4/8/2025

S4E4 The Practitioner-Researcher Connection With Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan and Margaret Goldberg, part 2

“When I think about the science of reading, I think about the research that's yet to be done, and I think about the research that's yet to be applied.”

—Margaret Goldberg

36 minutes

As the crucially important ideas of the science of reading spread, a shift of focus to sustainable implementation will ensure evidence-backed instruction continues to change the literacy landscape. Implementation relies on the mutually beneficial relationship between educators and researchers to work effectively and sustainably.

Started in Part 1 of Season 4, Episode 3, of the All For Literacy podcast, Dr. Liz Brooke, Margaret Goldberg, and Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan continue their insightful conversation about research access for educators. Goldberg, a literacy coach and co-founder of the Right to Read Project, brings an educator’s viewpoint, while Cárdenas-Hagan pulls back the curtain on the world of research.

During this two-part episode, the guests explore:

Effective partnerships between educators and researchers
Best practices for research dissemination
Evidence-based practices for Emergent Bilinguals
Integrating repetition and feedback into day-to-day classroom activities

Tune in to this two-part episode for a thoughtful look into the ever-changing landscape of the science of reading, and subscribe to never miss an important literacy discussion!

Episode Breakdown

(01:20) - Evidence-based practices for Emergent Bilinguals

(07:52) - Integrating repetition and feedback into day-to-day classroom activities

(12:08) - Importance of research grants in education

(21:05) - Implementation science

(24:45) - Literacy statistics and the science of reading

(29:04) - What makes Cárdenas-Hagan/Goldberg hopeful for the future

About the Guests

Margaret Goldberg is a literacy coach at Nystrom Elementary School in a large urban district in California and the co-founder of the Right to Read Project—a group of teachers, researchers, and activists committed to the pursuit of equity through literacy.

Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan is president of the Valley Speech Language and Learning Center in Brownsville, Texas, as well as a research associate with the Texas Institute for Measurement Evaluation and Statistics at the University of Houston.