The Adolescent Literacy Podcast

Episode 3: Building a Secondary Literacy Ecosystem

In this episode, we dive in to what it takes to build a true literacy ecosystem in middle and high school. Melanie McDermott and Louise Baigelman sit down with Dr. Sarah Holbrook, Director of Humanities in Kingston City Schools and co-creator of the SUNY New Paltz Science of Reading Microcredential, to discuss the infrastructure of adolescent literacy. Learn more about Dr. Holbrook's work at: www.sundayswithsarah.org/

Episode 2: The Future of Adolescent Literacy

What would it look like if we truly went all in on adolescent literacy? What if grades 3–12 received the same time, resources, and investment we've dedicated to K–3? In Episode 2, host Melanie McDermott sits down with adolescent literacy expert Shira Engel to unpack the Future of Adolescent Literacy Vision Paper — a bold roadmap built by the leading voices in secondary literacy. We've heard it too many times: if a student isn't reading by third grade, you've lost them. This episode pushes back on that — hard. Because millions of students beyond grade 3 are counting on us to refuse to give up.

Episode 1: Why Adolescent Literacy Can't Wait

Seventy percent of 8th graders in this country are not reading on grade level. It's a statistic that should stop us in our tracks — and yet, for too long, it hasn't. In our inaugural episode, we sit down with adolescent literacy expert Louise Baigelman and middle school educator Shira Engel to tackle one of the most urgent and underserved challenges in education: adolescent literacy. What makes it different from early literacy? Why have older struggling readers been so overlooked? And what does it actually take to change outcomes for a 14-year-old who has spent years feeling like reading just isn't for them? Louise and Shira bring together vision and research in a conversation that is equal parts honest, hopeful, and actionable — exploring what the science tells us, what's working in classrooms right now, and why transforming adolescent literacy requires all of us to think and do things differently. This is where the conversation starts.