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

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

If you’ve spent any time in education lately, you’ve probably heard the phrase “science of reading.” But it’s more than a buzzword. The science of reading is a large body of research explaining how people learn to read, why some students struggle, and which instructional practices reliably lead to success. It’s not a single program or trend — it’s decades of evidence that can transform how we teach literacy.

As leaders during these difficult times, it can be hard to attract, hire, and retain great teachers. One way to do this is by creating a strong mentoring program at your school.  Teachers want to feel valued, connected, and supported with the difficult work they do every day. Teachers who are new to your school, both new educators and veterans alike, need a high level of support. Providing the right support can ensure that they are successful and remain valuable members

I was working with a school and the teachers started talking about the NCAA Basketball tournament. I quickly zoned out as with my basketball prowess I have no interest in basketball at all. The entire discussion became background noise to me. I could not tell you a single thing that was discussed during that entire conversation. If the topic would have been about the current NHL standings and the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs my ears would have tuned in immediately and I woul