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Description
Host Mariah Riggs interviews Dr. Laurie Quinn, President of the Stern Center.
The Stern Center is a nonprofit that has been helping learners in Vermont and beyond since 1983. The team of about 80 employees offers specialized evaluations, customized instruction, social learning support, speech therapy, courses for educators, and partnerships with schools.
11/16/2022
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A
A
B
B
About
education,
who
want
to
help
students
and
who
are
used
to
having
a
lot
of
Independence
and
joy
in
their
work.
And
so
there
was
a
bit
of
a
natural
connection
between
the
work
that
I
had
done.
Helping
College
professors
to
be
successful
with
students
and
the
work
at
the
stern
Center.
Helping
our
team
and
supporting
their
success
with
students.
B
And
getting
to
know
folks
virtually
as
well
as
from
a
distance
in
person
whenever
possible.
So
it's
actually
been
wonderful
because
being
able
to
gradually
get
to
know
people
better
and
better
have
those
moments
of
realizing
that
you've
been
working
with
someone
for
almost
a
year
and
you're
now
having
your
first
in-person
meeting
wow.
So
it
was
a.
A
B
So
many
people
said
to
me:
oh
Laurie
I
can't
even
tell
you
how
much
the
stern
Center
helped
our
kid
or
our
grandkid,
or
my
nephew,
or
my
niece
and
or
my
neighbor,
that
sense
of
impact
in
the
community
and
that
sense
of
actually
now
multiple
generations
of
helping
was
so
empowering
and
I
thought.
You
know
what
I'll
put
up
with
lots.
A
And-
and
you
know
it's
it's
such
important
work
and
I
can
actually
add
myself
I've.
Also
the
certain
Senators
worked
with
both
my
children
and
I
can
attest
to
the
the
remarkable
organization
that
it
is
I
did
work
with
them
before
you
like
some
of
the
people.
You
just
talked
about
it's
a
real
thing
and
and
the
work
that
they
do
helps
bring
up
a
lot
of
the
children
in
our
community,
which
is
invaluable
work.
A
B
That's
right
and
when
you
think
about
the
impact
of
a
child
who's
struggling
with
learning,
when
you
think
about
the
impact
on
the
whole
family
on
the
school
on
the
community,
it's
really
a
chance,
I
think
when
the
stern
Center
helps
an
individual
child.
We
see
those
Ripple
effects
throughout
the
whole
community
and
so
being
able
to
to
be
part
of
that
work.
Every
day
with
this
incredible
team
is,
is
really
cool
because.
A
A
A
A
B
A
And
it's
interesting
too,
because
I
even
know
parents
who,
because
of
the
work
with
the
stern
Center
that
they
had
with
their
own
children,
are
then
able
to
assist
and
help
other
parents,
because
they
understand
that
those
you
know
the
stern
Center.
Is
there
it's
a
resource
that
they
can
go
to
and
it's
it's
sort
of
this
interconnected
piece
of
the
community
that
supports
families.
That's.
B
A
good
way
to
describe
it
and
and
word
of
mouth
is
an
incredibly
powerful
way
that
people
find
out
about
our
work.
But,
of
course,
coming
in
as
president
one
of
my
goals
was
also
to
make
sure
that
we
were
not
a
Hidden
Gem
that
people
were
telling
each
other
about
only
in
times
of
extreme
need
and
family
stress,
but
rather
a
community
resource
that
more
folks
know
about
that.
A
A
So
that's
actually
something
I
think
that's
important
and
I
I
I'd
kind
of
like
to
dig
into
for
a
second
great.
So
you
know
a
lot
of
people
and
I
I
speak
to
I'm,
a
parent,
so
I
speak
to
other
parents,
but
you
know
it
does
come
up
sometimes
that
oh
I
love
the
stern
Center,
but
I
don't
think
I
can
afford
to
do
that
with
my
child.
So
I
think
it's
important
for
you,
maybe
especially
for
our
listeners,
to
explain
how
the
assistant
program
works.
B
Well,
the
the
financial
assistance
program
is
actually
baked
right
into
the
process
of
first
getting
in
touch
with
us.
So
when
you
reach
out
to
the
stern
Center,
you
know
I
want
to
emphasize
this
because
sometimes
in
in
times
of
need,
we
we
get
overwhelmed
right
and
and
we're
not
even
necessarily
necessarily
sure
exactly
what
question
we
need
to
ask
about.
What
does
my
kid
need?
