Our Story
Reading develops in stages, with milestones to track — the same way doctors track a child's early development. The research on how young children learn to read is clear: we know what to look for, when to start, and what works. What has been missing is a way to put that knowledge in parents' hands.
Reading Compass closes that gap. Parents can see where their child stands, know what to do next, and watch their progress over time. Clarity on where your child stands, guidance tied to their specific results, and a product built on the published research of how young children learn to read.
We are a reading specialist, a parent, and a student who lived the cost of reading help that came too late. Julie and Brett are mother and son. The gap Julie watched Brett fall into is the gap Reading Compass exists to close.
Founders
Julie Parker
Co-founder & CEOI'm a co-founder of Reading Compass, and my story starts as a parent. When my son Brett needed reading help, I learned what most parents don't: reading develops in stages, with milestones to track. And I didn't know to watch. I became a Certified Academic Language Therapist to teach the skills children had missed, and an advocate to give parents the support they need.
Nearly two decades later, the research is clear. We know how reading develops. We know what to look for. And we know what works. What's been missing is a way to put this knowledge in parents' hands. We built Reading Compass to close the gap, so parents can see where their child stands, know what to do next, and watch their progress over time.
Doctors check developmental milestones because early awareness lets parents act early. Reading deserves the same. Reading Compass is how.
As CEO, I lead the research and design of Reading Compass, backed by clinical training as a Licensed Dyslexia Therapist and Certified Academic Language Therapist, work as a Special Education Advocate, and research published in special education and parent experience.
Johnson Sutherland
Co-founder & COOEngaged parents aren't the problem. The hard part is knowing whether what you're doing is actually working.
I'm a co-founder of Reading Compass, and a parent. We never had trouble with reading ourselves, so it didn't occur to us that our kids might, especially since we assumed the schools and the experts had it handled. We did everything you're supposed to do. We read with our child every night. We practiced through the school year. And we still missed what was happening.
When we realized something wasn't working and finally got it checked, the hard part started. The amount of noise and misinformation out there is overwhelming, and we took a lot of wrong turns before things made sense. What finally changed it was understanding the difference between whole language and structured, phonics-based instruction, and that our kids weren't getting what they needed.
Reading Compass is the tool we wish we'd had. As COO, I lead product direction, go-to-market, and operations, making sure everything we ship is dependable, honest, and genuinely useful to parents trying to cut through the noise. Wherever your child is learning to read — at school, at home, or some mix of both — Reading Compass is a painless way to verify they're on track, and to get the real-time data you need to change course if they're not.
Brett Parker
Co-founderI'm a co-founder of Reading Compass, and my story starts as the student. I was the kid who fell behind early and didn't get the right help until the gap was already wide. Not because anyone failed me, but because the system that delivers reading help depends on someone catching the delay first. By the time someone caught mine, I'd already spent years internalizing something that wasn't true: that I was different from my peers and not smart. Not because I wasn't trying. I tried harder than most. But when effort doesn't produce results and no one tells you why, you don't blame a system. You're a kid. You just blame yourself.
I don't want any other kid to spend those years feeling that way. Most won't even remember why they started believing they weren't smart, but they'll carry that belief into every classroom, every job interview, every moment they're asked to learn something hard. It doesn't have to go that way.
On this team I'm the voice for students who were where I was. My job is to make sure the tool we're building gets to the kid before the years do, and gives the parent what they need to stop the clock.
See where your child stands.
Clarity, guidance, and results built on the science of reading.