The “How” in Action: AI-Supported Structured Literacy

The final session of Lexia®’s Science of Reading Week Spring 2026 brought the conversation into the classroom. Nicolas Cracco, Ed.D., Executive Director for Educational Leadership and Early Learning at New Rochelle City Schools (NY), joined Lexia’s Kerri Larkin and Alex Wright, Manager of Curriculum, to show what happens when Structured Literacy instruction is enhanced with adaptive, AI-driven tools.

The presenters addressed a question many teachers are facing right now: How do you stay faithful to evidence-based reading instruction when every student in the room needs something different, and there are only so many hours in the day? 

Drawing on real classroom examples from New Rochelle, they showed how AI-powered tools can adapt to individual students in real time, giving teachers useful data without adding another layer of prep work.

A big part of the conversation focused on what AI actually does for teachers. The team walked through how these tools handle some of the heaviest lifts in differentiated instruction, freeing teachers to spend more time on small-group work, coaching individual readers, and responding to students' needs in the moment. 

The takeaway was direct: AI in the classroom isn’t about replacing teachers. It’s about giving them better information so they can do what they do best.

For anyone trying to understand where technology fits in their literacy plans, this session is a breath of fresh air. It skipped the buzzwords and showed what AI-supported instruction looks like when it’s actually running in a school, how it helps teachers stay consistent with research-based practices, and what kind of student progress it can support.