B
B
We
do
payment
plans,
we
do
financial
assistance,
that's
based
on
family
income
and
that
accessibility
piece
has
been
a
huge
Focus
for
me
when
I
think
about
what
was
possible
for
me
and
my
education.
Thanks
to
scholarships
and
thanks
to
Grants
I
I
have
a
really
personal
passion
for
making
sure
that
our
doors
are
wide
open
to
as
many
kids
as
need
us
and
that's
pretty
long
list
these
days
and.
A
We're
going
to
get
into
that,
but,
but
you
know
just
kind
of
go
back
to
that
point
too.
I
also
think
that
Vermont,
you
know
and
and
I've
just
seen
this
you
know
this
is
totally
for
me
being
a
parent,
but
that
you
know
sometimes
the
kids
that
need
it.
The
most
are
the
ones
with
the
least
available
funding,
yeah
and
and-
and
so
you
know,
without
I
hate
to
use
leaving
them
behind
that
you
know
that's
a
way
to
kind
of
buffer
and
create
the
whole
of
our
Vermont.
A
You
know
kid:
the
children
of
Vermont
really
lifting
them
up
yeah
to
their
full
capacity.
That's
right
and
you
know,
and
that's
a
really
important
thing
to
think
about
too.
You
know
the
stern
Center
is
a
non-profit
and
it's
an
incredibly
valuable
resource
to
the
capacity
of
our
youth
in
the
state,
and
so
you
know,
I
I
feel
very
passionately
about
the
work
that
they
do
and
I
think
people
need
to
realize
that.
B
Well,
thank
you.
I
I
agree,
not
surprisingly,
I,
agree
and
I
think
that
the
the
Strategic
ways
that
we're
actually
now
approaching
that
accessibility
issue
have
been
a
real
Focus
for
me
and
the
team
in
the
last
couple
of
years.
Specifically,
we
have
been
working
to
expand
our
fundraising
so
that
we
can
give
both
larger
our
financial
assistance
Awards
and
more
of
them.
Last
year
we
were
able
to
increase
by
about
thirty
thousand
dollars
our
total
Awards
and
that
felt
great.
A
B
So
it's
very
motivating
it's
very
motivating
to
keep
that
accessibility
Focus
as
a
strength
for
us.
We
also
know
that
that
the
longer
families
wait
and
worry
about
the
money
for
services.
The
more
compounding
impact
we
see
on
the
child's
learning
right,
yeah,
so
earlier,
is
always
better
being
able
to
get
in
the
door
and
address.
The
issue
means
that
the
complexity
of
doing
that.
A
Later
yeah,
because
reading
is
the
building
block
that
all
learning
is
based
upon,
especially
in
our
society
like
if
you
can't
read
the
handout.
Your
teacher
gives
you
by
the
time
you
get
to
eighth
grade,
then
you're
not
able
to
complete
the
assignment
and
That
Just
is
a
a
cycle
that
replicates
itself
until
you
know
next
thing
you,
you
know:
you're
you're,
really
just
not
learning
anything
anymore.
That's
right!
Oftentimes,.
B
We
see
reading
issues
that
have
been
missed,
tend
to
show
up
right
around
fourth
grade
when
that
transition
from
learning
to
read
to
reading,
to
learn
kicks
in
and
students
are
less
focused
on
the
act
of
mastering
reading
and
become
more
focused
on
the
content
that
you
need
reading.
In
order
to
understand
right,
and
so
that's
the
point
where
lots
of
times
the
the
cards
are
on
the
table
and
everybody
sort
of
goes
wait
a
minute.
Is
this
kid
really
reading
or
have
they
learned
coping
strategies
that
are
now
falling.
B
A
And
also
building
vocabulary
has
been
shown
to
open
up
other
parts
of
the
brain
as
well.
That's
right,
especially
through
development.
That's
right
and
it's
and
it's
a
big
part
of
how
your
brain
processes,
information
and
through
those
early
years,
is
when
you're
making
the
interconnections.
Yes,
yes,
that
will
support
your
brain
functionality
through
the
rest
of
your
development,
you're
exactly
right,
yeah,
oh
well!
Thank
you.
A
But
I
mean
that's
why
it's
so
important
and
you
know
and
I
would
speak
to
parents
too.
You
know
if
you
have
a
parent
who's
in
second
or
third
grade
and
you're
noticing
you
know,
troubles
with
reading.
You
know
like
when
you
sit
down
and
you
read
with
your
child
and
you
have
them
read
you
read
one
page:
maybe
they
read
another
or
you
they're
reading
to
you
and
you
notice.
You
know
that
there
that
there
are
some
issues
and
there's
some
difficulties
there.
