Megan Kruse

Learning Through Blogging

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FMCSD

The Times They Are A-Changin’

March 8, 2026 by megankruse

There are many common themes that I return to in my weekly blog.  One of those themes is centered around change.  As evidenced by the list below, change and all that comes with it, is often on my mind: Choice and Change (9-21-25) Navigating Change (9-22-24) Sustaining Change (3-19-23) The Choices That Come with Change … [Read more…]

Posted in: Assessments and data, Collaborative culture, Facilitating improvements in instruction and student learning, Personal Learning, Professional learning for continuous improvement, Student learning and the profession, Teacher Leader Model Standards, Uncategorized Tagged: accountability, administration, CASEL, change, coaching, coaching models, FMCSD, George Couros, instructional coaching, Margaret Goldberg, Right to Read Project, social emotional behavior health, support, system, The Writing Revolution, tiers

Durable Systems

March 1, 2026 by megankruse

Last night, I was part of a conversation with a group of 20-somethings who are, God willing, approaching parenthood in the next couple of years.  The conversation turned to school choice:  where they will likely send their children to school when the time comes.  This led to dialogue, not debate, about our local school systems. … [Read more…]

Posted in: Assessments and data, Collaborative culture, Facilitating improvements in instruction and student learning, Outreach and collaboration with families and community, Personal Learning, Professional learning for continuous improvement, Student learning and the profession, Teacher Leader Model Standards, Uncategorized Tagged: common language, consistency, Corrine Swigart, FMCSD, foundation, instructional clarity, Robert Pondiscio, staff turnover, successful schools, system, Tier 1

Reading Comprehension Revisited

January 11, 2026 by megankruse

Foundational Reading Skills As the science of reading movement continues to evolve, some much-needed attention is being drawn to adolescent literacy and the Language Comprehension side of Scarborough’s Reading Rope. In our work with special education teachers and students in our 7th – 12th grade building this year, we have uncovered significant foundational skill gaps … [Read more…]

Posted in: Assessments and data, Collaborative culture, Facilitating improvements in instruction and student learning, Professional learning for continuous improvement, Research, Student learning and the profession, Teacher Leader Model Standards, Uncategorized Tagged: adolescent literacy, Angie Hanlin, Barak Rosenshine, Canva, Charles Hughes, comprehension, curriculum matters, Dr. Anita Archer, explicit instruction, FMCSD, foundational reading skills, IEP's, IES Practice Guides, It's Possible, Kentucky Department of Education, Knowledge Matters Campaign, language comprehension, NAEP, Pati Montgomery, Reading Comprehension Round Table, reading proficiency, Reading Rockets, Sarah Brown, Scarborough's rope, science of reading, special education, Stephanie Stollar, systematic and explicit instruction, The Reading League, The Reading League Compass, The Reading League Iowa, thinkSRSD, UFLI

Under Promise, Over-deliver

December 7, 2025 by megankruse

George Couros has done it again – he has provided the just-in-time, just-right motivation I need.  In his most recent blogpost, “The Power of Consistency:  Do What You Say and Deliver More Than Expected,” he reminds readers of staying true to your word.   He reminds us to keep the promises we make to ourselves and … [Read more…]

Posted in: Assessments and data, Collaborative culture, Facilitating improvements in instruction and student learning, Personal Learning, Professional learning for continuous improvement, Student learning and the profession, Teacher Leader Model Standards, Uncategorized Tagged: accountability, administration, Angie Hanlin, coaching, consistency, data, FMCSD, George Couros, habits, It's Possible, overdeliver, Pati Montgomery, routines, sentence-level, system, The Writing Revolution, under promise, writing

Implementation Science

November 16, 2025 by megankruse

There is a great deal of pride in reflecting on the work being done in our 7th – 12th grade building around literacy interventions and support for our special education staff and students.  Our teachers, coaches, and administrators are working incredibly hard to rectify an unfortunate reality:    34% of our students are not proficient … [Read more…]

Posted in: Assessments and data, Collaborative culture, Facilitating improvements in instruction and student learning, Personal Learning, Professional learning for continuous improvement, Research, Student learning and the profession, Teacher Leader Model Standards, Uncategorized Tagged: Active Implementation Formula, ADM, Angie Hanlin, Dave Burgess, DDIA, effective implementation, effective practices, enabling context, evidence-based practices, FMCSD, Fort Madison, Harnessing the Science of Learning, implementation science, improvement cycle, intervention, Iowa School Performance Profile, It's Possible, literacy instruction, Mark C. Perna, MTSS for Reading Improvement, Nathaniel Swain, National Implementation Research Network, NIRN, Pati Montgomery, Rhonda Nelson, Sarah Brown, socially significant outcomes, special education, Stephanie Stollar, The Reading League Iowa, the science of learning, the science of reading, the science of teaching, Todd Collins, Travis Wilkins

