Leading Literacy with Intention: Coaching, Coherence, and Real Reading Growth

In this episode of Champion Every Voice, host Jaclyn Wright talks with Julie Binder, early literacy coach at Washington Elementary (Bay City Public Schools) and an Amira Champion, about how her school turned strong planning into meaningful reading growth. Julie shares how her team approached Amira’s fall rollout with intention—from schoolwide read-alouds and teacher coaching to data-driven grouping and multilingual family reports.

She explains how building literacy coherence across classrooms helped students gain confidence, and why small wins matter—especially for students still learning to see themselves as readers. The conversation explores how Amira fits into Washington’s literacy plan: as a learning agent that delivers real-time support for students while giving teachers time back to focus on small groups and connection. Julie also shares student impact stories—from a learner with speech challenges who found his voice, to a student who no longer needed an IEP.

Whether you’re rolling out Amira or looking to strengthen reading routines, this episode offers practical ideas for building student ownership, unifying classroom practice, and using data to guide instruction.