ISTE 2026: Building a Reading Culture with Dr. Erin Bailey

In this episode, Jethro sits down with Dr. Erin Bailey, VP of Literacy Programs and Research at Reading Is Fundamental, to explore two exciting 2026 developments. Erin shares the growth of Skybrary, RIF's e-book app offering 1,000 read-to-me picture books, now with a free tier providing 100 books per household — a number rooted in research linking book access to reading and academic achievement. She also discusses RIF's acquisition of August House Publishing, bringing 185 titles focused on oral storytelling into RIF's mission of book access. The conversation turns to Erin's own podcast, Reading Inspires, covering the realities of podcast production, building thought leadership, and RIF's core belief that reading should above all be joyful. We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.