This was a fun one… because we got to talk to you, our listeners! In this episode: We see how Mr. Potato head can motivate students, one additional limb at a time. We open a big box of costumes in the middle of class. We learn about a teacher who calls students’ parents to share good news, and how one student wanted to return the favor. And finally, we get to hear some incredibly touching stories of students and families letting their teachers know how awesome they are. (Jacob and Kailey get a little misty-eyed.)

The Early Word Recognition Lesson Plan tool provides a framework for sequencing efficient and explicit strategies to create new lessons or to organize and expand upon existing lessons from standards-aligned materials.

The Early Word Recognition Learning Walk Tool is a companion for the Early Word Recognition Lesson Plan Tool and is intended to support the teaching and learning shifts educators make to provide equitable and excellent education for all students.

This guide is designed to help new school leaders revitalize their professional learning programs with useful insights, tips, and ideas. Readers will learn how to begin evaluating the professional learning program currently in place at their schools, how to identify the most important areas where immediate change is needed, and why it’s so important to implement a holistic program that avoids the pitfalls of uncoordinated efforts.

Melissa Lim is a Technology Integration Specialist at Portland Public Schools, but she sees herself first and foremost as a teacher, not an IT professional. In this episode, Melissa chats with Kailey and Jacob about showing kids and teachers what’s possible with technology ,and how she makes them more comfortable using it. They cover ChatGPT and its uses in the classroom (like writing better quizzes!) as well as Melissa’s work to bridge the digital divide and give all kids at PPS equal access to tech. She shares her rule for deciding when you shouldn’t use technology, along with her number one tip for teachers: Don’t be afraid to push a new button! You won’t break anything (probably).v

Education leaders from Dallas ISD joined professional learning experts Corbin Edginton and Lindsey Prendergast to discuss the positive relationship between robust professional learning and teacher retention. Our Dallas partners shared how they developed professional learning plans that empower school teams while addressing district goals and challenges.

The science of reading is both a body of research and movement in literacy education. How do we keep those two things connected when they’re not always aligned? What are most common myths about literacy instruction, how do we fight them? A roundtable of educators and specialists from NWEA join Jacob & Kailey to talk about how the science of reading works best in classrooms and where both the movement and the research are going.