On today’s episode of The Confluence:
A new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality found not all teachers are trained in scientifically proven strategies for teaching children to read. We speak to Heather Peske, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, about how the review was developed, and what steps can be taken to develop better teachers and better student readers. (0:00 - 8:00)
Duquesne University’s School of Education is one of nearly 700 programs the National Council on Teacher Quality reviewed when it comes to preparing teachers for reading instruction. The review gave Duquesne’s program an ‘F’ grade, but questions have been raised about the review’s methods. We speak with Carla Meyer, the Reading Clinic Director and associate professor of literacy education at Duquesne’s School of Education, about how its program is making improvements to help teachers better instruct reading. (8:08 - 16:07)
The Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) is set up to combat voter fraud by identifying voters who cast ballots in more than one state, and dead people on voting rolls. However, eight states under Republican leadership have withdrawn from it because of concerns that, according to an NPR investigation, arose from misinformation about ERIC. One GOP lawmaker in Pennsylvania has called for the commonwealth to follow suit, even though election experts say leaving ERIC would make voter rolls more susceptible to fraud. WITF’s Robby Brod reports. (16:16 - 22:30)
The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in Monday to Friday at 9 a.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators take an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here for wherever you get your podcasts.
