3.30.21 Jen Allen 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 Keith Kindred 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 the... Read more
3.23.21 Cindy Jiban 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 are... Read more
3.18.21 Jonathan Fine 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 us... Read more
3.16.21 Jen Allen 4 things to focus on this spring as you begin your 2021–22 school improvement plan If you’re a school administrator, you know your state or district will require you to develop a school improvement plan for next school year soon. It will need to be based on data and research, but... Read more
3.11.21 Monica Rodríguez How to meet math students where they are Many of us are worried about how kids are doing in math right now. NWEA research released in December 2020 gives us reason to be concerned: students in grades 3–8 had a 5–10 percentile point drop... Read more
3.9.21 Kristie Werner 5 things to know about the new MAP Reading Fluency Dyslexia Screener Since 2018, MAP® Reading Fluency™ has made it easier for teachers to understand their students’ reading skills so they can spend more time teaching and less time testing. By assessing the... Read more
3.4.21 Jaime Vázquez Rising to the occasion: 4 lessons learned about virtual teaching during COVID-19 It’s been a year since schools nationwide closed in response to COVID-19, and the shift to virtual learning has been extremely difficult for both teachers and students. Before 2020, most teachers... Read more
3.2.21 Kailey Rhodes 4 apps you probably don’t use in your classroom—but should Even in the best of years, teachers can always use some fresh tactics come early March. It’s post-winter holidays and pre-spring break; it’s not quite one season or the other. Whether you’re... Read more
2.25.21 Jonathan Fine MAP Growth data is shaping South Carolina education policy during COVID-19 South Carolina has its share of challenges. Poverty is pervasive, and the state tends to rank low in educational achievement relative to other states. On the positive side, elected officials and... Read more
2.23.21 Elizabeth Barker The case for K–3 screening and intervention for dyslexia I vividly remember the first student I worked with at my first job as a special education teacher. Jacob was a sixth-grader, and the road to his dyslexia diagnosis was a long one. Despite having... Read more
2.18.21 Cindy Jiban Early literacy: What we can do during COVID-19 In December, NWEA shared research about the effects of pandemic-era schooling on reading and math growth. The news looked better for reading than for math. But as someone obsessed with early... Read more
