Articles and Spotlights

Research-Driven Positive Psychology as a Tool in Social-Emotional Learning

posted 5 days ago

Research-Driven Positive Psychology as a Tool in Social-Emotional Learning By Robert G. Hendrickson The need for optimism and resilience among adults is clear, and it crosses cultures and boundaries. Depression is widespread in the developed world. While a substantial amount of literature has been released within the “self-help” genre, very little research has examined the ...

Reimagining Classroom Conversations: Using Padlet to Engage K–2 Learners, Including Students with Special Needs

posted 8 days ago

Reimagining Classroom Conversations: Using Padlet to Engage K–2 Learners, Including Students with Special Needs By Melissa Wesney Introduction Young learners in kindergarten through second grade thrive in environments that are interactive, visual, and emotionally engaging. As digital tools become more integrated into early childhood education, teachers face the challenge ...

Make Way for Reading Skills: Are Your Students’ Reading Ducks in a Row?

posted 15 days ago

Make Way for Reading Skills : Are Y our S tudents’ R eading D ucks in a R ow? By Robin Quick Have you ever seen a mama duck and ducklings walking along a creek? They stay in a line moving steadily forward , each duck following closely behind the next. But if one duck slows down or stops, the entire line is affected: the others must ...

Pariendo Chistes: ¡¿Who Knew Homophones Could Be So Funny?!

posted 29 days ago

Pariendo Chistes : ¡¿ Who Kn ew Homophones Could Be So Funny?! By Mitch D. Ingram “ Se nos nació ” as we say in Spanish. It was just born, naturally , out of the activity that we were doing about homophones in class. One of my favorite go-to assignments every spring as a bilingual elementary teacher for ...

From 'Time-Crunched' to Tech-Savvy: A Teacher's Guide to Learning Experience Design

posted 03-31-2026

From 'Time-Crunched' to Tech-Savvy: A Teacher's Guide to Learning Experience Design By Colton H. Clark Closing the “Knowing-Doing” Gap Imagine this scene: you deliver a fantastic lesson on primary sources. The exit ticket shows that your students can define "primary source" perfectly. Success! But the next day, when you ask them to analyze a 1920s political ...

5 Tips to Create a Classroom Community of Care

posted 03-17-2026

5 Tips to Create a Classroom Community of Care By Katherine Horlock and Cindy Melton A classroom community rooted in care lays the foundation for student success and academic growth. When teachers demonstrate trust and encourage a sense of belonging in the classroom , students feel safe, connected, and encouraged to learn. A caring classroom enhances ...

Simplifying Differentiation: The Power of Knowing Your Students

posted 03-03-2026

Simplifying Differentiation: The Power of Knowing Your Students By Erika Flynn, Ellie Glover, Halle Haigis, and Kim McCormick As future educators, we are beginning to realize just how complex and rewarding teaching can be. During our time as preservice teachers, we’ve often heard that every student is unique but experiencing that firsthand ...

Why Teaching Cursive Still Matters: For Access, Identity, and Equity

posted 02-17-2026

Why Teaching Cursive Still Matters: F or Access, Identity, and Equity By Lisa Delgado Brown Do you know how to read cursive ? If so, consider yourself lucky. There are swaths of children and adults worldwide who no longer know how to read cursive . The problem has become so prolific that t he US National Archives recently issued a call for volunteers ...

Creo En Ti: 5 Tips For Working With Multilingual Learners

posted 02-03-2026

Creo En Ti: 5 Tips For Working With Multilingual Learners By Gina Stevens (Above) teacher Gina Stevens believes in her students and fosters biliteracy. “You shouldn’t go into teaching. You’d have to retake the ACT, and you just don’t have the grades.” It wasn’t easy hearing this from a college ...

