Kerri Larkin is a Senior Education Advisor on the Education Partnerships team at Lexia. With decades of experience spanning special education, district leadership, and literacy transformation, she brings a deeply human, educator-centered perspective to some of education’s most complex challenges. In this conversation, Larkin reflects on what’s fixable in education today, what will persist, and why centering teachers is essential to lasting change.
Tell us about your company and the problem it solves, or its benefit to learners or educators.
Lexia is a company that has been grounded in the science of reading for more than 40 years. The science of reading reflects decades of evidence—across disciplines, languages, and continents—about how our brains learn to read, why some learners struggle, and what kinds of instruction are most effective in mitigating those struggles.
What the research tells us very clearly is that 95% of children have the cognitive capacity to master the foundational building blocks of literacy when instruction is grounded in the science of reading and delivered through a structured literacy approach. Lexia exists to help schools move closer to that 95%.
The problem we’re trying to solve isn’t a lack of commitment from educators. Teachers work incredibly hard on behalf of their students. The challenge is that many educators were never trained in how reading actually develops in the brain, nor were they given tools that accurately diagnose student needs and connect those needs to instruction.
Lexia brings together evidence-based instruction, adaptive technology, and professional learning to support educators in that work. Our goal is not just to improve outcomes, but to reduce frustration for students who struggle and for teachers who are doing everything they can with limited time and resources. At its core, Lexia is about access, equity, and excellence.
What is the challenge educators face today that is fixable?
One very fixable challenge is the ability to accurately diagnose students’ literacy strengths and needs. This is an area where a limited, intentional use of technology can make a meaningful difference both in saving teachers time and in increasing instructional precision.
Too often, when students struggle with reading, that struggle shows up in other ways. A child may disengage, act out, or be labeled as inattentive when the underlying issue is that instruction isn’t meeting their literacy needs. Young children often don’t yet have the language to explain that they’re struggling, and teachers may not have been given the pedagogy or tools to pinpoint the root cause.
When instruction is grounded in the science of reading and supported by diagnostic technology, teachers can clearly identify what a student knows, what they don’t yet know, and what instruction will help them progress. This reduces instructional guesswork and, importantly, reduces harm to children.
Lexia supports teachers in becoming skilled reading diagnosticians; educators who can respond accurately and efficiently to student needs, rather than relying on trial and error.
What is a challenge educators face today that will persist?
One challenge that will persist is managing time and maintaining focus in an increasingly complex classroom environment. Educators are constantly navigating how to allocate limited time across many competing demands including time with text, time with peers, time with technology, time with the teacher, time outside, and time for independent reflection.
Each of these experiences is valuable and necessary for a well-rounded, well-developed child. At the same time, teachers often have limited control over how the school day is structured. Parents, administrators, and district leaders all bring strong and sometimes conflicting opinions about how children should spend their time.
The challenge is creating a classroom environment that balances these experiences in a way that supports academic growth, social development, and emotional wellbeing. That balance becomes even more difficult as expectations placed on schools continue to grow.
What areas of education or professional learning are being overlooked?
One of the most overlooked areas in education is professional learning grounded in the science of reading and the opportunity to remain engaged in research and learning as it evolves. Educators need sustained opportunities to understand how reading develops in the brain, what instruction builds strong neuronal pathways, and how to apply that knowledge in daily practice.
Alongside that is the need to help educators become more critical consumers of research. Literacy research continues to evolve, and districts are making large-scale instructional decisions based on that research. Teachers rarely have the time to read, interpret, and apply it on their own.
Technology training is another area that’s often misunderstood. Many educators enter the profession because they are deeply people-oriented. Technology should not add complexity to their work; it should reduce it. When technology is designed well and implemented thoughtfully, it can support instructional decision-making and streamline workflows.
What challenge do you foresee in education over the next three to five years?
One major challenge will be attracting and retaining talented educators. Teachers are the single most important lever of change in a student’s trajectory, yet many are leaving the profession due to burnout, increasing demands, and lack of support.
Another challenge is determining the appropriate role of technology in classrooms. Communities have very different expectations and access, often shaped by socioeconomic factors. Some families want minimal technology use in school, while others rely on schools to provide exposure and skill-building their children don’t have access to at home.
Balancing equity, instructional integrity, and community expectations will require thoughtful leadership and ongoing dialogue.
At Lexia, we believe deeply that teachers are the most important factor in student success. Technology should play a limited, purposeful role—one that is diagnostic, accurate, and directly tied to instruction.
When technology makes even a small slice of a teacher’s day easier and more efficient, it allows educators to focus on building relationships, delivering high-quality instruction, and responding thoughtfully to students as individuals.
Centering teachers isn’t just a philosophical stance; it’s a practical one. When we support teachers well, we strengthen instruction and create more equitable and effective learning experiences for all students.