S9 E3: Know the non-negotiables in a program aligned to the Science of Reading, with Kari Kurto
On this episode, Kari Kurto, National Science of Reading Project Director at The Reading League, discusses The Reading League鈥檚 curriculum evaluation tool, which assesses a curriculum鈥檚 research-based practices. Kurto’s conversation with Susan Lambert touches on her background teaching students with dyslexia, the non-negotiables in curriculum aligned to the Science of Reading, and how educators can use information about an evaluated curriculum to inform instruction. While Kurto stresses that no program is perfect, she and her colleagues have worked to equip educators with a tool to more easily and objectively access information when making curriculum choices.
Meet our guest(s):
Kari Kurto
Kari Kurto is the National Science of Reading Project Director at The Reading League. She directs all work related to The Reading League Compass, the Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines, and the Curriculum Navigation Reports. She also leads work to support multilingual and English learners and runs several communities of practice. Kari is a Path Forward advisory group member and has presented to schools, districts, professional organizations, and state education departments. She formerly worked as a literacy specialist at the Rhode Island Department of Education, leading statewide efforts to implement the Rhode Island Right to Read Act. Kari is an Orton Gillingham practitioner who worked at Middlebridge School in Narragansett, RI and Rawson Saunders School in Austin, TX. Before her career in education, Kari worked as a casting director in Los Angeles. She and her three wonderful children live in southern Rhode Island.
Meet our host, Susan Lambert
Susan Lambert is the Chief Academic Officer of Elementary Humanities at Amplify, and the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast. Throughout her career, she has focused on creating high-quality learning environments using evidence-based practices. Lambert is a mom of four, a grandma of four, a world traveler, and a collector of stories.
As the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Lambert explores the increasing body of scientific research around how reading is best taught. As a former classroom teacher, administrator, and curriculum developer, Lambert is dedicated to turning theory into best practices that educators can put right to use in the classroom, and to showcasing national models of reading instruction excellence.
