Is Poor Instruction Creating Our Struggling Reading Crisis?

We are so excited to bring you this powerful episode with Sonya Thomas, the passionate founder and Executive Director of Nashville P.R.O.P.E.L. Sonya shares her deeply personal journey into advocacy, beginning as a mother of four who was determined to secure a better future for her children. When she saw that her younger son was struggling to learn to read in his earliest years of school, advocating for him became a full-time job. But by 7th grade despite years of meetings and interventions with his school, he was reading only at the 2nd grade level. She knew something had to change — not just for her family, but for every family in her community.

Sonya’s story illustrates how poor instruction creates struggling readers, and how one mother’s anger can transform into a movement empowering thousands of parents to demand the education their children deserve. She reveals how she draws on her background as a nurse, researcher, and community leader to inform parents and train them to question the system, organize campaigns, and push for real policy change. Through Nashville P.R.O.P.E.L., Sonya has organized over 8,000 parents and has led successful campaigns for legislation requiring personalized learning plans and data transparency in every school in Tennessee. Her message is clear: parents deserve the truth about how their children are doing in school — and they have the power to hold the system accountable. Tune in to hear how Sonya inspires parents to lead fearlessly, build lasting community strength, and fight for every child’s right to learn to read.

RESOURCESNashville P.R.O.P.E.L. ROAR @HomeBETAWhat the Words Say, by Emily HanfordSold a Story Podcast The Truth about ReadingDisrupt and Dismantle, by Soledad O'Brien

SOCIALSFacebook - @NashvillePROPELX - @NashvillePropelInstagram - @nashvillepropel‐-------------------------------------------------------------------Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.Host Brett Tingley is the president of OH-KID, a grassroots parent group dedicated to ensuring all children in Ohio learn to read. She is also an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. She is the founder and president of Parents for Reading Justice.Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward, and DONATE on our website!FOLLOW US:Check out our LinkTree to find us on all social media platforms: https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjusticeDISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, with the intention of helping others to understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice pertaining to their individual circumstances. We we