The Adolescent Literacy Podcast brings together educators, researchers, and literacy leaders to explore what it really takes to transform reading outcomes for older students — diving into the evidence, the practice, and the people driving change.
Want to connect? Reach out to melanie@storyshares.org
Episode 21: Adolescent Literacy Essentials (Joan Sedita, founder of Keys to Literacy)
This week, we sit down with Joan Sedita, founder of Keys to Literacy and author of The Essentials of Adolescent Literacy, for a conversation that covers fifty years of fighting for older striving readers.
Joan created the Writing Rope — a companion to Scarborough’s Reading Rope that is changing the way educators think about writing instruction. She trained thousands of teachers during Reading First. She built curricula, courses, and over a decade of free monthly blog posts for secondary educators. And she is currently writing a book on adolescent literacy leadership — because she knows that great instruction alone is never enough.
In this episode we dive into practical resources, common-sense approaches to transforming adolescent literacy, and the often-overlooked but powerful tool that is writing and discussion.
Resources from the episode:
Joan's book, The Essentials of Adolescent Literacy (https://products.brookespublishing.com/The-Essentials-of-Adolescent-Literacy-P1682.aspx)
Keys to Literacy Free Resource Round-up (https://keystoliteracy.com/free-resources/)
Joan's blog (https://keystoliteracy.com/blog/)
Adolescent Literacy Resource List (https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/65faf373ed0c9233adb715bb/6acecc42f1de8eb8e5b8dafd_Adolescent%20Literacy%20Resource%20List.docx)
Questions or want to connect? Reach out to melanie@storyshares.org
7 Oct 2026
Episode 20: The System is the Strategy (Liz Norton, former interventionist and state initiatives leader)
This week, we sit down with Liz Norton, former middle school teacher and founder of Incessantly Relentless Leadership, for a conversation that zooms all the way out. Liz has seen education from every angle — classroom teacher, interventionist, literacy coach, district leader, state leader, and now systems consultant. And what she has learned about why change sticks — or doesn't — is something every educator and leader in this space needs to hear.
Three things from this conversation you won't forget:
The spider web. Pull on one string of your system and the whole web moves. Understanding that interconnectedness is step one of any real change effort.
Stop splatter painting. We buy programs out of hope, throw them at the wall, and when they don't stick, we change paint cans instead of asking why. Liz has a better way.
The quality of data. Test scores tell a story — but the real story is the classroom where kids are having genuine dialogues about what they're reading and you can feel the energy the moment you walk in. That's what success looks like. That's what we're building toward.
To learn more about Liz's work, visit https://incessantlyrelentlessleadership.com/ (https://incessantlyrelentlessleadership.com/)
Questions or want to connect? Reach out to melanie@storyshares.org
24 Sept 2026
Episode 19: SOR for Secondary (with Allison McManus, high school ELA teacher)
What does the Science of Reading actually look like in a secondary classroom? Ninth-grade ELA teacher Allison McManus joins us to talk about bringing evidence-based literacy practices to older readers—from decoding The Odyssey to harnessing the surprising power of syntax. We dig into practical strategies, the realities of teaching adolescent readers, and why the Science of Reading conversation shouldn’t stop after elementary school.
Check out Allison's Instagram account @mrsmcmanusELA
Questions or want to connect? Reach out to melanie@storyshares.org
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
11 ratings
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