fantastic article. It was published recently with the School Administrators Association of New York State and Vanguard, and this piece is entitled District-Wide in School-Based Implementation. Welcome both of you. I'm so happy to have you share your process, share your research, and your thinking around this approach.

Wendy: Thanks. It's good to be back. 

Stephen: Thank you.

Olivia: Yeah. Yeah. Um, so. I start off every episode illuminating some research that ties to the topic we're going to be talking about today. And what I love about the process you've followed, it was a true collaboration in every way. Um, and it wasn't just district-based, it was really that idea of pooling resources [00:03:00] regionally.

Olivia: And then ensuring that every teacher has access to this information, that you took an audit-based approach, which is really interesting. I'm also thrilled that this episode will be released before the end of the 24-25 school year, so other school districts will get to benefit and try your process even perhaps this summer. Wendy, I know we talk research so often, um, who is a researcher or a nugget of research you leaned on through this process with Westmo. 

Wendy: It's really hard to choose just one, 

Olivia: I'm sure. 

Wendy: So I'm gonna choose two. 

Olivia: Okay. 

Wendy: Um, two and a half. Um, I, I have to name Dr. Benita Blachman, um, from Syracuse University. She did so much work in early literacy. I also lean on Dr. Linnea Ehri, whom I cited in the, uh, who, whom we cited in the article, um, [00:04:00] In the work that I do in all schools. I also rely on John Hattie's work, um, for implementation, for thinking about teachers and, and students and teaching, um, that whole Visible Learning series, especially the, uh, Visible Learning for Teachers. So those three for sure. 

Olivia: Yeah, definitely. Steve, how about you? 

Stephen: So I think recently I've been revisiting Bolman and Deal’s Four-Frames of Leadership. And so when we're thinking about collaborating with teachers and with the students and then getting all the information out to parents and our leadership team, I really think just being able to look at all those frames separately and think of a cohesive plan has, has just been really helpful. So…

Olivia: Beautiful. Yeah. So. It's always great because I see the show notes that comes alongside the episode as another resource for anyone listening to continue their learning beyond the conversation. I will [00:05:00] ensure that each of the nuggets of research and researchers you just mentioned are tucked inside of those show notes with links. Um. So, and then I'm gonna ask Steve, can you give us just the background, what prompted Westmoreland’s K-4 literacy initiative, and then how does it align with Ed Law 818 that we know has to be in place September of 2025? Yeah…

Stephen: So we had a few red flags come up during like our weekly cabinet meetings. So our principals meet and our director of special ed, we meet with our superintendent, uh, Mr. Rocco Migliori and the principals were just floored at the amount of kids, especially in our K-2 primary elementary, that were in intervention already at the beginning of the school year. So we're thinking like September or October of 24.

Stephen: Um, just a large percentage of the kids were struggling. Readers, um, haven't mastered all their sounds and letters yet, and we're still having trouble blending. [00:06:00] So our superintendent was very worried about that because those kids should be able to be ready to be readers when they leave second grade and go to our upper elementary and third grade.

Stephen: Um, and our upper, upper elementary principal, Mr. Haskell, was really concerned at all the students in third grade that were being referred to Child Study Team to look at interventions for reading. And so we just kind of took a step back and we're like, okay, so we have this new law Ed Law 818 in New York State.

Stephen: We have to, you know, make sure that all of our programs and all of our curriculum and all of our teachers have training. Um, and they are evidence-based research practices. And all the curriculum is aligned to best practices and scientifically based instruction in the classroom for phonics and phonemic awareness and comprehension.

Stephen: Um, so. I could tell you that when we looked at all the programs we use, like our, um, Into Reading Series and, and Fundations, we can say that they're aligned. Like that was the easy part. Okay. Our programs are aligned. But, are they working right? And are we actually producing strong readers at the end of [00:07:00] their elementary career, so we set them up for success in, in their secondary years?