Choice and Change

September 21, 2025 by megankruse

As  mentioned in recent posts, I am primarily working with 7th – 12th grade teachers and students in the world of special education.  This is not a job I had asked for, but one that arose out of necessity.  As it turns out, I’m loving the work. There are times when we seek change, and … [Read more…]

Posted in: Collaborative culture, Facilitating improvements in instruction and student learning, Personal Learning, Professional learning for continuous improvement, Student learning and the profession, Teacher Leader Model Standards, Uncategorized Tagged: change, choice, coaching, FMCSD, George Couros, IEP's, individualized education plans, instructional coaching, science of reading, special education

Meeting the Needs

September 14, 2025 by megankruse

The needs in our district’s special education system are vast… and I’m quite certain the needs are not unique to our district or our state.  It would be easy to point the finger of blame in many directions, but at the end of the day it boils down to this:  there are many cogs in … [Read more…]

Posted in: Assessments and data, Collaborative culture, Facilitating improvements in instruction and student learning, Personal Learning, Professional learning for continuous improvement, Research, Student learning and the profession, Teacher Leader Model Standards, Uncategorized Tagged: deliver, design, diagnose, Dr. Jamie Peavler, feedback, FMCSD, four stages of learning, instructional coaching, Instructional Hierarchy, Iowa's SDI model, Matt Burns, Melissa and Lori Love Literacy, modeling, practice, SDI, special education, systems, The Reading League Conference

Gearing Up

August 17, 2025 by megankruse

I almost didn’t write a post today.  I had given myself a free pass, of sorts, when I wrote my last post two weeks ago, ending with, “As summer is quickly coming to an end, and with our oldest son’s wedding in less than a week… I will take a planned break from writing.  I … [Read more…]

Posted in: Collaborative culture, Facilitating improvements in instruction and student learning, Personal Learning, Professional learning for continuous improvement, Student learning and the profession, Teacher Leader Model Standards, Uncategorized Tagged: Brandon Jones, collaboration, Dave Burgess, Dylan Wiliam, FMCSD, goals, high levels of learning, Jason Andrews, Jon Acuff, Jon Gordon, Luis Cruz, mutual accountability, North Star, routine, Solution Tree, systems, transformational leadership

Going in With…or Without a Plan

October 27, 2024 by megankruse

When it comes to planning, there are times when I am a master and times when I am a novice.  As it relates to planning for this blog, I am more of a novice than I’d like to admit.  I have a goal of posting each week by Sunday at 1:00 p.m.  I have a … [Read more…]

Posted in: Assessments and data, Collaborative culture, Facilitating improvements in instruction and student learning, Personal Learning, Professional learning for continuous improvement, Student learning and the profession, Teacher Leader Model Standards, Uncategorized Tagged: authentic, Beside the Point, cemetery, Chuck Vandenberg, Dr. Anita Archer, flexi-cute, FMCSD, intentional planning, multi-tiered systems of support, Papae Wymore, Pen City Current, planning, predictability, running, Stephanie Edgren, Sue and Reed Haeger, Tier 1, Word Press

Running the Marathon

October 6, 2024 by megankruse

The phrase, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint” has meaning in many different contexts.  When it comes to instructional coaching, this phrase holds great meaning.  In the systems coaching model that our district currently employs, we are assigned to teacher teams based on student data.  A level of proficiency has been defined that deems instructional … [Read more…]

Posted in: Collaborative culture, Facilitating improvements in instruction and student learning, Personal Learning, Professional learning for continuous improvement, Student learning and the profession, Teacher Leader Model Standards, Uncategorized Tagged: adversity, Amber Harper, burned out teachers, Chrissy Beltran, Donell Pons, FMCSD, George Couros, habits, instructional coaching, Jon Gordon, Lindsay Kemeny, Literacy Talks, Marie Forleo, Ms. B, positive, Reading Horizons, Reed Haeger, running, Stacy Hurst, Sue Haeger
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Goodreads

Megan's bookshelf: read

The Flight Attendant
really liked it
The Flight Attendant
by Chris Bohjalian
Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts
really liked it
Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts
by Jennie Allen
Half Broke Horses
it was amazing
Half Broke Horses
by Jeannette Walls
Ground Zero
it was amazing
Ground Zero
by Alan Gratz
The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia
really liked it
The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia
by Emma Copley Eisenberg

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