“Data driven instruction…” is something we have been hearing for a long time. But what does that really mean in the everyday life of a teacher and his/her classroom? In this age of testing, it is often difficult to keep the notion of using data to make decisions about what is being taught.
As educators, we all know that one of the most important ways that we can help children achieve academic and social success is to form strong and collaborative partnerships with their families. Taking the teacher/parent relationship beyond back to school nights and report card conferences can help build strong home-school connections for kids. Having a strong home-school connection leads children to see learning in a more positive light, which prompts them to work harder and actually enjoy school more.
As an internal evaluator at an education non-profit, as well as the wife of a middle school teacher, I am inherently curious about how teachers respond to the professional development (PD) provided by their school district.
A few weeks ago, AIR Institute Fellow and chief scientist for literacy, Terry Salinger, wrote a guest blog for CLI explaining how the preliminary results for CLI’s i3 funded Model Classroom Project stand out in the field of early reading interventions.
The holidays are fast approaching, and parents and teachers alike are already preparing kids for winter break. It’s important to make sure young readers keep practicing their skills, even when they’re not in school. One of the best ways parents can get children excited about reading is with new books!
It’s difficult, if not impossible, for learning to take place when conflicting goals are set, unrealistic expectations prevail, and support is lacking. School districts often focus on alleviating these problems in the classroom — for students, that is.
CLI continuously works to ensure our professional developers (PDs) receive the necessary support to coach and conduct trainings in the field. To track program fidelity, PDs complete field reports three times a year – in November, February, and June. These reports are used to help improve our services while allowing PDs to reflect on the successes and challenges they encounter in the classroom.
Sometimes even teachers need a little coaching. That’s where literacy coaching comes in.
Literacy coaches are meant to help teachers implement important instructional concepts in their classrooms.
Education is a critical catalyst for closing gaps in opportunity and achievement in an economic environment in which socioeconomic mobility is increasingly inelastic.
Ever walk away from a training feeling totally excited about what you’ve learned only to get back to the real world and say to yourself “Now what”? I’ve been there – I’ve attended PD sessions where the presenter has been really engaging, covered a lot of in depth material and even made links to how this could benefit me in my role but one crucial component was missing – the “how”.