Connecting Research with Classroom Realities

In the final episode of the Literacy Insights series, Assistant Professor Phil Capin was joined by Margaret Goldberg, co-founder of The Right to Read Project and a reading coach in California. Together, they reflected on what this year in literacy has revealed, what it takes to translate evidence into practice, and what educators and schools might carry forward into the next school year.

You can catch up on past episodes by watching our Literacy Insights YouTube playlist here. 

Key Takeaways

Literacy improvement is not a sequence of one-time initiatives. It is ongoing, layered work.
Literacy improvement is not about moving from one instructional priority to the next as separate projects. Instead, schools need to sustain progress across multiple areas at once, including foundational skills, language, writing, comprehension, and implementation. Strong improvement work requires attention not only to what is being introduced, but also to what must be maintained over time. 

Language comprehension needs explicit attention, just like foundational skills.
It is important to teach language in intentional ways, including vocabulary, syntax, oral discussion, listening, and students’ ability to connect ideas. Language development is sometimes treated as something that happens naturally through exposure, but students often need structured opportunities to practice academic language, talk about text, listen carefully to peers, and build on one another’s thinking. 

Writing can strengthen students’ language and reading development.
Writing is an important part of literacy instruction and as a way to support students’ language and reading development. Approaches such as Self-Regulated Strategy Development, or SRSD, point to the value of systematic writing instruction. When students write, they consolidate their thinking, deepen their understanding of genre and structure, and make their developing vocabulary and language knowledge visible. 

Translating research into practice requires partnership with educators.
There is a need for research-to-practice partnerships that are grounded in the real conditions of classrooms and schools. Evidence-based practices are most useful when they account for the realities teachers navigate, including time, classroom management, competing initiatives, student variability, and the need for support beyond initial training. 

Implementation takes time, shared responsibility, and realistic goals.
Instructional leadership, transparent goals, and shared responsibility across teachers, teams, coaches, and leaders are vital. Sustainable change depends not only on choosing strong practices, but also on creating the conditions for those practices to take hold. 

Reliable sources matter in a crowded literacy landscape.
As more resources claim to be “evidence-based,” educators should look carefully at who is producing the information, whether it is connected to research, and whether it is designed to help practitioners make informed decisions. Reliable resources can help educators navigate competing claims and stay focused on practices that are both research-informed and usable in real classrooms. 

Related Resources 

Right to Read Project
Margaret Goldberg’s work with educators, researchers, and advocates to advance literacy, equity, and research-informed practice. 

Reading Universe 
A free resource with classroom videos, lesson plans, student activities, assessments, and an organized taxonomy of essential reading and writing skills. 

What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guides
Practice guides from the Institute of Education Sciences that translate research into recommendations for educators across areas such as foundational skills, reading comprehension, writing, English learners, and adolescent literacy.

Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD)
 A research-based approach to writing instruction that helps students learn strategies for planning, drafting, revising, and monitoring their own writing.

Teachers Teach Teachers, Goyen Foundation 
A teacher-focused resource that shares examples of reading instruction and creates opportunities for educators to learn from one another’s practice.