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BLOG AND NEWS

Helping Schools Close the Achievement Gap

May 18, 2016
 
 

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Lindamood-Bell’s® research-validated programs address the imagery-language connection that is a silent partner to cognition and literacy, and is often the missing piece in helping students close the achievement gap.

Our unique programs can help diverse groups of students learn to read, comprehend, and compute to their potential, including students with minor to severe learning challenges and English Language Learners.

We have created school implementation and professional development options designed to maximize student achievement, including Lindamood-Bell Learning Center on Campus (LCOC).

A Lindamood-Bell LCOC creates an instant literacy center, bringing the specialized environment and instruction of our Learning Centers to your school, and starts meeting your students’ needs on day one.

Check out examples of how schools are transforming the lives of their students with a Lindamood-Bell Learning Center on Campus:

Reading Gains for Targeted Students in a Large Urban District

An elementary school located in a large, urban district on the East Coast serves a large percentage of students who are at-risk of reading failure. During the 2012–13 school year, this school implemented Lindamood-Bell instruction to address the specific needs of this student population. Fourteen students received an average of 104 hours of Seeing Stars® instruction to develop symbol imagery for reading. Lindamood-Bell staff delivered instruction. Student gains were measured with a battery of reading assessments.

Results

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The students who received Seeing Stars instruction achieved significant improvements in reading. They made large standard score changes on all measures. Additionally, the 25-point percentile increase in phonemic awareness put these students well within the normal range (25th–75th percentile). Their pre- to posttest results were statistically significant on all measures.

Elementary School Provides Intervention to its Neediest Learners

A private elementary school located in the South implemented Lindamood-Bell instruction during the 2013-14 school year. Eighteen students received an average of 97 hours of primarily Seeing Stars instruction to develop symbol imagery for reading. Instruction was delivered by Lindamood-Bell staff. Student gains were measured with a battery of reading assessments.

 

Results

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On average, Seeing Stars students achieved significant improvements in reading. They made large standard score changes on all measures. Additionally, the 18-point percentile increase in comprehension put these students within the normal range (25th-75th percentile). Their pre- to posttest results were statistically significant on all measures.

Students At-Risk for Reading Failure Receive Help at School

An elementary school located in a large, urban district on the East Coast serves a large percentage of students who are at-risk of reading failure. During the 2013-14 school year, this school implemented Lindamood-Bell instruction to address the specific needs of this student population. Twelve students received an average of 197 hours of primarily Seeing Stars instruction to develop symbol imagery for reading. Instruction was delivered by Lindamood-Bell staff. Student gains were measured with two reading assessments.

Results

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On average, Seeing Stars students achieved significant improvements in reading. They made large standard score changes on both measures. Additionally, the 65-point percentile increase in word recognition put these students above the normal range (25th-75th percentile). Their pre- to posttest results were statistically significant on both measures.

 

The results for these students illustrate how Lindamood-Bell instruction in the Seeing Stars program can change learning, regardless of their previous struggle with language and literacy.

 

Learn more about these innovative partnerships, including how schools can bring genuine Lindamood-Bell Instruction to their campus here.

 

Click here to watch an inspirational video regarding the difference our LCOC is making in a large urban district.

 

Connect with us
Attention Educators: Free Leaders in Literacy Webinar

Join Lindamood-Bell for Deeper than SoR: How One District Closed Gaps and Exited Students from Special Ed

📅 October 7, 2026 | 11 am PT / 2 pm ET / 7 pm BST

Hear how Madeira City Schools moved beyond scripted phonics instruction to build educator expertise, strengthen intervention, and improve outcomes for struggling readers and students receiving special education services.

Register now and bring practical insights back to your classroom, school, or district - Follow the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
🎉 40 Years of Changing Lives Through Learning

Our next milestone takes us to 1992!

📍 1992: First Learning Center outside of San Luis Obispo opens in Sacramento, California

Six years after Lindamood-Bell was founded, we expanded beyond our San Luis Obispo roots with the opening of a Learning Center in Sacramento.

It was an important step in our growth, bringing Lindamood-Bell’s one-to-one, individualized instruction to more students and families.

Follow @lindamoodbellofficial as we celebrate 40 years of changing lives through learning and revisit the milestones that shaped our story. ❤️

Learn more at the link in our bio.
🎥 Now Available On-Demand: Online Instruction That Actually Works

When you think of online learning, you might picture large virtual classrooms where it can be difficult for students to stay engaged. Lindamood-Bell online instruction is a different experience: live, one-to-one instruction with individualized support and active student engagement.

