What if the biggest problem in adolescent literacy isn't reading ability at all, but how early, and how permanently, we decide who's 'behind'?
I had the pleasure of welcoming Julia Rivard Dexter, entrepreneur, Olympian, and CEO of Shoelace Learning, to Wide Walls to explore exactly that question. What started as a conversation about adolescent literacy quickly became a much broader discussion about confidence, gaming as a tool for reading engagement, and how AI can help address some of the challenges of building an EdTech company.
Here are a few ideas that stood out:
📚 The hidden literacy crisis — Why we focus so much on early reading, while millions of adolescents continue to struggle with comprehension, stamina, and confidence as readers.
🎮 Engagement before achievement — How game-based learning can motivate students to practice, build confidence, and eventually see themselves as readers.
🏷️ The cost of labels — How being labeled a “bad reader” at a young age can reshape a child’s identity and relationship with learning for years.
🤖 Building an AI-agents-backed company — Julia shared how Shoelace has integrated AI agents across the business, what became possible, and the very real human tradeoffs that came with that transformation.
🌱 A school built around passion — What education could look like if we connected students with mentors who share their interests and gave them more ownership over what and how they learn.
One of my favorite quote from our conversation:
“I believe humans are so much more capable than we think we are. If we give that space, that guidance, that coaching, in a place that’s fueled by passion, it’s pretty incredible where we could go.”
Find more about Julia and her work:
Passion Project - My Magic Moment
