72. Raising Up Readers: Scaffolding Strategies to Help Students Access Challenging Text with Jennifer Throndsen

In this inspiring conversation, Dr. Jennifer Throndsen, author of Raising Up Readers: 25 Scaffolding Strategies to Help Students Access Challenging Texts, breaks down what it really takes to accelerate reading achievement for all learners, including multilingual students and those reading multiple years below grade level. Drawing from decades of experience across classroom, district, and state systems, Jennifer explains why grade-level access is an equity issue and how scaffolding, not leveling, is the key to closing gaps.

Jennifer dives into the research supporting “stretch texts,” the misconception that struggling readers must stay in easier books, and why teachers (not text levels) must mediate difficulty. Jennifer offers practical scaffolding strategies, real classroom examples, and insights from studies showing that challenging texts paired with the right supports can yield two to three years of reading growth in a single year.

Whether you're a classroom teacher, interventionist, literacy coach, or administrator, this episode will shift your thinking about text access and equip you with actionable tools you can use tomorrow.

Resources Mentioned:

• Raising Up Readers: 25 Scaffolding Strategies to Help Students Access Challenging Texts by Dr. Jennifer Throndsen from Solution Tree (also on Amazon)
• Raising Up Readers Free Book Study Guide

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Connect with Dr. Jennifer Throndsen

• Website: https://www.impactfullearningdesigns.com/
• LinkedIn: Jennifer Throndsen
• Instagram: @JT_travel32

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