Our EKC Global Chats series is a space for sharing, asking for support, and brainstorming together.

Each month, we will tackle a different hot topic in literacy with an expert in the field, and then join in some global camaraderie and discussion. It's free to join!

Chat: April 27 | 7:00-8:00am EST

Few education writers have sparked as many deep discussions as Natalie Wexler. Whether through The Knowledge Gap, The Writing Revolution (and 2.0!), or her latest book, Beyond the Science of Reading: Connecting Literacy Instruction to the Science of Learning, she pushes us to rethink how we teach reading, writing, and knowledge itself. Her substack posts always leave us reflecting on our own practice—and let’s be honest, the comment sections across social media? 🔥

Natalie joins us for our next EKC Global Chat to dig into some of the big questions shaping literacy instruction today: How do we bridge the gap between research and practice? What does it really mean to build knowledge in the classroom? And how can the science of learning help us rethink comprehension instruction beyond the familiar reading strategies?

Come for the conversation with Erin and Natalie, and stay for the breakout sessions to wrestle with what this means for YOUR school and students.


Facilitators

Erin Kent

Erin Kent consults with international schools around the world. She helps teachers and administrators grow customized approaches to PK–12 literacy that fit an international school’s unique context. Erin taught literacy for many years in urban, independent, and international schools before becoming a literacy coach and then P–12 Director of Curriculum and Instruction where she led a team of 13 instructional coaches and advised K–12 administrators on establishing data-based educational initiatives. Erin has spoken many times at Columbia University Teachers College in New York City and at international conferences on Readers’/Writers’ Workshop methodology, literacy coaching, curriculum development, and literacy leadership.

Natalie Wexler

Natalie Wexler is an education writer and the author of The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America’s Broken Education System—And How to Fix It. She is also the co-author, with Judith C. Hochman, of The Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and Grades and The Writing Revolution 2.0. Natalie’s new book is Beyond the Science of Reading: Connecting Literacy Instruction to the Science of Learning. Natalie is also the host of a six-part podcast called Reading Comprehension Revisited. It’s the inaugural season of the Knowledge Matters Podcast, produced by the Knowledge Matters Campaign. Natalie’s articles and essays on education and other topics have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, the MIT Technology Review, The American Scholar, and other publications. She has spoken on education before a wide variety of groups and appeared on a number of TV and radio shows, including Morning Joe and NPR’s On Point and 1A. She holds a BA from Harvard University, an MA in history from the University of Sussex (UK), and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania, and she has worked as a reporter, a Supreme Court law clerk, a lawyer, and a legal historian. The author of three novels, she lives in Washington, D.C.