Talking Outcomes-Based Literacy with Really Great Reading CEO Karl Rectanus

Coming to you live from the harbor terrace in sunny San Diego, Mike Palmer sits down with Karl Rectanus, the new CEO of ⁠Really Great Reading⁠, amidst the buzz of the ⁠ASU+GSV Summit⁠. Between views of sailboats and silver-lined clouds, the duo digs into why literacy remains the fundamental building block of the educational system and how we might finally be cracking the code on systemic improvement.

Karl shares his unique path to leadership, which began with chasing a girl to Australia and starting a digital Q&A service for children museums during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. This early taste of working through the system to help students sparked an entrepreneurial journey that led him to found LearnPlatform in 2014, where he pioneered rapid cycle evaluation to determine if EdTech tools actually work. Now, after LearnPlatform’s acquisition by Instructure, Karl is focusing his energy on a 20-year-old organization dedicated to the science of reading.

The conversation highlights the “Mississippi Marathon,” a state-level commitment to literacy that saw improvements in reading lead to even higher gains in math and science. Karl points out that while many schools of education have historically failed to teach the science of reading, organizations like RGR are filling that gap by giving teachers the confidence and tools to deliver results.

A major theme of this live session is the shift toward outcomes-based contracting. Karl argues that instead of just selling books or assessments, providers should be held accountable for whether students actually learn to read. He also addresses the role of AI in the classroom, drawing on his experience chairing the Industry Council for ⁠EdSafe AI⁠ to discuss how technology can provide universal screeners and personalization without succumbing to “cognitive offloading”.

With the goal of taking schools from low proficiency to 75% in just two years, this episode is a call to action for the industry to prioritize literacy outcomes over mere tools. Stay tuned to the feed as we continue to ship more episodes from San Diego all week!

Timestamps:

• [00:00] Introduction to Karl Rectanus live at the harbor terrace
• [01:00] Chasing a girl to Australia and the origin of the entrepreneurial bug
• [02:00] Answering Olympic questions for kids museums at a fourth-grade level
• [03:00] Building LearnPlatform for rapid cycle evaluation of EdTech
• [04:00] Stepping into the CEO role at Really Great Reading
• [05:00] The “last infinite mile” of implementation and practice
• [06:00] Foundational skills building for pre-K through adolescence
• [07:00] Moving from the “Mississippi Miracle” to the “Mississippi Marathon”
• [08:00] Why many schools of education don’t teach the Science of Reading
• [09:00] Literacy as the enabling factor for math and science success
• [10:00] Transitioning to a dedicated literacy outcomes organization
• [11:00] The “plumbing” of the system and procurement challenges
• [12:00] Playful learning and why students love RGR more than field trips
• [13:00] Safe and effective AI with the EdSafe AI Industry Council
• [14:00] Leveraging AI for operational efficiency and better execution
• [15:00] Using AI for universal screeners and real-time personalization
• [16:00] Addressing the crisis where two-thirds of students are below grade level
• [17:00] The boldness of holding providers accountable for reading results
• [18:00] Why the real work happens after the curriculum adoption
• [19:00] Managing complicated schools with high poverty and teacher shortages
• [20:00] Rapidly scaling reading proficiency in turnaround school districts
• [21:00] Prioritizing literacy to improve every facet of the system

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