Influential Woman · Education
Nora Chahbazi
Founder and CEO, EBLI - Evidence Based Literacy Instruction
Flushing, MI 48433
Her Story
About Nora
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. Her 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 grounded in the Science of Reading and the Science of Learning. Since establishing the Ounce of Prevention Reading Center and launching EBLI in 2003, Chahbazi has devoted her career to ensuring that every teacher and learner have access to effective literacy instruction. For more than 2 decades, Chahbazi has trained thousands of teachers, paraprofessionals, parents, and literacy professionals across all 50 U.S. states and 26 countries. Through EBLI professional development and in-person and virtual coaching, she has taught educators EBLI's streamlined instructional approach. The effectiveness of EBLI has been documented through studies involving more than 2,500 students from 2005 to 2025, earning the program an ESSA Tier 3 (Promising Evidence) designation. Her work has also been featured in the documentary The Truth About Reading and Emily Handford's At a Loss for Words radio documentary and Sold a Story podcast. She has shared her expertise at national and international literacy conferences, including Plain Talk, The Reading League, and an upcoming keynote presentation at the World Literacy Summit in Oxford, England. Beyond developing EBLI, Chahbazi is a passionate advocate for educational excellence and equitable literacy outcomes. She continues to mentor educators through coaching programs, online communities, and professional training, emphasizing the importance of independent research, evidence-based decision-making, and maintaining high expectations for every learner. Her mission is to reduce the cognitive burden often associated with traditional reading instruction while equipping teachers with practical, streamlined, effective, research-informed instructional theory and practices that foster their students' lasting success in reading, writing, and spelling.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Nora
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to staying focused on my "North Star"—improving literacy outcomes for every student. Throughout my career, that mission has guided every decision I’ve made. I’ve also been deeply inspired by Professor Diane McGinnis and her book Why Our Children Can't Read. When I read her book in 1997, I had no idea it would change the trajectory of my life. It inspired me to teach my daughter to read, ignited a deep passion for teaching literacy, and set me on a journey that led to the creation of EBLI. What began as a need to help my child turned into a lifelong mission to transform the way children are taught to read.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Keep the bar high and help every student - and teacher - reach it.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice is to do your own due diligence and never stop learning, regardless of what you are taught or told. Trust your instincts when educational practices don't make logical sense, and keep seeking evidence-based approaches that truly help children make significant gains in literacy. Always focus on finding solutions when students are not progressing, asking yourself the question: 'What do I need to do differently?' Avoid assuming—or becoming convinced—that a student's potential is limited based on their current literacy behaviors, labels, diagnoses, or others' perceptions of their abilities.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
According to the NAEP assessment, 68% of fourth-grade students in the United States are not proficient in reading. This troubling statistic has remained largely unchanged for decades. While the magnitude of this number is sobering, it also presents an extraordinary opportunity to transform literacy so that every student is afforded the opportunity to become a skilled, confident reader, speller, and writer.
The challenges are complex and deeply rooted. They include bureaucratic obstacles, systemic shortcomings, ongoing debates over literacy instructional approaches, and billions of dollars invested each year with little to no measurable improvement - and, in many cases, practices that unintentionally widen the very gaps they are intended to close. Meaningful change requires moving beyond the status quo, being open to shifting perspectives and feeling the discomfort of change, and embracing instructional practices that may be unfamiliar but consistently produce strong reading outcomes for students.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Authenticity and integrity are my top values.
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