Stephen: And the answer was no. So we really, you know, pulled in the experts, Dr. Bunker and Mrs. Ann Turner and all people in Wendy's office at OHM-BOCES. And we're like, we know we need help. So we need the experts. We need you guys here on the ground to help us kinda solve this problem.

Olivia: You know, not only does it take humility to know when you don't know and when you need help, but it also takes, I would say, really intelligent leadership to know who to reach out to because you reached out to some pretty big names in the field. And Wendy, you are my go-to human when it comes to Science of Reading.

Olivia: When it comes to frameworks that I really need to have explicit, very clear explanation around. So let's then pivot, because Wendy, can you give us just a [00:08:00] brief intro or overview of the Science of Reading framework, and then something brilliant to you all chose to do in your collaboration was that idea of a phased approach in for, um, implementation. So Wendy, can you explain both of those? 

Wendy: Sure. Um, so the Science of Reading really is based on 50 years of research and way back in the eighties, two researchers, Gough and Tunmer, uh, devised the Simple View of Reading, and that's really where it's all based. And I'm, I won't go into the details. It's easy to look it up on Google.

Wendy: Um, so the Simple View of Reading then set the stage for a, a more developed, um, understanding of the components that comprise reading and reading comprehension. And so, um, Hollis Scarborough developed a, a Scarborough's rope is what they call it. And that has, it's, it's kind of like a rope and all [00:09:00] the strands of the rope each, uh, designate a different component that our brains use as they read.

Wendy: Um, Linnea, Dr. Linnea Ehri set four different phases for early literacy development and from that came the idea, the understanding between her research and a lot of brain research about what our brains do and our brains orthographically map language. And that's print, it's meaning, it's sound, it's spelling and the way, and the way we use those words.

Wendy: And so our brains are these terrific engines of, of ability to do this work. And if we don't have that orthographic mapping, that's where kids come into trouble, um, in terms of reading. [00:10:00] Uh, so there in a nutshell is, is the essence of the Science of Reading that, as Steve said, um, the, um, the, the requirement for New York State is that all of it is in place come next year.

Olivia: So I wanna just pause because - it's just beautiful. Come on in like less than three minutes. You gave this gorgeous breakdown for listeners, and then what led you to the idea of a phased implementation approach? 

Wendy: So we knew that some teachers had some of that knowledge, others did not. So we wanted to lay the groundwork with everybody hearing the same thing for vocabulary for comp, you know, for our own vocabulary, our own understanding, and that our ability to talk to each other, understanding that framework, and I'm talking here, K-6, not, we focused on on (grades) 3-4 because as Mr. [00:11:00] Polera mentioned, that was where the, that critical need really was. Um, and so we started there. K-2 does have Fundations instruction in place. Three-four. Our interventionists use Fundations, which is a phonics-based decoding program. Um, so it's there, but we expanded it so all students are now receiving that instruction on a daily basis.

Olivia: Ah, wow. 

Wendy: But we, so that, that first day of, of professional development worked on understanding of the Science of Reading and the components, the instructional components that, um, make up good instruction and the way foundations provides that instruction. 

Olivia: Okay. 

Wendy: So then we moved into the bootcamp, which we'll, which we'll talk about in a minute.

Olivia: We will, we will. And so, you know, I, I wanna just highlight something you said that I think is very important. [00:12:00] This work has to be so strategically done. If it's just this big broad stroke and a lot of wishful thinking, we get nowhere. I always say it's like running on a treadmill of ice. It's not a pleasant experience.

Olivia: And so the fact that you targeted and used data to say, wait a second, we're really concerned about third and fourth grade, and we know where K-2 stands. Um. And as a side note, I just have to let both of you know, I have head of educators that are working and serving as teachers in Westmo reach out to me on different social media to share how excited they are about this work, um, because I've worked with 'em in other school districts.

Olivia: And so just to let you know, that's happening in the background of goodness. Um. But let's shift then, because how did that idea of a classroom audit process happen? Wendy, we've talked about audits before. That's one of your [00:13:00] many skill sets, but Steve, um, and, and let's go Steve and Wendy, how did you decide to even choose an audit-based approach? Steve, do you wanna kick us off? 

