The one literacy metric schools miss: Students’ love of reading
To ensure children build foundational reading skills in the early elementary years, educators have embraced the Science of Reading with its emphasis on phonics and phonemic awareness.
First graders need a chance to explain their math thinking
In first grade, educators shape the trajectories of how students feel about math. Long before they discover algebra or standardized tests, six- and seven-year-olds are forming beliefs about whether they are “math people,” if their ideas are worth sharing, and what their mistakes say about them as learners.
Don’t forget nature’s classroom
Outdoor education has been shown to improve academic outcomes across subjects, including science, reading, and math, while also strengthening motivation, well-being, and school engagement. Studies also link outdoor learning to increased attendance, improved behavior, and stronger relationships among students.
Digital detox: Reducing screen time creates space to build literacy skills
Walk into almost any elementary classroom today and you will likely hear the same concern from teachers across grade levels: Many students can swipe, tap, and navigate a screen with ease, but struggle to hold a pencil comfortably, form letters fluently or sustain writing for more than a few minutes without fatigue.
Teacher training needs more community and less compliance
Professional development is one of a school district’s most powerful strategies for improving student outcomes. Yet, educators often leave workshops feeling inspired in the moment, but take little action in the classroom. The problem isn’t that teachers don’t want to learn, but that professional development is treated as an event, rather than an ongoing process.
Summer reading for teaching and school improvement: Harnessing the Science of Learning
Every summer, I find myself in conversations with teachers and administrators trying to figure out why their current pedagogical practices are or aren’t working. So, once I came across Harnessing the Science of Learning by Nathaniel Swain, Ph.D., I haven’t been able to stop recommending it.
My son wasn’t dyslexic—he was never properly taught to read
When my son Hunter was in fifth grade, his teacher told me he was struggling with reading comprehension. I nodded politely and moved on.
Chronic absenteeism isn’t the problem–it’s the signal
Every school leader I know has a version of the same moment: You pull up a student’s attendance record expecting to find a discipline problem, and instead you find a family going through a crisis none of us would wish on anyone.
PD for innovation: Reimagining solutions for engagement, burnout, and achievement gaps
Do you think you’re creative? Try this: List as many uses for a paperclip as you can in two minutes. Most people imagine a standard size metal or plastic clip. But consider that the “paperclip” could be made out of wood, gold, microprocessors, money, or anything you can imagine.
Not all screen time is equal
With the growing movement to limit technology in schools, parents and educators are right to question how much time students spend on screens. But, as schools reconsider the role of technology in the classroom, an important distinction is often getting lost in the public conversation: Not all screen time is equal.