Nora Chahbazi, Spotlighted By Influential Women, Transforms Literacy Instruction Through Evidence-Based Practices

FLUSHING, MI, UNITED STATES, October 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Founder and CEO of EBLI, Nora Chahbazi, Has Dedicated More Than Two Decades to Helping Educators and Learners Achieve Lasting Success in Reading, Writing, and Spelling

Flushing, Michigan – Nora Chahbazi is an educator, literacy innovator, and founder and CEO of EBLI (Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction), an organization dedicated to transforming reading, spelling, and writing instruction through evidence-based practices. With more than two decades of experience in literacy education, Nora has devoted her career to ensuring that administrators, teachers, parents, and learners of all ages have access to effective, efficient, integrated instruction grounded in the Science of Reading and the Science of Learning.

Nora’s journey into literacy education began in the mid-1990s when her daughter’s struggles with reading inspired her to seek a more effective approach to teaching literacy. Drawing on her background as a Neonatal Intensive Care nurse and her commitment to understanding how children learn, she developed EBLI, a speech-to-print, Linguistic Phonics methodology designed to provide educators with an effective, streamlined, practical approach to literacy instruction.

In 1999, Nora established the Ounce of Prevention Reading Center and, in 2003, created and launched EBLI, beginning a career-long mission to improve literacy outcomes for students while equipping teachers with practical tools and research-informed instructional practices. Since then, she has trained thousands of teachers, paraprofessionals, parents, and literacy professionals across all 50 U.S. states and 26 countries.

Through EBLI professional development, along with in-person and virtual coaching, Nora has taught educators an instructional approach focused on reading, writing, and spelling. Multiple studies involving more than 2,500 students from 2005 to 2026 have documented EBLI’s effectiveness, earning the program an ESSA Tier 3 designation for Promising Evidence.

Her work has also reached audiences beyond traditional professional development settings. Nora’s expertise has been featured in the documentary The Truth About Reading, as well as Emily Hanford’s At a Loss for Words radio documentary and Sold a Story podcast. She has shared her knowledge at national and international literacy conferences, including Plain Talk and The Reading League, and is scheduled to deliver a keynote presentation at the World Literacy Summit in Oxford, England, in 2027.

At the heart of Nora’s work is a clear personal mission. She attributes her success to staying focused on her “North Star”—improving literacy outcomes for every student. That purpose has guided decisions she has made throughout her career and continues to shape her approach to education.

A major influence on her journey came from Professor Diane McGuinness and her book Why Our Children Can’t Read and What We Can Do About It. When Nora read the book in 1997, she could not have known that it would change the trajectory of her life. After months of searching for solutions, this book provided her with the tools she needed to teach her daughter to read, ignited a deep passion for literacy education, and ultimately contributed to the journey that led to the creation of EBLI. What began as an effort to help her own child to read became a lifelong mission to transform the way children are taught to read.

Nora continues to emphasize the importance of maintaining high expectations for both students and teachers. The best career advice she has received is to keep the bar high and help every student and teacher reach it. She applies that principle through mentoring, coaching programs, online communities, and professional training, encouraging educators to examine evidence, make informed decisions, and remain open to changing practices when students are not making progress.

Her advice to young women entering the literacy field reflects the same commitment to learning and evidence. Nora encourages them to conduct their own due diligence and never stop learning, regardless of what they are taught or told. She believes educators should trust their instincts when instructional practices do not make logical sense and continue seeking evidence-based approaches that can help children make significant gains.

She also encourages educators to focus on solutions rather than assuming that a student’s current literacy behaviors, labels, diagnoses, or the perceptions of others define their potential. When a student is not progressing, she believes the essential question should be, “What do I need to do differently?”

The need for effective literacy instruction remains significant. According to the NAEP assessment, 68% of fourth-grade students in the United States are not proficient in reading. For Nora, the statistic represents not only a serious challenge but also an opportunity to transform literacy instruction so every student has the opportunity to become a skilled and confident reader, speller, and writer.

She recognizes that meaningful change is complex. Bureaucratic obstacles, systemic shortcomings, debates surrounding literacy instructional approaches, and substantial investments that have not consistently produced measurable improvement all contribute to the challenge. Nora believes progress requires educators to move beyond the status quo, remain open to change, and embrace instructional practices that may be unfamiliar and uncomfortable while focusing on approaches that produce strong outcomes for students.

Today, Nora remains committed to reducing the cognitive burden often associated with traditional reading instruction while giving educators streamlined, practical, effective, and research-informed instructional theory and practices. Her work continues to center on helping teachers better ensure their students reach their highest literacy potential and creating opportunities for lasting success in reading, writing, and spelling.

Authenticity and integrity are among Nora’s top values, guiding her continued efforts to support educational excellence and equitable literacy outcomes. As founder and CEO of EBLI, she continues to pursue the mission that began with helping her own daughter: improving literacy outcomes for every student.

Learn More about Nora Chahbazi:

Through her Influential Women profile, https://influentialwomen.com/connect/nora-chahbazi or through EBLI, https://eblireads.com/

Influential Women

Influential Women provides a platform where women from all backgrounds can connect, share their perspectives, and create content that empowers themselves and others. Through storytelling, thought leadership, and creative expression, Influential Women amplifies voices that inspire change.

Editorial Team
Influential Women