Inspiring Lifelong Readers with Jennifer McCarty Plucker

Welcome to our National Literacy Month series of podcasts, presented in partnership between the Be Podcast Network and Reading Is Fundamental. 

In this episode, you’ll hear my conversation with Jennifer McCarty Plucker, who has spent more than 20 years in public education as an English teacher, reading specialist, speech coach, teaching and learning specialist, and district administrator. Her doctoral research focused on student engagement and motivation in literacy.

Jennifer’s book, Inspiring Lifelong Readers: Using Inquiry to Engage Learners in Grades 6–12, was a Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award winner.

We discuss:
  • Setting the goal to create competent, confident, engaged readers
  • The factors for engagement
  • How the inquiry approach works
  • How building a community of readers, writers, thinkers, and collaborators benefits student learning and achievement
  • Arguing for the inclusion of rich, diverse texts and challenging the idea of assigned reading
  • Physical and social-emotional environments that create ideal conditions for literacy engagement
  • One technique schools should try more
Find Inspiring Lifelong Readers from Solution Tree or wherever you get your books. Learn more at www.jenniferplucker.com

Visit https://bepodcast.network to learn about all our shows. 

Learn more about Reading Is Fundamental at www.rif.org 

About today’s guest
Jennifer McCarty Plucker, EdD, is the director of learning and development and a literacy consultant at Mackin Educational Resources in Burnsville, Minnesota. She has spent more than twenty years in public education as an English teacher, reading specialist, speech coach, teaching and learning specialist, and district administrator. Her doctoral research focused on student engagement and motivation in literacy.

About the host
Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or LinkedIn 

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:
  • Simplify and streamline technology
  • Save teachers’ time
  • Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
  • Improve student performance on state assessments
🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Creators and Guests

Ross Romano
Host
Ross Romano
Co-founder of Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies. Strategist, consultant, and performance coach.
Inspiring Lifelong Readers with Jennifer McCarty Plucker