The Blog

If your classroom management routine isn’t working well for you, rethinking  your space may make a huge difference.  And, even if management isn’t an issue for you, it’s good to stop mid-year,  step back and view your space anew as you consider these top five markers of supportive classroom environments:

With just a few intentional shifts, entrance and exit tickets can become powerful tools for real-time instructional decisions. When used well, they help you teach responsively and strategically—without adding more stress to your day. Here are four practical ways to make entrance and exit tickets truly work for both you and your students.

Writing helps students retain knowledge and make stronger connections across content. In this first post of a 4-part series, I’m breaking down five powerful reasons why daily writing belongs in every K–12 classroom—from reading to music. Whether you're just getting started or ready to take content area writing to the next level, these benefits will show you why it matters.

3 Smart Shifts for More Purposeful Peer Dialogue

Here are five focus areas for fostering a positive digital environment in your classroom.

The recent changes to Indiana’s 3rd grade retention law are prompting important conversations between schools and families.

A strong, positive culture at the district level ensures that schools are supported, educators feel valued, and students have the resources they need to succeed. By fostering this culture, district leaders create a ripple effect that empowers principals, teachers, and students, making a profound impact—even if the rewards aren’t always immediately visible.

Summer is the perfect time to rekindle your love for math and science.

Understanding High Ability Cluster Grouping

Small group talk is a critical part of learning for everyone. It’s one of the most beneficial practices to embed in classrooms.

This raises an important question for educators: how can we transform math lessons from monotonous to captivating?

Background knowledge is critical to understanding new information. It helps us make connections, improves comprehension, and improves memory

At the start of each new school year, math teachers often find themselves reteaching skills that students haven't used for months.

Lesson plans can be short and easy just the essentials that are required for the lesson to be successful. The lesson plans I created when I was a new teacher were much different from the lesson plans that I created in my 20th year in the classroom. My lesson plans in my 20th year were different from the lesson plans I created in my 30th year in the classroom. Lesson plans change and evolve throughout your teaching career, yet there are always the essential “must haves” that s

Sometimes things can seem overwhelming so we avoid them. For example, my hall closet was a mess and I was desperate, so desperate I offered money to my teenagers to work on it. It’s the catch-all closet, the place where we shove stuff and then forget about it. Needless to say, that didn’t work, my teenagers wouldn’t take the bait, so eventually, after saying for several months I needed to clean it, I finally just did it. When it comes to hall closets, that’s okay, no harm, bu

In the realm of education, one of the greatest challenges faced by teachers, parents, and students alike is student apathy. Apathy can manifest in various ways, such as lack of interest, disengagement, or a general feeling of indifference towards academic pursuits. However, overcoming student apathy is not an insurmountable task.

Let’s face it. Recruiting, hiring, on-boarding, and training new teachers is time consuming, expensive, and exhausting. Schools with a high turnover rate struggle to maintain a healthy culture. Additionally, the inconsistency in staff leads to gaps in programming, curriculum, and common language and understanding across the building. Teacher retention should be at the top of our to-do list as educational leaders. To help you achieve this goal, we’ve put together some top tips

As I have visited classrooms and observed teachers teaching their classes, I am noticing a very common trend. The learning their students are doing is very passive and somewhat compliant. In a quote attributed to many different sources from Confucius to Benjamin Franklin says, “Tell Me and I Forget; Teach Me and I May Remember; Involve Me and I Learn” and it has been proven many times and, in many ways, to be true.   It used to be the standard norm in a classroom in rows all

With a growth mindset, students are encouraged to take on challenges and persist in the face of difficult tasks. It fosters a positive learning environment that supports risk-taking and self-improvement. By embracing a growth mindset, students can become more resilient, develop self-confidence, and learn to value effort over results. Research has also shown that students with a growth mindset are more likely to succeed academically and professionally.  

Motivation in education is the driving force behind a student’s desire to learn and grow. It is the intrinsic desire to do well and achieve success in the classroom. Motivation in education can come from a student’s own internal desire to learn and grow or it can come from external factors such as rewards, recognition, and encouragement from teachers and peers. It is important to foster motivation in the classroom in order to create a positive learning environment. Motivation