Where You're Born Shouldn't Decide Your Education
Schoolutions: Curious Educators. Evidence-Based Strategies. Classrooms Where Every Child Thrives.
03/18/26
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What does a child's birthplace have to do with their right to learn? Everything. And Dr. Kris Nystrom is doing something about it.
This clip explores the philosophical foundation of "reading the world," asserting that a child's place of birth should not dictate their access to education for all. It underscores the critical role of academic success in fostering social justice. This perspective drives the daily work of educators committed to education reform, questioning why any child should be treated as less than, and emphasizing the need for mental health support.
🌍 Support Reading the World Inc. by donating here.
In this clip:
- The philosophical foundation of Reading the World Inc.
- What "school deserts" are, and the 4 forces that create them
- Why the pro-kid mindset has no borders
- What culturally responsive teaching looks like at a global scale
- How student success begins with seeing the whole child
Save this. Share it with your school administrators, instructional leaders, and fellow teachers.
Watch, reflect, and share Part 1 & Part 2 of our @schoolutionspodcast S5E29 interview with your team.
📌 CHAPTERS
0:00 — The Quote That Drives Everything
0:12 — "Where One Is Born Cannot Be the Only Reason"
0:28 — Looking Kids in the Eyes: The Moral Case for Equity
0:45 — What Is a School Desert?
0:52 — Walking Through Lions to Get to Class
1:05 — Building Schools That Communities Own
📧 Connect with me if you’d like a thought partner to help you cultivate curious learners who advocate for what they believe in.
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
Don't forget to 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE with fellow educators!
#Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBased #equityineducation #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #SchoolDesert #GlobalLiteracy #WholeChild #StudentSuccess #InclusiveClassrooms #TeacherCoaching #InstructionalLeadership #SchoolImprovement #ProKidMindset #EmpoweredEducators #Schoolutions #ReadingTheWorld #TeachingTips #EducationTransformation #NewTeachers #MentorTeachers #FamilyPartnerships #SchoolCulture
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
Previous Episode
Part One of my S5E29 @schoolutionspodcast with Dr. Kris Nystrom highlights the critical need for education for all and how a dedicated "teacher" can drive education reform through direct action. It reframes our understanding of social justice in educational contexts and the profound impact of ensuring academic success globally.
In Part 1 of this conversation, Kris shares:
• How 10 years of global literacy research revealed a crisis hiding in plain sight
• What the "four horsemen of educational inequity" are (conflict, climate, geography, and cost) and why they demand a whole child approach
• Why good teaching always begins with student culture, and how bypassing that is itself a political act
• His community-first protocol for sustainable school building: no savior complex, no top-down solutions
• What it's really like when kids walk through lion and leopard territory just to reach a classroom
Kris founded Reading the World Inc. in 2024. Nobody takes a salary. Every dollar goes directly to children. Donate here.
🎙️ Part 2 drops this Friday, where we zoom out to the global literacy crisis and why it matters far beyond sub-Saharan Africa.
Chapters
0:00 Introduction: Who is Dr. Kris Nystrom?
1:40 Research foundations: Paulo Freire, semiotics, and how the brain reads
4:00 Why culturally responsive teaching is a moral stance
5:00 What is a school desert? The four horsemen of educational inequity
8:00 The real cost barriers keeping kids out of school
10:30 From Connecticut retirement to sub-Saharan Africa
12:30 The philosophical foundation: where you're born shouldn't determine access
13:40 Kris's community-first protocol for building schools
17:00 Lightning round: what keeps Kris up at night, biggest misconceptions
19:30 Preview of Part 2: global literacy and economic ripple effects
Join our community of educators committed to cultivating student success, inspired teaching, and creating inclusive classrooms with a pro-kid mindset focused on the whole child.
🎧 New episodes every Monday & Friday with bite-sized Wednesday reel bonus content.
📧 Connect with me if you’d like a thought partner to help you cultivate curious learners who advocate for what they believe in.
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
Don't forget to 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE with fellow educators!
#readingtheworld #schoolutions #schoolutionspodcast #forevergettingbetter #evidencebasedstrategies #classroomreadystrategies #SchoolDeserts #GlobalLiteracy
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
Next Episode
In Part 2 of my @schoolutionspodcast conversation, Dr. Kris Nystrom (founder of Reading the World Inc.) connects the dots among global literacy rates, the world economy, and why what happens in a slum school in Nairobi has a profound economic impact. This discussion highlights the critical role of universal education in addressing poverty and fostering global awareness, underscoring the broader implications for finance and world news.
Kris shares:
🌍 Why student success in Kenya is directly tied to the global economy
📖 Project Ripple: a science of reading initiative in Nairobi slum schools with 100:1 student-teacher ratios
💡 The Good Hope Royalty Center, where "all children are royal" and street kids are given unconditional love and a future
🔁 The Sankofa philosophy: "You can go back and fix your mistakes"
👨👩👧 How one literate child creates a ripple of empowered educators, healthier families, and stronger communities
💫Make sure to watch Part 1 & donate here if you can.
📚 CHAPTERS:
00:00 Welcome & Sankofa: "You can go back and fix your mistakes"
02:00 Colonial history & why African literacy rates are low
04:30 Inside Nairobi slum schools: 100 students to 1 teacher
07:30 Project Ripple: science of reading training in APBET schools
09:00 Why global literacy matters to every economy
10:30 By 2050, 1/4 of the world will live in Africa
12:00 The ripple effect: one child teaches their parents to read
13:30 Good Hope Royalty Center & Faith Woge's unconditional love
16:30 "All children are royal" candles, soap & sustainable futures
17:30 How to support Reading the World Inc.
18:00 Closing reflection: the ripple is the whole thing
🔗 RESOURCES MENTIONED:
- Why Should I Care? Counting Up From Survival
- Reading the World Projects
- APBET schools (Alternative Provision for Basic Education and Training)
- SUNY New Paltz Science of Reading Center
🎧 New episodes every Monday & Friday with bite-sized Wednesday reel bonus content.
📧 Connect with me if you’d like a thought partner to help you cultivate curious learners who advocate for what they believe in.
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
Don't forget to 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE with fellow educators!
Next Week: We are going somewhere equally unexpected and equally beautiful. Portrait Pals, founded by Tonya Quinn, is redefining what art class can be — pairing children across communities to paint each other's portraits, and in doing so, teaching them that every face tells a story worth seeing.
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
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