Literacy as a Foundation for Social-Emotional Skills

by Dr. Gregory Spencer

Literacy is much more than the ability to read and write; it is a vital skill that shapes how a person communicates, understands others, and manages their own social-emotional well-being. For children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds—particularly in Black and Latino communities—literacy serves as a bridge to emotional health, academic success, and broader social inclusion. This article explores how literacy development, when paired with social-emotional learning (SEL), supports well-being, family stability, and future economic and life opportunities, especially for those from historically marginalized communities.

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5 Key Steps to Ensure Your Students Are Kindergarten Ready

Ensuring children are prepared for kindergarten is one of the most important goals in early education. By integrating technology and engaging families, we can close the literacy gap and set young learners on a path to success. Here are five practical early literacy strategies to help boost early literacy skills.

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The Essential Role of Narrative Learning

by Mark Wojciechowski

As a new middle school teacher, my initial challenge was managing three consecutive double-block combo classes a day. My task was to keep the lively sixth, seventh, and eighth graders engaged for nearly two hours without any breaks. Thankfully, I had the guidance of a brilliant mentor who crafted lesson plans that skillfully integrated social studies standards with both fiction and nonfiction literature. It quickly became apparent that my students were more enthralled by the language arts segments than the history lessons. While one might attribute their enthusiasm to my delivery and a personal affinity for language arts, my passion lies in social science. Nonetheless, storytelling — or narrative learning — emerged as the most captivating aspect of class, becoming a favorite among my students during our extended class periods.

Humans have an inherent fondness for stories. Narratives provide a meaningful and memorable context that helps interpret facts and figures. This tradition, ranging from ancient parables and fables to contemporary case studies, has long been a powerful method to understand the world across cultures. By incorporating storytelling in teaching, we not only capture students’ imaginations but also reflect the way people naturally construct meaning in their daily lives.

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Parental Involvement in Early Literacy

Strengthening Literacy Through Parental Engagement and Technology

Parental involvement is a key component in promoting early literacy. When families are engaged in their child’s learning journey, the benefits are profound — from better academic outcomes to enhanced social and emotional well-being. Below, we explore how technology and community-wide efforts can foster family engagement to close reading gaps and support literacy development.

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Stress-Free Classroom Management Series Collection

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Stress-Free Classroom Management: Integrating Technology into Classroom Management

classroom management

In recent years, educational technology has revolutionized the classroom experience for students and teachers alike. There are many benefits to integrating technology into your classroom; one major thing technology can help with is streamlining your administrative tasks and reducing the stress involved with classroom management. From behavior tracking apps to comprehensive classroom management software, tech-based solutions can transform your teaching experience. Let’s explore some invaluable tools that can revolutionize your classroom management strategy and save you time and trouble.

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Closing the Language Exposure Gap

by Kathi Bari

A significant disparity in language exposure exists between children from affluent households and those from less affluent ones. This gap has long been a persistent issue, contributing to cycles of poverty and educational inequities. While technology has helped address this problem, our focus should be on using innovative learning tools to further close the language exposure gap.

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Stress-Free Classroom Management: Building Student-Teacher Relationships

Strong classroom management is built on strong student-teacher relationships. Without the foundation of this strong relationship, classroom management can become stressful and the success of your routines and procedures can become less dependable. This week, we’ll focus on strengthening the bond between you and your students to augment classroom management and help your students achieve the best learning outcomes. Here are 7 surefire ways to promote mutual understanding, respect, and care between you and your students. 

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Starting the Year Off Right: Using Data to Drive Instruction

By Dennis Muizers

The excitement of a new school year is in the air! Students and teachers alike are preparing for a great year. As leaders, we sometimes fail to nourish our educators in this time of optimism and high hopes. The wonderful possibilities that come with the start of each new school year give us the opportunity to ensure that this year truly will be different. One crucial way to do this is helping educators use data to drive instruction.

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Stress-Free Classroom Management: Routines and Procedures

Ensuring Routines and Procedures

Effective classroom management is the cornerstone of a successful teaching experience, and it doesn’t have to be stressful! One way to stay ahead of the curve of classroom management is having consistent routines and procedures for your students. Believe it or not, these little routines can, when used effectively, save you hundreds of valuable minutes of instruction time per week. Read on for examples of routines and procedures that really work, and how to maintain them all year long.

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