I can vividly remember my first few days as a new school administrator. I remember getting in a routine of greeting students as they exited buses and cars and entered the building. I remember the strange feeling when that first bell rang to start school, and I didn’t have a classroom full of students to … Read More
A Principal Speaks Out On The Power Of Curriculum
If you want to know whether students are getting what they need from a school, find out what they’re working on each day. Consistent access to challenging, engaging assignments is crucial to preparing students for success in college and beyond—and can help students who’ve fallen behind academically catch back up. But too many students spend hundreds … Read More
Aug 21, 2019
Lessons Learned From The LIFT Network
Since 2016, Putnam County Schools has worked to improve literacy outcomes in our district by implementing high-quality instructional materials. Over the past three years, we have phased in use of Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA), a rigorous set of materials that deliberately builds students’ knowledge of the world around them while also developing their ability to read … Read More
Jun 12, 2019
The Hard Part About Reading Instruction
Spoiler alert: The hard part about reading instruction is not figuring out how to teach reading. We actually know quite a bit about that. There has been renewed interest in discussing the findings of the 2000 National Reading Panel report on the importance of phonics-based instruction in the early grades. The popularity of Emily Hanford’s radio documentary … Read More
Apr 10, 2019
We Have A National Reading Crisis
If your district isn’t having an “uh oh” moment around reading instruction, it probably should be. Educators across the country are experiencing a collective awakening about literacy instruction, thanks to a recent tsunami of national media attention. Alarm bells are ringing—as they should be—because we’ve gotten some big things wrong: Research has documented what works … Read More