I’m currently reading Candice Millard’s Destiny of the Republic, her national bestseller about the life and death of President James Garfield. In the early pages of the book, Millard recounts the accomplishments of one of Garfield’s contemporaries, Alexander Graham Bell. I was struck by a particular passage that describes Bell’s life and passionate pursuits. Although …
One of the biggest challenges teachers face today is designing instruction that allows English Language Learners to access both language and content in powerful ways. Much has been written and resources abound, but the complex task of planning and executing engaging, differentiated lessons that stick is just not that simple. This year I’ve been a …
It’s February, I know, and there are still four months until summer begins for students and their families. But this is the perfect time to be planning strategically to provide ways to gets kids to read books, lots of books, over the summer to combat the decline of reading growth. Photo Credit © Wavebreakmedia Ltd …
Accountability—the idea of holding schools, districts, educators, and students responsible for results—has become the most-recent watchword in education. In more and more states and districts, policymakers are moving to reward achievement and punish failure in schools, in an effort to ensure that children are getting a good education and that tax dollars aren’t being wasted. …
There’s a lot of buzz in the education world about ways to motivate students to read, but what about enticing teachers to read more children’s literature? The life of a teacher is packed with responsibilities inside and outside the classroom, but making time to read a wide variety of children’s/teen’s books is vitally important. There …
Each summer, students in poverty fall further and further behind in their reading progress during the summer break. The problem is that children from low-income neighborhoods simply don’t have access to books in the ways that kids from middle class homes do. It’s a complex issue, but it’s possible there’s a solution in as few …
In this space I’ll be exploring everyday teachers committed wholly to student learning, tackling hard questions that beat at the heart of a classroom, analyzing the latest messages coming from educational professionals, and envisioning application for classroom use. I hope you’ll stick around and journey with me.
