A recent conversation with my wife and other parents made it clear: many parents urgently need a reminder—or even a lesson—on how real learning happens. When my students share stories about their assignments involving parents, it becomes obvious that many adults still believe attending “good” school and classes regularly are the main ingredients for their […]
Posted inEnglish Language Learners
7 Trends in Literacy Over the Last Decade That Everyone Should Know
When I talk with teachers, parents, and young writers, I keep returning to the same idea: literacy today is both more fragile and more generative than it was ten years ago. The last decade has been a time of significant shifts – some hopeful, some concerning – and understanding these trends helps us make more […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Idea Exchange: What is school and how do we “do” school?
Education is one of the largest systems we interact with. Nearly all of us have a formal education background in some way. In other words, we all have experience going to school growing up. So let me pose a few questions, and specifically regarding K-12: I try to be mindful that schools vary. I am […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
New FAFSA earnings indicator alerts students to colleges with “low earning” potential
Starting on December 7, 2025, first-time undergraduate applicants may see a new feature in the FAFSA that indicates whether the median earnings of its graduates four years after completion fall below the median earnings of high school graduates in the same state. The agency announced this week that a new earnings indicator will be incorporated […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Finding Peace for immigrant communities in the era of ICE
Unidentified black SUVs swarming the parking lot, strange, official-looking men yet no badges, and a distinct, overwhelming fear. I will never forget my first encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in my school community. It marked the start of an era in our predominantly Latinx neighborhood, a close-knit community of mostly Central Americans fleeing […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Understanding Developmental Coordination Disorder: Supporting students who struggle with movement
Poor handwriting? Difficulties with spatial awareness? It could be dysgraphia; it could be Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); or, it could be a lesser-known, but prevalent disability called Developmental Coordination Disorder. Teachers are not diagnosticians, but in order to help our students with the most effective and targeted interventions, we need to have an idea about what […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Introducing Outroduction: A saga of the living glossary
It started like any other English lesson. My fifth graders and I were listing out the features involved in journalling. Date, introduction, point of view were the first few given by students. Suddenly, a hand shot up. “Outro,” one student said confidently. I blinked. Outro? “Wait… is that even a word?” I asked. “Yes!” came […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Why Project-Based Learning Turned Me Into an Educational Theorist
Excitement! Anxiety! Hope! These were just a few of the many emotions I felt when I stood in front of a high school classroom for the first time as the teacher. I was the one writing on the chalkboard and overhead projector. I was also the only one expected to design, plan, and teach every […]