You
know.
A
Sometimes
it
is
worth
it
to
reach
out
and
and
talk
to
a
place
like
the
stern
Center
and
and
really
get
on
top
of
it,
because
the
brain
actually
develops
I
mean
from
my
understanding.
It's
just
me
but
from
my
understanding
is
that
it's
easier
to
learn
things
like
reading
at
a
younger
age
than
as
you
get
older,
because
your
brain's
more
plastic,
okay,.
B
Right,
that's
absolutely
right
and
the
rate
at
which
we
can
learn
things
when
we're
younger,
as
those
of
us
getting
older,
are
painfully
aware.
Thank
goodness
for
brain
plasticity.
It
does
stick
around
for
a
good
long
time
in
our
lives,
but
yeah.
There's
no.
We've
seen
it
right.
There's
nothing
like
watching
a
young
child,
just
devour
with
curiosity
everything
that's
out
there
in
the
world
and
so
being
able
to
nurture
that
being
able
to
make
sure
that
the
kids
who
do
need
extra
help
to
become
successful
readers.
A
B
So
about
four
different
areas,
and
so
to
summarize
the
first
is
evaluations
and
we've
been
doing
evaluations
since
the
very
beginning,
at
the
stern
Center,
our
team
of
school
psychologists
and
clinical
psychologists
work
together
to
assess
kids
for
learning
differences
learning
disabilities,
where
applicable,
and
to
recommend
strategies
for
ensuring
optimal
learning
and
lifelong
success
with
the
right
interventions
based
on
what
those
assessment
results
look
like.
So
that's
the
evaluation
arm
of
what
we
do.
B
We
also
have
a
big
teaching
team
at
the
stern
Center,
so
we
have
an
instructional
team
and
we
have
a
social
learning
and
communication
team
and
so
everything
from
learning
to
read
and
write
better
to
working
on
your
organization
and
planning
with
executive
function.
Coaching,
as
your
viewers
may
know,
executive
function
is
the
part
of
our
brain
that
tells
us
what
to
do
when
to
do
it,
how
to
get
organized.
B
How
long
it's
likely
to
take
and
many
many
many
people
struggle
with
forms
of
executive
function
and
learning
those
strategies
early
can
make
a
huge
difference.
So
we
log
about
just
north
of
17
000
hours
a
year
with
students
instructing
in
all
of
those
academic
areas.
We
do
mathematics
instruction
in
addition
to
reading
and
writing
and
executive
function
and
I'm
really
proud
of
the
work
that
our
social
learning
and
communication
team
does.
B
That
team
is
focused
on
understanding
the
often
non-verbal
cues
in
our
social
interactions
and
helping
folks
who
have
trouble
in
those
areas,
specifically
folks
who
are
neurodivergent,
maybe
on
the
autism
spectrum,
maybe
have
severe
social
anxiety
that
makes
it
hard
to
interact
with
others.
Coaching
in
that
area
has
really
a
profound
impact
on
the
lives
of
the
clients
that
we
serve
in
that
part
of
what
we
do
and
then
last
but
definitely
not
least,
is
professional
learning
for
teachers
in
schools.
B
So
we
work
with
both
individual
teachers
and
with
school
Partnerships
for
cohorts
of
teachers
to
help
ensure
that
they
are
learning
the
latest
research
to
apply
it
in
their
classrooms,
so
that
to
use
your
phrase,
no
kid
is
left
without
the
support
that
they
need,
and
ideally
that
support
is
going
to
happen
in
our
schools.
But
the
stern
Center
has
been
able
to
be
a
bridge
between
families
and
schools
and
between
teachers
and
in
their
past
learning.
B
B
I
absolutely
love,
you
know.
My
my
own
academic
background
is
in
is
in
literature.
So
I
was
a
kid
who
loved
to
read
and
I
was
incredibly
fortunate.
Just
the
dumb
luck
of
brain
wiring
I
was
able
to
read
easily
and
and
because
it
came
easy
for
me
me.
It
was
especially
fascinating
for
me,
as
an
adult
and
as
a
leader,
to
really
stop
and
reflect
on
what,
if
it
hadn't,
what
would
it
have
meant
to
grow
up?
You
know:
I,
didn't
grow
up
in
privilege.
B
We
didn't
have
a
house
full
of
books,
but
I
was
fortunate
enough
that
reading
clicked
I
fell
in
love
with
with
what
stories
can
do
in
our
world
and,
as
my
family
likes
to
joke,
never
stopped
going
to
school
until
they
told
me
I
had
to
leave
and
then
I
stuck
around
and
helped
other
teachers,
but
yeah.
