Designing Literacy Intervention That Works: How Jamie Thomas Builds for Student Impact at OnYourMark

In today's episode, host Mindy Sjoblom sits down with Jamie Thomas, Managing Director of Program Design and Impact at OnYourMark and one of the organization's founding team members. Jamie shares how her journey from elementary teaching to early childhood program design, instructional coaching, and literacy intervention shaped the work she leads today. Together, Mindy and Jamie reflect on how OnYourMark has evolved over the past five years--from an early idea to supporting thousands of students with targeted literacy intervention. Mindy and Jamie discuss what it really takes to design an effective literacy program: listening to students, tutors, and school partners; grounding decisions in the science of reading; using data to continuously improve; and protecting the relationship between students and tutors. They also explore why early intervention matters, how support needs to change for older struggling readers, and what research has taught OnYourMark about delivering effective and sustainable high-dosage tutoring. Key Moments 01:05 Jamie's path from classroom teacher to literacy program leader 05:37 Designing intervention through research, data, and listening 07:48 How school collaboration improves student outcomes 11:37 Using tutor feedback to strengthen program design 13:07 Listening to student voices in tutoring 15:51 Why early literacy intervention matters 18:03 Supporting older struggling readers differently 23:22 Creating coherence across different literacy curricula 28:46 What research has taught OnYourMark about tutoring 32:58 How OnYourMark trains and develops tutors 35:03 What schools should look for in a literacy intervention partner Why You'll Love This Episode If you care about literacy intervention, high-dosage tutoring, or designing programs that actually respond to student needs, this conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at how OnYourMark approaches the work. Jamie shares why strong program design starts with listening, how research and continuous improvement shape decisions, and why relationships remain essential even in highly structured literacy intervention. You'll also hear practical insight into supporting older struggling readers, building coherence with school partners, and developing tutors who are prepared to deliver strong instruction from day one. Connect with Jamie Thomas LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-thomas-1a5a0718  Website: https://onyourmarkeducation.org/  Follow Us: Mindy Sjoblom LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindy-sjoblom  OnYourMarkWebsite: https://www.onyourmarkeducation.org/  OnYourMark LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/onyourmark-education  About OnYourMark Podcast The OnYourMark Podcast is where host Mindy Sjoblom sits down with school system leaders shaping what's possible for early readers. From high-impact tutoring to building trust with families, each episode dives deep into what it really takes to make early literacy work for every child. 👉Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to the OnYourMark Podcast for more conversations on literacy, leadership, and lasting change.