Navigating the ESL Maze: Finding the Right Approach for Multilingual Learners

posted 01-20-2026

Navigating the ESL Maze: Finding the Right Approach for Multilingual Learners By Daniel Malakowsky Back To School Imagine it's your first week of school. You've greeted your students, gathered assessment data, and now face the challenge of meeting the diverse literacy needs of students . A mong your students are multilingual learners (MLLs) who ...

Family Knowledge Matters: Reframing Engagement with Emergent Bilingual Communities

posted 12-09-2025

Family Knowledge Matters: Reframing En ga gement w ith Emergent Bilingual Communities By Grace Kibe Parents of emergent bilinguals (i.e., multilingual learners; formerly referred to as English language learners ) are often misunderstood and sometimes perceived as negligent regarding their children’s academic performance due to lower ...

From Social Media to the Classroom: Assessing the Fit of Classroom Management Practices You Find Online

posted 11-12-2025

From Social Media to the Classroom: Assessing the Fit of Classroom Management Practices You Find Online By Cynthia Deaton and Lydia Beahm Have you ever scroll ed through TikTok, Reddit, or a teacher blog and found a fun classroom management idea? Do you think you need to refine your current classroom management strategies to better engage and support your students ...

EdTech to Empower ELLs in Any Classroom

posted 10-28-2025

EdTech to Empower ELLs in Any Classroom By Mac k enzie Shiau Imagine stepping into a classroom where half your students speak limited English, and a few have barely attended school. Their eyes are bright, but their voices are silent. You want to help—but how? Supporting English Language Learners (ELLs), especially Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal ...

Hands-On, Minds-On: How Interdisciplinary Learning Inspires Student Engagement

posted 10-14-2025

Hands-On, Minds-On: How Interdisciplinary Learning Inspires Student Engagement By Ana Figueroa Using hands-on learning strategies to increase student engagement and participation takes planning and dedication (Frank, 2020). Teachers are central to this work, as they must balance academic growth with student enjoyment by attending to both cognitive and emotional needs that extend ...

As a Birdwatcher, Here’s What I've Learned About Classroom Management

posted 09-30-2025

As a Birdwatcher, Here’s What I've Learned About Classroom Management Birding taught me four ways we can better prepare our early-career teachers for the classroom By Ronak Shah During a quiz, two students whisper in the back of my room. I notice, but stay quiet. I have one chance to redirect them. Forty-seven seconds into their conversation, while my ...

Facing the Truth: Conversations on Race, Identity, and Equity in Education

posted 09-16-2025

Facing the Truth: Conversations on Race, Identity, and Equity in Education By Kevin Cataldo Often, as teachers and school leaders, we do not get the chance to engage in conversations with one another to critically reflect on how our understandings of race, culture, and ethnic identities impact our students in the classroom. When teachers and school leaders reflect ...

🎒 Back-to-School Giveaway - Win $100 for Your Classroom! 🎒

posted 09-03-2025

Happy back-to-school season, KDP family! Our partner Passage Preparation is celebrating with us by giving away two $100 Amazon gift cards for classroom supplies. The best part is, as a KDP member, you’re automatically entered to win! Here’s how it works: ✅ You’re already in! All active KDP members get one entry. ✅ Bonus entry: Follow Passage Preparation on Instagram or ...

I’ve Graduated, But No Job Yet: Turning This Pause Into a Power Move

posted 09-02-2025

I’ve Graduated, But No Job Yet: Turning This Pause i nto a Power Move By Suzan Kobashigawa and John Hiski Ridge Graduating with a teaching degree is a major achievement—but what happens when a job offer doesn’t come right away? For some new teachers, the transition from student to full-time teacher may not be immediate. And while we are experiencing a nationwide ...

You...don’t...know

posted 08-19-2025

You... don’t ...know By Irene Pittman Aiken “You do n’t know that Susan is abused at home, do you?” my colleague asked . I didn’t know and I was dumbstruck. I was in my second year of teaching and discussing the student ( we’ll call her Susan ) with a colleague . I’d just learned Susan was to be in my ...