You
know
education
and
the
power
of
of
being
a
reader
and
being
a
learner.
A
It's
wonderful
that
there's
an
organization
out
there
too,
working
with
our
teachers
as
sort
of
the
science
becomes,
you
know,
grows
and
and
lets
people
know
that
there
are
different
strategies
and
different
ways
to
approach
teaching
youngsters
how
to
read.
Yes,
because
it
is
it's
an
ever-evolving
science
and
it's
actually,
surprisingly
intensive.
It's.
B
B
To
really
you
know,
teachers
are
helpers
right,
that's
what
they
wake
up
every
day,
thinking
about
how
am
I
going
to
make
a
positive
difference
for
those
kids
today
and
being
able
to
do
that
work
with
experts,
cheering
you
on
and
really
believing
in
your
ability
to
translate
that
science
into
excellent
classroom
teaching.
That's
that's
a
great
part
of
what
we
do
at
the
stern
Center
yeah.
A
B
And
one
of
the
one
of
the
huge
parts
of
that,
of
course,
is
also
being
a
role
model
right
when
a
student
knows
that
their
teacher
learns
something
new
every
year
that
can
help
them
be
a
better
teacher
boy
that
speaks
volumes.
That
speaks
more
powerfully,
probably
than
anything.
We
tell
our
kids,
oh.
A
A
B
So
the
science
of
reading
is
is
really
the
the
big
label
that
we
put
on
about
40
years
now,
40
plus
years
of
research
from
all
different
fields,
from
education
from
cognitive
psychology
certainly
neuroscience,
and
the
the
science
of
reading
is
that
body
of
research
that
has
really
powerfully
illuminated
our
understanding
of
how
do
people
learn
to
read?
Where
does
it
go
wrong
for
some
Learners?
How
can
we
best
support
them?
What
teaching
methods
work
and
so
that
whole
body
of
research
is
called
the
science
of
reading?
B
It's
what
we're
based
on
at
the
stern
Center
and
there's
a
long
history
of
arguments
about
how
folks
learn
to
read.
But
in
fact
the
research
is
pretty
clear
and
pretty
persuasive
about
how
it
actually
works
in
our
brains
and
what
we
can
do
to
support
that
process
happening
for
almost
everybody.
The
the
research
is
actually
incredibly
encouraging.
It
suggests
that
better
than
95
percent
of
kids
can
become
highly
skilled
readers
with
the
right
instruction,
wow.
A
That's
amazing:
it's
a
good
news
that
I
mean
that's
I
mean
we,
you
know,
linguistically
and
and
in
other
ways
you
know.
Human
beings
are
such
communicators
yeah.
That's
right
and
it's
interesting
to
know
that
we're
actually
primordially
hardwired
towards
reading,
which
is
a
very
abstract
way
of
communication.
Well,.
B
Here's
the
interesting
twist
right
so
so
it
makes
perfect
sense
that
we're
hardwired
for
oral
language.
What
you
and
I
are
doing
right
now
our
brains
know
how
to
do
no
problem
when
we
make
that
leap
into
print.
Of
course,
that's
a
relatively
new
phenomenon
for
human
beings
right
printed
books
when
you
think
evolutionarily
at
least,
and
so
the
idea
that
we
have
to
train
our
brains
to
read
through
very
explicit
acid
and
systematic
instruction
is
also
a
huge
piece
of
the
science
of
reading.
A
We
now
know-
and
you
know,
I-
don't
I,
don't
know-
we
always
think
about
things
like.
Oh
we've
had
all
these
great
advances,
and
you
know
physics
and
other
other
aspects
of
science.
But
it's
really
interesting
to
think
that
there
are
fundamentals
there
based
on
reading,
which
is
something
I
think
a
lot
of
people
sometimes
take
for
granted.
Yes,
very
true,
and
especially
adults,.
B
It's
not
nearly
a
high
enough
bar
against
which
we're
being
measured
and
so
right.
Now
the
national
figures
are
that
about
33
to
35
percent
of
our
fourth
grade.
Students
based
on
the
national
tests
are
scoring
as
proficient
in
Reading.
That's
it
wait,
wait!
That's
yes!
Oh
wow!
It's
that's!
That's
why
I
use
the
word
grim.
B
It
is
really
sobering
to
think
about
the
downstream
consequences
of
having
that
many
fourth
graders
struggling
with
reading,
because,
of
course,
as
we
discussed
the
effect
compounds-
and
some
of
this
comes
from
a
disconnect
between
classroom
practice
that
has
been
typical
over
the
last
two
decades
or
so,
and
what
the
science
of
reading
has
been
busily
accumulating
in
the
in
the
understanding
of
what
works
in
reading.
