Words matter. Routines and procedures matter. The more we can simplify each in our educational systems, the more likely we are to reach high levels of success. At the risk of sounding like I desire robotic teaching, where we all do the exact same thing, I’m going to make the following statement: I think we … [Read more…]
The Truth About Reading The truth about reading is that we have been failing to teach kids how to read for years. According to The Truth About Reading website, “Illiteracy and sub-literacy in America (and around the world) is a growing issue. Awareness is important, but so is action.” Action is happening in the state … [Read more…]
It takes time. This a phrase uttered in multiple educational arenas when talking about student proficiency. It takes time. I have been reminded of this over and over again in my work as a teacher and as an instructional coach. Most recently, I have been reminded of this with three exceptional learning opportunities: 1) Episode … [Read more…]
The Learning Journey As I’ve written before, I’ve dedicated much of the last four years of my life to learning about the Science of Reading. Four years in, I fully recognize that there is much, much more to learn – from the body of research that currently exists, and from the body of research that … [Read more…]
Our Work with Kim Cano In our school district’s effort to achieve high levels of learning for all students, we have hired Solution Tree associate, Kim Cano, to steer us in the right direction. The plan is to have Kim work with us for three years, at the end of which will result in a … [Read more…]
This has been one busy summer so far, and we’ve only just reached the halfway mark! In all of this business, I’ve taken an unplanned three-week hiatus from writing. The blog hasn’t been far from my mind by any means, I just haven’t set aside the time to finish this post that was started three … [Read more…]
I found myself in tears several times this past week. Thankfully, each time involved tears of joy and of pride. Despite all of the turmoil in education today, I’m going to remain firm in my belief that the future is bright. Monday afternoon brought the first round of tears as I sat in on a … [Read more…]
Last week I wrote about failing vs failure. I knew at the beginning of this week that I would be writing about the topic again, through a new lens: permission to fail. One of my favorite lines from this past week came from an administrator who said, “I love it! I get absolutely giddy when … [Read more…]