Stephen: I absolutely do. So I will give credit where credit is due to our fantastic leader of Westmoreland Central Schools, our superintendent, Mr. Rocco Migliori. Um, it was, this is his brainchild. Um, it was his idea to create this bootcamp, um, because he wanted everybody on the same page and he wanted the best instruction for our kids. So he said, well, let's do it this way. And we all said, absolutely. 

Olivia: Awesome. Awesome. So what did that audit process feel like?

Wendy: So we came in and as Steve already mentioned, it's folks who are not, um instructing or working in the Westmoreland School district, but we all have ties to Westmoreland. So we, we used a, um, a modified version of an audit tool that we, um, had online or that we found online that I have used in the past.

Wendy: And it [00:14:00] had a component specifically for foundational reading along with language arts instruction. So, um, we went into the classrooms. We sat for half an hour to an hour, um, during the Fundations instruction, during language arts instruction captured, our notes came back together and, um, you know, shared what we had found. Um, I think we each submitted sort of a summary on our own. And then, um, then we met again with Mr. Migliori, Mr. Polera, um, the, and the other, the principles, and then came up with our plan going forward from there. 

Olivia: What were some of the lenses on the audit? And are we able to share a link to the audit tool you used in the show notes? 

Wendy: Absolutely.

Olivia: Fabulous. Yeah. So what were some of the lenses?

Stephen: So we had, well we had, so before we did the actual audit, we did do a, like a calibration with the tool as well. So I brought everybody together and [00:15:00] we did a calibration, which was, which was fun actually. It was a great experience. We watched some great video lessons and then just kind of calibrated our notes. And so we were experts at the tool. Um, so we had a couple different lenses. You know, we have a retired School Administrator who was an Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum Instruction to help us. Two of our own instructional coaches that are doing all of our in-house pd were there to help us. Dr. Bunker's expertise. Um, Mrs. Ann Turner, who also works there, um, OHM-BOCES, who is a guru in literacy as well. 

Olivia: She is. 

Stephen: Um, myself and the principals. Which are obviously experts in their own building and, and they know their teachers. It was a good mix of, of everybody. 

Olivia: Yeah. And then how were teachers primed before this happens? Because I know as a teacher myself and now as a coach and consultant, it can be really scary to have that number of people walking through rooms, especially if they're gonna hang out for a half hour/hour. 

Stephen: So I'm so thankful that we have started this instructional coaching work. Probably we're in year four now, so we [00:16:00] really truly, in Westmoreland have like an open door policy.

Stephen: So like I think they're used to having that many people in there. Watching them be experts in their classroom because we're spending that time with our own teachers to make sure they're learning best practices all the time. So I, it wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought it was gonna be for them because they're so used to having people in there all the time.

Stephen: And the kids were rock stars. I mean, they just, they look at you and they ask questions and they want you to interact with them. Um, so they, they loved having us in there too. 

Olivia: And it sounds like it's being framed. I, I appreciate the word you're using calibration because the, the world right now is so polarized in many different arenas and that idea of calibration, I recently interviewed Dr. Haesun Moon and um, she pointed out that even if we're on very different edges of a topic with our perspectives, we have to find something to calibrate around to move forward. And I said to her, my calibration point, it's always kids. 

Olivia: Because if, if we have [00:17:00] kids at the heart of what we're doing, then we can always calibrate around that, and then all the messy complexities and nuances of this work - that can be living in the gray area. But our calibration is around children. So I think that's important. Um, and then I know here's the other big gift that you created in this collaboration. It is that idea of a bootcamp, but what other professional learning experiences did you use the data to then craft moving forward? Wendy, do you wanna tackle that?

Wendy: Sure. So after the audit, after we had the conversation, um, and we had the, the day with the Science of Reading, um, we brought third and fourth grade teachers back together. Um, we have teachers who teach reading, teachers who teach writing, special education teachers and we spent four days together. 