So
the
stern
Center
is
is
very
determined
to
to
reconnect
that
classroom
practice
to
the
best
research
really
help
teachers
dig
in
and
understand.
B
What
are
you
seeing
unfold
when
a
student,
for
example,
when
a
student
starts
guessing
at
words?
What
are
you
seeing
there?
How
do
you
give
them
a
different
strategy
for
breaking
down
the
sounds
of
that
word
and
thus
becoming
a
truly
empowered
reader
who,
even
if
it's
a
familiar
book,
even
if
it's
an
unfamiliar
book,
they
know
how
to
decode
those
words
they're
going
to
build
their
comprehension,
because
reading
is
clicking
for
them.
A
Yeah
and
that's
how
you
and
I
mean
I
I
would
also
say
that
that's
almost
a
it's,
almost
a
national
crisis
I
mean
as
a
democracy.
One
of
the
tenets
of
a
functioning
democracy
is
having
a
literate
populace.
You've
got
it,
and
at
35
percent
got
some
work
to
do.
That's
slightly
terrifying.
We've
got
some
work
to
do.
You
have
to
be
able
to
read
and
understand
the
Democracy
in
order
to
be
able
to
participate
adequately.
I.
B
Would
suggest-
and
people
are
surprised
by
these
stats
I
was
when
I
became
more
conversant
in
in
the
the
reading
crisis
in
our
country,
and
when
you
think
about
how
that
you
know
you
sort
of
ask
yourself,
how
has
this
not
gotten
better?
It's
been
stagnant
for
a
couple
of
decades
now
and
so
I
do
think
that
there's
a
bit
of
a
Groundswell.
Now
parents
are
beginning
to
pay
attention.
A
Well,
that's
a
big
figure
yeah
and
that's
a
very
shocking
figure.
I
had
no
I
mean
I'm,
seeing
here
and
I'm,
shocked
and
I.
Think
that's
something
that
if
it
I
mean
it
should
be
getting
out
there
more
yes,
but
especially
as
teachers.
I
would
think
somebody
who
teaches
teaches
the
practice
of
reading.
That
would
also
be
very
disheartening.
Yes,.
B
And
it's
a
huge
Equity
issue
right
when
we
look
at
the
stats
when
we
look
at
the
stats
and
break
them
down
by
students
with
the
highest
need.
If
you
receive
free
and
reduced
lunch,
the
picture
is
even
more
serious
drops
to
about
19
proficiency
and
again
those
stats
are
all
publicly
available.
If
folks
want
to
read
up
on
them.
A
little
more
Stern
Center's
website
is
a
good
resource
as
well.
A
B
B
Last
year
we
were
in
38
States
and
a
handful
of
countries
around
the
world,
reaching
teachers
with
the
virtual
Forum
of
the
learning
that
we
were
talking
about
for
applying
it
to
your
class
room
with
success
and
that
part
of
what
we
do
I
see
that
expanding
significantly
we've
been
really
fortunate
that
we
had
a
generous
donor
who
allowed
us
to
establish
the
Cynthia
K
Hale
institute
for
excellence
through
Mrs
Hale's
Vision.
She
was
a
an
educator
who
really
understood
boy
if
you
can
get
to
a
teacher
and
change
their
practice.
B
A
That's
wonderful
gift
yeah,
so
so
just
so
you
know,
if
you're
a
teacher
out
there,
there
are
Grant
programs
through
the
stern
Center
that
are
readily
available
really
quickly.
The
stern
Center
I
just
want
to.
Thank
you
guys
so
much
because
I
know
you
guys
have
been
out
there
helping
vermonters
and
everyone
in
our
community
for
almost
40
years,
which
is
which
is
a
pretty
significant
amount
of
time,
and
so
what
is
your
reach?
And
what
impact
have
you
been
able
to
have
beyond
our
state
borders
really
quickly?
Yeah.
B
A
That's
right,
yay!
Well,
Lori!
Thank
you
so
much
for
coming
on
the
program.
It's
been
an
utter
delight
and
thank
you
so
much
for
all
you
do
for
children
around
the
state
of
Vermont.
It's
an
honor!
We
very
much
appreciate
it.
Please
check
out
sterncenter.org
if
you
would
like
more
information,
and
thank
you
guys
so
much
for
joining
me
this
month.
I'll
see
you
next
month.