Iowa Science of Reading School Leadership Summit with Natalie Wexler and Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D.

Natalie Wexler is an education writer and the author of The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America’s Broken Education System—and How to Fix It (2019). She is also the co-author, with Judith C. Hochman, of The Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and Grades (2017) and a senior contributor to Forbes. Her articles and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and other publications. Before turning to education, Wexler worked as a freelance writer and essayist on a variety of topics, and as a lawyer and legal historian. She lives in Washington, D.C.

Mitchell Brookins has spent years studying, exploring, and refining his practices to improve student learning. He has taught on the south side of Chicago; been a district leader of RtI and literacy in Chicago Public Schools; served as a school administrator in Chicago Public Schools and New Orleans; and currently acts as the senior director with Leading Educators, supporting professional learning systems in Baltimore City Schools. Mitchell is also a literacy content reviewer for EdReports; a professional learning facilitator for the National Board Professional Teaching Standards, UnboundEd, LETRS, AIM Institute, and New Schools for New Orleans;  and a member of the Board of Directors for The Reading League.