COVID-19
Let's Stop Worrying and Lean on What Works in Early Reading
Should we worry about whether our earliest readers are learning to read, during the pandemic? Some point to concerning evidence of widening gaps in reading proficiency, especially in the early...
Politics
The Only Cure for White Supremacy Is To Teach Students Real American History
On January 6, as my students were learning about the history of trench warfare during World War I, I had no idea that our own Capitol was under attack―and not from outside invaders, but from people...
Literacy
AOC Is Tutoring a First Grader
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is highlighting an old, but never out of fashion, kind of public service: Tutoring kids. The second-term congresswoman tweeted that she has been matched with a...
Politics
Teachers Shouldn't Tiptoe Around Politics When It Directly Impacts Our Students
“Don’t talk politics and religion at the dinner table.” I presume I’m not the only one who was brought up with this unspoken rule. With a politically-neutral immigrant father and a politically silent...
Special Education
You Don't Just 'Raise' A Reader, You Have to Teach Kids to Read, Too
When I give presentations about dyslexia, I often illustrate how neurodiversity works by showing a chessboard. Some people can easily see all the patterns of moves on a chessboard and can play out a...
COVID-19
How to Help Beginning Readers During the Pandemic
Before the pandemic, many American children struggled to read well. Now, the pandemic has thrown early elementary teachers a curve ball in teaching reading; they must help kids make connections...
