In Part 2 of our "Leading Adolescent Literacy" mini-series, literacy leaps across content areas. With content literacy, content area teachers (our content experts) employ the science of reading instructional routines to teach their curriculum. Marietta City Schools' Director of Structured Literacy Mary Hannah Gaddis returns to the podcast to unpack content literacy strategies that support students from class to class. When no teacher opts out of strengthening literacy, content literacy offers consistency, becoming a valuable ally and reliable vehicle through which students gain all knowledge.

Season 9 launches with a timely three-part mini-series, Leading Adolescent Literacy. In Episode 1, explore how schools can support the statewide focus on improving literacy outcomes by better understanding the needs of students in grades 4–8. The Birth-5 and Grades K-3 cohorts are great starting points for building a strong foundation in literacy. But what happens when students enter the upper elementary and middle grades needing additional support to become proficient readers?

We recruited motivating expert and Director of Structured Literacy Mary Hannah Gaddis, who “loves literacy all day long” at Marietta City Schools. Learn from Mary Hannah how to ignite a movement that enlists every educator in the building to solve basic literacy deficits for struggling adolescents who "deserve the right to read."

In the Season 8 finale, core and elective English teacher Rionda Bell visits the podcast from Hillgrove High School in Cobb County School District to tout a vital component to student attendance. Getting students in seats is not just a metric of student presence at school, but also of student engagement in the classroom. Bell reveals her personal "song and dance" for fostering a desire to come to class, which combines high-energy instruction, supportive relationships, and real-world course applications.