Olivia: Wow.

Wendy: So the first day was, I gave them a [00:18:00] little quiz on the six syllable types, and we reviewed, um, they had been given a couple of chapters in Dr. David Kilpatrick's book, Equipped for Reading Success to read specifically about the, about orthographic mapping. So we reviewed those and then we dug into student data.

Wendy: We had several different, we had benchmark assessments and we had, um, some screening data, um, that we looked at together. Um, and we had the teachers basically saying, um, you know, what they saw and what their students needed and where we went next. And then, Steve, you wanna pick it up from there?

Stephen: Absolutely. So after we looked at the screening data, I felt like this huge sigh of relief. I was like, okay, we're in a better spot than we actually thought we were, right. But they still need explicit, um, phonics instruction. Um, so we looked at a couple different [00:19:00] rollouts. Um, so all of our kids in grades three and four had already received, um, Fundations level K one and two.

Olivia: Yes. 

Stephen: So we're like, okay, where do we start? So we use the data from the phonics screener and, and Dr. Bunker's expertise. And we looked at, you know, the scope and sequence of each level one and level two, and we're like, okay, our kids have mastered this skill. Let's start right here. So, um, grade three, we started in on our unit 16, I think.

Stephen: And then, um, grade four was a little different. We started, towards the end, we reviewed level two, and then we're gonna start level three Fundations now, um, with a hope, with like a two year plan, right? So our third and fourth graders this year, are finishing level two, which is a reteaching because they've already had it, but then next year, in, in 25-26, third grade, and fourth grade will get level three.

Stephen: Which is gonna be fantastic. And then the following year, we're gonna keep level three in grade three, so that'll be 26-27. So that from 26-27 and beyond, all of our third graders will get level three phonic instruction every day. 

Olivia: So you just did two things that, I don't [00:20:00] know if you know how amazing they are. So one of them is you're planning long-term. This is not a day-by-day slog. This is not a month-by-month. So you just are, you're planning future hopes. And dreams for our children. The other piece that I just am going yes, with a big Heart is because Wendy and I have talked in the past around just-in-time intervention versus just-in-case.

Olivia: So this is something I've been studying recently and that idea of just-in-time, you are using current research to tell you assets that children have. These are their strengths, this is where they are in their current learning, and then just-in-time, this is what they need right now. It is not just in case of everything in the kitchen sink, just like we're going to proactively do this just-in-case. 

Olivia: So you're strategic and being so precise in how you are choosing to tailor the way you're moving forward with for each child is spectacular. [00:21:00] So I have to just call that out. Um, and then I start to have a panic attack for you, not for myself around logistics, because scheduling and staffing, everything you just described. Holy cow. 

Stephen: It changes everything. 

Olivia: Yeah, it does. So what adjustments have you had to make? 

Stephen: So let's start in our, we'll start in the primary elementary. So, um, we had our reading specialist, um, pulling out small groups, you know, based on skills that the kids were lacking that they needed to work on. So we paused all of that and took, uh, a reading specialist, a reading specialist with two other teaching assistants. And rolled out a high dosage tutoring model. Um, and I'm gonna go thank Dr. Benita Blachman again because we're using the Road to Reading for that. Um, so all three of them are doing small go want two-on-one or one-on-one interventions with all grades one and two.

Stephen: Any kid that was, that was screened, um, from the screener that we gave is getting one-on-one 20-minute high dosage tutoring [00:22:00] every day. In three and four, it looked a little different. We took our reading specialist and we put her in the classroom. So she's co-teaching with our third and fourth grade teachers. Um, and that model's going well. Sometimes it's one teach one assist. Sometimes it's parallel teaching. So they're using all six models of co-teaching, which is great. 

