4.29.21 3 valuable soft skills to build in your math classroom this spring Back when I was in the classroom, my colleagues would often commend me for being brave enough to teach math to eighth-graders. But I loved teaching eighth grade... Read more
4.27.21 The importance of student self-assessment Want to know a secret? I didn’t mean to become a secondary ELA teacher. One of the reasons why an ELA endorsement wasn’t originally at the top of my list was this persistent worry: How does... Read more
4.22.21 5 ways to engage math students during COVID-19 COVID-19 has brought about changes to education that no administration, school staff or faculty, families, or students could have ever anticipated. No degree I earned or teaching experience I... Read more
4.15.21 Examining school improvement through a holistic lens In my three decades in education—in both public and private schools, at the classroom level as well as in district administration—I’ve witnessed and been part of many efforts to improve... Read more
4.13.21 How Achieve the Core and MAP Growth can help you build math skills If you’re a busy educator like I am, you might be thinking, “Oh, no! Two-thirds of the school year is over and I’m not two-thirds of the way through our math program! What am I going to... Read more
4.8.21 Formative assessment is not for grading There’s something to love about the first pancake that comes off the grill in the morning. The first pancake usually comes out a little more lumpy, misshapen, or overdone than the rest. Yet... Read more
4.6.21 It’s time to embrace assessment empowerment I don’t know about you, but I was never taught how to partner with my students to operate as an effective learning team. I just followed what I had experienced as a student: Rules and... Read more
4.1.21 How to support math growth with differentiation and scaffolding It has been one year since COVID-19 flipped our world upside down. While hospital beds filled up, classroom desks emptied out. As educators, we were not prepared for an event like this. We were... Read more
3.30.21 3 must-haves for school improvement plans following COVID-19 We all need something—anything—to make the last impossibly difficult year of COVID-19 learning worth it. What if one of the big rewards at the end of all of this is a bolder, more effective... Read more
3.25.21 How to teach in deeply divided times In the past year, educators have heard a lot of talk about students’ social and emotional well-being due to COVID-19–related isolation, diminished interaction with peers and teachers, and... Read more
3.23.21 Best practices in reading instruction for students with dyslexia Advocates for students with dyslexia are finally gaining more attention, in both the media and legislation. Dyslexia, they note, is more prevalent than many realize, and students with dyslexia... Read more
3.18.21 This time it’s personal: Making the most of distance learning We’re all looking for silver linings these days. For example, while many of us are weary of living so much of our lives online, we also recognize it’s fortunate that tech tools exist to help... Read more