You may have heard in December of 2024 year two parents filed a class-action lawsuit against renowned early literacy educators Calkins, Fountas and Pinnell, along with their publishers, complaining that their texts and pedagogical approaches were failing kids.

Stop me if this sounds familiar: You’re preparing your students for an Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA), and you’re wondering, “Am I doing this right?”

Exciting but stressful! – these are common teacher sentiments at the end of the school year. There is excitement to spend the summer break recharging but it is also stressful to try and finish everything before the end of the year.
*Free downloadable prep guide included below

A Mid-Year Refresh

We teachers often put so much pressure on ourselves to do more. On top of managing our teaching jobs and personal lives, we are frequently given extra duties and responsibilities at school outside of teaching.

Teachers are leaders within their own classrooms, but we look to our respective leadership figures for inspiration, motivation, and support. Our leaders have the potential to ensure the school culture is a positive, upbeat one in which everyone is given the opportunity to thrive. I have spoken with many educators over the years, and one of the main qualities they look for in their leaders is approachability.

If you are striving to create a proficiency-based classroom this year but are not sure where to start, we are here to help! These quick, low-prep tips will help you embark on your journey to proficiency-based teaching starting on the first day of school.

Between September 15 and October 15, the United States celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month, honoring the people of Hispanic origin within the United States.

This month, CASEL and SEL4US (Social Emotional Learning Alliance for the United States) have jointly kicked off their 2021-22 school year SEL Showcase Challenge. The challenge includes monthly goals to inspire educators to make connections between SEL best practices and the tactics they implement in their classrooms.

This past year was one marked by change, loss, and unimaginable hardship. For teachers and students, the ordinary school year as we knew it quickly became a distant memory. Even the classroom looked like an unknown space, with desks and chairs spread far apart.

Want to get your students excited to start class? Start by having them join a Jam of the day! When I first started using Jamboard, it felt much clunkier and lagged more than Slides, so I did not use it very often. However, Jamboard has received some significant updates the past few months which has made it more functional than ever.

Would you rather conjugate verbs in another language or have a conversation with someone who speaks another language? Unless you are a true grammar geek, you prefer communicating.

Every year, National Foreign Language Week serves to highlight and honor all languages. In our increasingly globalized, interconnected society, it has never been more crucial to promote the value of language learning.

The end of the year is a special time. Starting with November’s Thanksgiving celebrations, we begin to publicly acknowledge our gratitude for those who have inspired and challenged us. However, this year has been different, and much more stressful, than past years.

World language teachers are the most creative educators. We have a million and one ways to engage learners in speaking and writing in the target language. Engaging students is our passion – well, that and intercultural connections, of course!