Stephen: Um, and she's an expert in her own. Um, so she has really taken the planning underway to help those, those new teachers in really looking at the ELA block and saying, all right, we're gonna do this phonic lesson today, and then here's where it needs to go when you read the story. Here's what the kids need to look for. Here's how they can practice when they're reading independently. Here's what we're gonna do in small groups. And Dr. Bunker's been part of that planning as well with our two instructional coaches. So it's been really still a team effort moving forward.

Stephen: Um, but I can tell you the kids are highly engaged in the phonics instruction. Like it's probably the first 30 minutes of their ELA block is, they're engaged, they're on point, they're having fun. Um, and then they get to read independently, which is fantastic. 

Olivia: It feels like as a teacher, I would be so [00:23:00] committed to this initiative because even though it, it's all hands on deck, so we hear the term top down sometimes this is every layer of the system involved. And so even though there's a sense of urgency, uh, as a teacher, I would feel agency to ensure that I'm in this, to win it. And then if you are excited, if you are engaged because of that calibrated learning experience that's being offered. Um, the kids are gonna be excited.

Olivia: They're gonna be jazzed. Right? So, Wendy, what specific classroom activities, Steve, you just alluded to some, but what other activities are you seeing really hit with kids and teachers phonemic awareness-wise as well as phonic skills-wise? Um, 

Wendy: Um, I, I think it's the. The pace for in the Fundations program? I think it's the pacing, I think it's the, the, that explicit instruction teachers are [00:24:00] telling kids this is the rule for, you know, for any, um, spelling pattern or, um, the articulation. These are the things that your mouth does when you pronounce the letter. When you pronounce the sound /B/ as opposed to /V/, you know, so it's, it's informing kids and helping them use their brains. They're curious and they're problem solving. They're not just sponges, they're, they're actively engaged. 

Olivia: And it's offering them the why. I would say even more. 

Wendy: Absolutely. 

Olivia: And, and that's what I feel has been missing. You know, we always have the pendulum of swinging too much of something, not enough of others in education, but this feels like such a tailored approach. And because the teachers themselves understand the why behind the skills and the activities, it doesn't just become this drone [00:25:00] of going through a manual. There's - you can not go off script, but you can make that script a whole lot more joyous if you understand the thinking behind it, right? 

Wendy: Exactly. 

Olivia: So let's end this conversation feeling that joy. What improvements have you seen so far in the data? 

Stephen: Personally, I mean, I don't know if you know this, so my son is in third grade in, in Westmoreland Schools. And so like just the joy of reading back in his, in his daily life I think has been a huge success for me. When I look at the data, I don't know if I can say our kids have mastered these skills that they didn't have in September or October yet.

Olivia: Yeah, 

Stephen: I think we'll be there as soon as we get our state test scores back and we, you know, we finish this, the Fundations and look at all the assessments and actually collect more data. I think we'll be able to see that we moved a mountain. Um, but just the joy that kids have right now, being able to read independently and choose books at, at their own levels and just, it's nice to see 'em smile when they actually go to English. Now 

Olivia: That's, that's lovely. [00:26:00] And I would say too, this is definitely gonna require a follow-up conversation with all of us. Um, you know, so I wanted to make sure this will release before the end of the year because you have so much brilliance to share. And then, you know, maybe we set a date for once those scores are out, or once you have an update so listeners can say, hey, here's what I tried. These conversations are just the beginning, I guess, is what I'm alluding to. Um, so Wendy, what else are you noticing? 

Wendy: I, I've seen, um, or heard teachers talking about, um, this is some of the nuts and bolts of it, but kids spelling and I hear them using some of the rules for decoding. Um, I, and I hear teachers using them. So it's, it's not a catch as catch can so much, um, because we're, we're all moving in the same direction using, we're all in the same boat moving this in the same direction. Um, and [00:27:00] I see teachers, um, looking and, and acting more positively about this because before they, they didn't know this and they didn't know how to use it.

Wendy: And, and now I see it being applied. I hear them talking about it. Um, and the reading specialist who knew all of this. Is just, she's a, a critical piece of what's going on. So I love the fact that these teachers are really working together in this initiative. 

