Evidence Is Not Enough: What It Takes to Move From Reading Research to Reading Outcomes
Co-Founder & Executive Director, FULCRUM, Oakland
The field knows far more about reading than it consistently delivers to children. The challenge before us is not only whether educators, leaders, and policymakers can cite the evidence. The challenge is whether adult systems can organize around that evidence with enough clarity, coherence, courage, and persistence for children to experience it every day. In this keynote, Kareem Weaver will examine what it takes to move from research consensus to student outcomes, especially for children who have been least well served by school systems. Drawing from classroom practice, school leadership, community advocacy, district work, and national examples of literacy improvement, the session will focus on the specific adult conditions that make evidence matter: strong materials, explicit instruction, language development, protected implementation time, instructional leadership, family-facing data, and a safety net for students who need more. The call is simple: evidence should not remain an idea adults admire. It should become an experience children can count on.