Teach Smarter Podcast · Guest
Dan Reynolds
Senior Education Researcher, SRI International · Co-author of Tackling Tough Texts
About Dan
Dan Reynolds, PhD, is a Senior Education Researcher at SRI International whose work focuses on adolescent literacy, reading comprehension, and the implementation of high quality instructional materials.
A former high school English teacher, administrator, and teacher educator, he has led and supported large-scale literacy research projects across districts and states. His work examines both the impact of literacy interventions and the instructional practices that support student learning. Reynolds has authored more than 25 peer-reviewed publications and co-authored Tackling Tough Texts: A Research-Based Guide to Scaffolding Learning in Grades 6–12.
About This Episode
Adoption vs. Implementation in Literacy Instruction with Dan Reynolds
Many schools say they have implemented high quality instructional materials. Dan Reynolds argues most have only adopted them.
We sit down with Dan to unpack what schools are getting wrong about literacy instruction, curriculum implementation, and comprehension assessment. Drawing on a large multi-year research study across multiple districts, Dan explains why surface-level implementation often looks successful during walkthroughs while missing the deeper instructional work students actually need.