Olivia: I love it too. 

Wendy: Um, and I, I think that's the best part of it.

Olivia: You and I have talked about the importance of decoding and encoding being very, very, very interconnected. So I want to just call out, you are saying that you're hearing children as well as educators during writing, making sure (encoding), making sure that children are using those skills from phonemic awareness work from phonics throughout the day.

Olivia: This can [00:28:00] never just be a siloed kickoff. Uh, right. And, and so the more we knock these silos down for our children, the more interconnectivity they'll have in their minds. Uh, and Wendy, what metrics matter most then when it comes to measuring, we're talking growth, but yeah.

Wendy: Absolutely. And I wanna say one thing, um, something you just mentioned about the transfer from reading to writing, that would not have happened if the district had not brought both reading and writing teachers in for day one, and, and for the bootcamp that made all the difference in the world. Um, so the metrics we're using, we have Fundations has unit tests, so we use those, we use DIBELs, um, three times a year. We have, um, other um, curriculum-based measures that we use.

Wendy: Um, and we'll use at the end of the year. Um, but I look at student work, [00:29:00] you know, and I listen to kids read. So it's that every day, what's going on in the classroom and what are some of the, the assessment, what's some of the assessment data that we have? So it's, it's both for me. 

Olivia: And using student work, there's nothing better because that tells you exactly where each child is. It also helps you lift trends for future, um, and something that always is bouncing around in my mind, it's that caregiver connection. And so this podcast has a very wide listener base. It's not just educators and leaders that tune in. There are many caregivers that tune in to just have a glimpse.

Olivia: What's happening in the walls of the school that my child is living in for many hours a day. So Steve, I would love to wrap with how are you connecting with caregivers in Westmoreland to let them know how to continue this [00:30:00] work and, and you just shared your son is in third grade? 

Stephen: He is. So we have done a couple things in the past where we partnered with a couple other schools, um, and done some work around literacy and had parents come in and they were able to go through some of the. foundational pieces of the Science of Reading training and, and look at that. So we're gonna definitely rinse and repeat that very shortly for the next school year. Um, what I would really love to get them in and get them tools to help their kids at home. So just kinda some strategies at home to work on when kids are practicing reading.

Stephen: So I think that's our future. Um, so we'll do some PD sessions with parents. We'll roll that out. And we have a great PR person in our district and she's amazing at posting things on our website and on Twitter. So. Hopefully we can get the news out. 

Olivia: Yeah, that I just, I can't thank both of you enough because I think what you just shared is a perfect kickoff point for school districts. You offered a lot of your process, I'll be sure to link the piece you wrote together, um, in the show notes, but just all [00:31:00] of the voluminous research you shared, all of the different tools you're using, it's not about a particular program, it's not a magic wand. It's all hands on deck. It's the people in the school district that make this happen.

Olivia: It's not a program, it's the people. 

Wendy: Absolutely. 

Olivia: So I'm lucky to know both of you and I cannot wait to have a follow-up conversation. So thank you to both of you. 

Wendy: Thank you. 

Stephen: Thank you. 

Olivia: Yeah, take care. 

Wendy: You too. Bye-bye.

Olivia: Schoolutions Teaching Strategies is created, produced, and edited by me. Olivia Wahl. Thank you to my older son Benjamin, who created the music playing in the background. You can follow and listen to Schoolutions wherever you get your podcasts, or subscribe to never miss an episode and watch on YouTube.

Olivia: Thank you to my guests, Steve and Wendy for sharing about their district-wide and school-based implementation collaboration. Now, I'd love to hear [00:32:00] from you. Send me an email at schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com. Let me know what resonated most from my conversation with Steve and Wendy, what are you looking forward to trying?

Olivia: Tune in every Monday for the best research-backed coaching and teaching strategies you can apply right away to better the lives of the children in your care. And stay tuned for my bonus episodes every Friday where I'll reflect and share connections to what I learned from the guest that week. See you then.