See what an online session actually looks like and learn about the research and results behind our reading instruction.

👉 Watch the recording at the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
🎉 40 Years of Changing Lives Through Learning
As we continue looking back at the milestones that have shaped Lindamood-Bell, we’re returning to where it all began.

📖 1986: Nanci Bell publishes Visualizing and Verbalizing®

The same year Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes was founded, co-founder Nanci Bell published Visualizing and Verbalizing for Language Comprehension and Thinking®, introducing an approach designed to develop concept imagery, the ability to create an imaged gestalt from language.

The program grew from Nanci’s work with students who could read words but struggled to understand, remember, and think critically about what they read.
Today, Visualizing and Verbalizing® remains central to our approach to developing language comprehension and higher-order thinking skills.

Follow @lindamoodbellofficial as we celebrate 40 years of changing lives through learning. ❤️
Learn more at the link in our bio.
🎧 New Podcast Episode!

Lindamood-Bell for Schools Director of Development Dave Kiyvyra speaks with Winifred Winston and LeDerick Horne from the Black and Dyslexic podcast about the dyslexia identification and support gap.

They explore disparities in dyslexia identification, limited access to effective reading instruction in many communities, and the challenges families face in understanding and securing the support their children need.

Listen and subscribe at the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
📚 When should kids start reading?

Our latest blog article explores typical reading milestones, signs of readiness, the foundational skills that support reading and comprehension, and when additional support may be helpful.

👉 Read “When Should Kids Start Reading? Age Guidelines, Readiness Signs, and How to Help.” Follow the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
🎉 40 Years of Changing Lives Through Learning

This year marks a very special milestone for Lindamood-Bell: 40 years!

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be looking back at some of the milestones that have shaped our story. From our beginnings in 1986 to the work we do today, there is so much to celebrate.

And where better to begin than at the beginning?

📷 1986: Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes is founded.

Pat Lindamood and Nanci Bell co-founded Lindamood-Bell with a shared belief that all students can be taught to read to their potential. From the beginning, our approach was grounded in the understanding that reading is a sensory-cognitive process and that the underlying skills can be developed.

What began 40 years ago has grown into a journey we’re excited to revisit and share with you.

Follow @lindamoodbellofficial as we celebrate 40 years of changing lives through learning and share more milestones from our story.

For more information about Lindamood-Bell, visit the link in our bio. ❤️
Considering online homeschooling for your child? There’s a lot to think about beyond curriculum and flexibility.

How will instruction be personalized? Will your child have live interaction with teachers? What kind of support and school community will they have? And will the program help strengthen the learning skills they need to succeed?

Our new guide explores what families should consider when comparing online homeschool programs and how Lindamood-Bell Academy approaches learning from home.

Read Online Homeschool Programs: A Guide for Families at the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
New Podcast Episode!
Tom Mendoza, Co-Director of Lindamood-Bell for Schools, and Deci Douroux, Professional Development Mentor Presenter, explore how developing concept and numerical imagery can help close math achievement gaps.
They discuss a three-step instructional approach that moves students from hands-on experiences with manipulatives to imagery and language, then to computation and problem-solving. Learn how this approach can support stronger number sense, mathematical reasoning, and confidence.
Listen and subscribe at the link our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial
What’s the difference between Lindamood-Bell and Orton-Gillingham?

Our latest blog article explores the similarities and key differences between these approaches, including Lindamood-Bell’s emphasis on developing the sensory-cognitive processes that underlie reading, spelling, and comprehension.

Read the full article at the link in bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
🎧 New Podcast Episode: A Parent’s Perspective on Lindamood-Bell Live-Online Instruction for Dyslexia
In our latest podcast episode, a mother shares her son’s journey with dyslexia and the impact personalized instruction had on his reading skills and confidence.
Through a combination of live-online and in-person reading instruction at our Learning Center, he developed the skills he needed to make meaningful academic progress.
Hear his story and his mother’s perspective on their Lindamood-Bell experience.
👉 Listen to the full episode at the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
🍂 Fall workshops are here, educators!
Strengthen your teaching with live-online workshops grounded in the cognitive science of learning and aligned with the science of reading and structured literacy.
• Practical strategies for reading, comprehension, and math
• Support for students with dyslexia, ADHD, and autism
Save 10% with code 26READY2LEARN10.
Reserve your spot through the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
Dyslexia is complex, but understanding its causes can help parents and educators make informed decisions about support. Our latest article explores what research tells us about dyslexia, common misconceptions, and the evidence behind effective intervention. Read more at the link in bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
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