About the Presenters

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 (Avery, 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 (Jossey-Bass, 2017), a senior contributor to Forbes.com, and the host of season one of the Knowledge Matters Podcast. Natalie’s articles and essays on education and other topics have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, and other publications. She has spoken on education before a wide variety of groups and appeared on a number of TV and radio shows, including Morning Joe and NPR’s On Point and 1A.

Alli Rice, a proud native of Kansas City, is a dedicated education professional. She serves as the District Elementary ELA Curriculum Coach for Kansas City Kansas Public Schools, supporting 28 elementary schools with core reading and writing instruction. Alli holds a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction and a specialist’s degree in educational administration, credentials that underscore her commitment to educational excellence. In 2022, Alli was honored as the recipient of the first Science of Reading Star Award for District Leadership, recognizing her exceptional contributions to advancing literacy education in her school district. This accolade reflects her dedication to evidence-based practices and her unwavering commitment to fostering strong reading skills in young learners.

Matthew J. Patterson, Ph.D. is the Assistant Superintendent of the West Jefferson Hills School District in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Recognizing the need for change, Dr. Patterson and his colleagues transitioned the K–8 district from a disjointed approach to literacy instruction to one that offers all children evidence-based instruction. Three years later, the district is experiencing rapid, sustained gains in reading achievement and a higher percentage of students reading at or above benchmark at the end of second grade. As the fastest-growing district in western Pennsylvania, West Jefferson Hills has established numerous collaborative partnerships with other districts to provide more students with proven, evidence-based literacy instruction grounded in science.

Dr. Patterson earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in school administration from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. He also earned a Pennsylvania Superintendent Letter of Eligibility and a Ph.D. in organizational learning and leadership from Gannon University.