8.19.22 How teacher residency programs can improve US schools and disrupt inequity As director of Policy and Advocacy at NWEA, I work with terrific people committed to improving public education. Recently, I connected with Tabitha Grossman, chief external relations officer for the... Read more
8.18.22 4 ways teachers can learn from one another “Quite often the greatest PD is the teacher down the hall.” I recently saw this popular tweet from educator and author Brian Aspinall, and I completely agree. I remember visiting colleagues... Read more
8.16.22 What you need to know when establishing success criteria in the classroom If you’re a practitioner of formative assessment, you may have heard of establishing success criteria in the classroom. Before students can take responsibility for their own learning, they need... Read more
8.11.22 Why transcription is important in your child’s writing and reading journey I remember my mother picking me up from school in our orange VW camper one day in late October. I was in first grade and excited to tell her that, just like grown-ups, we had voted for president in... Read more
8.9.22 5 things students require to build trusting relationships with their teachers As we embark on another school year in which teachers are focused on supporting students’ rebound from disrupted learning, building trusting relationships with kids will be at the forefront of... Read more
8.4.22 3 tips for sneaking science into K–5 language arts lessons Why does my hair stick straight up after going down a slide? What is COVID-19? How did that caterpillar turn into a butterfly? Kids are bombarded daily with issues, mysteries, and observations... Read more
8.2.22 5 feedback game changers every teacher should try I think it’s safe to say that no one likes to feel ignored. I used to spend hours commenting on students’ work, only to feel ignored when they didn’t do anything with the feedback. I... Read more
7.28.22 How the right theory of change can inform and optimize your professional learning initiative What’s the best way to design and implement a large-scale professional learning initiative in your state or other large education system? The answer, of course, is “It depends.” It depends on... Read more
7.26.22 There’s always a way in special education. Don’t stop until you find it. I've spent most of my life thinking about students with disabilities. That may seem hyperbolic, but it’s not. I wasn’t diagnosed with dyslexia until I was in sixth grade, after years of... Read more
7.22.22 More to do: Students are rebounding but haven’t recovered from COVID-related learning disruptions There are encouraging signs in newly available student achievement data from the 2021–2022 school year: evidence the nation’s education system is rebounding from the pandemic but has not yet... Read more
7.21.22 What families need to know to support their child’s writing I’m not a professional writer. I haven’t published a novel. I don’t work for a newspaper. But I do consider myself a writer because writing is a central part of my daily life: I scribble... Read more
7.19.22 The world’s worst scissors: Why design thinking matters in your classroom "I’d like to start with a quote.” Yawn. But really, try to process this one by Bill Moggridge: “It doesn’t occur to most people that everything is design—that every building and... Read more