Heart Work

Coming October 21. Reading scores have dropped to historic lows. Something isn’t working, and the search for answers has never been more urgent. Can a new approach make a difference? In this three-part series, Lauren Keeling travels to Arizona and Pennsylvania, tracing the journeys of two districts pushing for reading reform — one several years in, the other just beginning. What will it take to turn scores around? Listen and find out. Featuring esteemed education author Natalie Wexler and implementation specialists Nicole Ormandy and Megan Gierka. 

Across the country, a movement for change is taking hold in a desperate attempt to improve reading scores. In this first episode, host Lauren Keeling reflects on her own experience with the reading crisis and visits Pendergast Elementary District, where a bold overhaul of reading is underway. Listen now to hear what happens when a district bets big on change. Discover more: imaginelearning.com/heart-work/literacy-crisisHost: Lauren KeelingSeries Producer and Director: Justyna WelshProducer & Writer: Anise LeeProducer: Danny McPaddenRecording Engineer: Dan VictoryAudio Editor & Mixer: Fraser AllanArtwork: Ellen ForsythLocation Recording Team: David Sexton, Danny McPadden, and Kristan CrawfordExecutive Producer: David McGintyA big thank you to the Pendergast School District, Ramiro Alvarez, and Kelsie Pennington for welcoming us into their schools — and all the educators and students who opened their classrooms and shared their stories with us for this episode. 

Join 600 educators in the School District of Philadelphia as they embark on a journey to rethink everything they know about teaching reading. From a teacher’s tearful realization that she had been teaching “wrong” to a deputy superintendent whose own story shows how literacy can change lives, discover the heart behind this district’s push for reform. Featuring Nicole Ormandy and Megan Gierka.Discover more: imaginelearning.com/heart-work/literacy-crisisHost: Lauren KeelingSeries Producer and Director: Justyna WelshProducer & Writer: Anise LeeProducer: Danny McPaddenEditor: Kristan Crawford Recording Engineer: Dan VictoryAudio Editor & Mixer: Fraser AllanSet Supervisor: Tyler KavanaughArtwork: Ellen ForsythLocation Recording Team: David Sexton, Danny McPadden, and Kristan CrawfordExecutive Producer: David McGintyA big thank you to the School District of Philadelphia for welcoming us into their Summer Institute — and all the educators who shared their stories with us for this episode. 

Back in Pendergast, the ultimate question: Did it work? In this penultimate episode, Lauren returns to the district to find out and speaks with renowned education writer Natalie Wexler on the missing piece in reading instruction. Could the answer have been in front of us all along? Listen and find out.Discover more: imaginelearning.com/heart-work/literacy-crisisHost: Lauren KeelingSeries Producer and Director: Justyna WelshProducer & Writer: Anise LeeProducer: Danny McPaddenRecording Engineer: Dan VictoryAudio Editor & Mixer: Fraser AllanArtwork: Ellen ForsythLocation Recording Team: David Sexton, Danny McPadden, and Kristan CrawfordExecutive Producer: David McGintyA huge thank you to the Pendergast School District, Ramiro Alvarez, and Kelsie Pennington for welcoming us into their schools — and all the educators and students who opened their classrooms to us and shared their stories for this episode.