Academic and Emotional Supports for Struggling Learners
Disrupt the painful cycle of academic challenges and emotional distress When students struggle with learning, it can be stressful for both them and their teachers. Struggling learners are more likely to experience low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and behavioral issues-challenges that, combined with highly stressful learning experiences, can tip students into a trauma response that makes learning even harder. Overcoming the School Trauma Cycle explores the science behind how learning occurs in the brain, how it can be disrupted, and-most importantly-how to overcome the painful cycle of academic challenges and emotional distress. Inside, you'll find: What the latest research tells us about how mental health issues can disrupt the learning process How academic and mental health challenges can fuel each other Manageable, whole-class practices and targeted supports to meet struggling learners' academic and emotional needs Opportunities to self-assess and reflect Many schools have increased their focus on trauma-informed teaching and social-emotional learning, but these approaches are too often pitted against academic rigor when they are really two sides of the same coin. To improve outcomes for all students, we must address their social-emotional needs alongside their academic ones. In Overcoming the School Trauma Cycle, you'll discover empowering practices to help all students learn and thrive.
Adopt a strengths-based, justice-centered approach to teaching multilinguals Offering educators a path to pedagogical justice for multilingual learners, Overhauling Learning for Multilingual Students outlines a comprehensive alternative model for instruction and assessment. With an emphasis on engaging multilingual learners in authentic communication and promoting student agency and creativity, this book is an urgent call-to-action for educators at all levels to value and leverage the many assets that multilingual students bring to every classroom. The book outlines six dimensions of pedagogical justice and offers practical strategies to implement a learner-centered approach that will help all students thrive. Additional features include: An assets-based framework designed to help multilingual learners learn and grow Guidance for shifting instructional strategies away from remediation and test preparation toward an engaging, justice-centered approach Activities to to help students collaboratively build up unique and important ideas (claims and concepts) across disciplines Written by scholar, practitioner, and best-selling author, Jeff Zwiers, Overhauling Learning for Multilingual Students supports educators to de-think and rethink traditional one-size-fits-all approaches to teaching and assessing multilingual learners.
If not now, when? Anchored in the tenets of justice, repair, and belonging, Equity Now is a comprehensive guide for educators that emphasizes the urgent need for immediate action to dismantle systemic barriers in education. Aimed at K-12 professionals at all levels of the education system, the book urges us to move beyond individual efforts by applying an equity lens to our policies and practices. Through honest, sustained, and critical dialogues in "brave spaces," educators can address disparities and create equity-centered school communities. Equity Now proposes a solutions-oriented approach to fostering welcoming, affirming, responsive, and rigorous learning environments. Author Tyrone C. Howard, one of the leading authorities on issues related to racial inequality in our schools, provides An equity framework grounded in justice, repair, and belonging A clear vision of equity-focused leadership Essential practices, strategies, and resources for classroom teachers Suggestion for engaging parents, families and caregivers in schools Recommendations for engaging data in an equity based way Reflection questions and additional resources at the close of each chapter This book is a must-read for educators, administrators, and policymakers who are committed to creating conditions in which our children can reach their highest potential.
Building upon the blockbuster success of Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics, Peter Liljedahl has joined forces with co-author Maegan Giroux to bring the Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) framework to life in this new book, Mathematics Tasks for the Thinking Classroom, Grades K-5.
A Research-Based Approach Grounded in Honesty, Transparency, Accuracy, and Equity
Let evidence and integrity guide your grading practice If you want to ask a polarizing question in education, ask someone their thoughts on grading. Few topics have elicited more interest or opinions, even though grading practices have remained relatively unchanged for years. But opinions are not evidence. The time has come to get it right with a fresh approach grounded in research and the principles of integrity. Grading with Integrity introduces a measured approach to grading reform based on honesty, transparency, accuracy, and equity with recommendations backed by clear and trustworthy evidence. Addressing the many "whys'' involved, this thoughtfully organized book addresses central questions related to grading and reporting student learning, covering: An historical overview of grading and reporting practices A discussion of standards-based and competency-based grading Recommendations for reporting non academic learning goals separately from academic achievement, to accurately reflect students' performance Suggestions for reporting growth and improvement, using specific assessments and other reporting tools An infallible argument for grading with integrity This book is a must-read for K-12 classroom teachers and administrators who are looking to implement better and more defensible grading and reporting policies and practices. Let evidence and integrity be your guide to enhancing students' best interests and learning success.
Find the right strategies and tools to support students who experience trauma Studies show that 46-75% of children experience trauma, often resulting in challenging behavior, depression, and anxiety as well as long-term physical and mental health issues. Today's educators, counselors, and clinicians need the right strategies to help. Written by experts with years of experience working with children and teens exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), Trauma-Informed Practices for the Classroom and Beyond describes the most effective tools available and walks you through how to implement them with compassion and fidelity. Inside, you'll find Detailed and easy-to-implement interventions that alleviate the effects of trauma, including mindfulness, journaling, restorative justice, and more Trauma-informed practices to use with all students, regardless of their age or the duration or frequency of their trauma exposure Ways educators can prepare their classrooms and schools to support students who experience ACEs This how-to guide and its companion website with discussion points, recommended videos, and additional resources equips you with evidence-based techniques and instructions to support children and teens with ACEs and enhances your practice to better serve the students who need our help most.
Foster Trust, Accountability and Engagement in Your Teams Creating strong, cohesive teams is an art, and How Teams Work: A Playbook for Distributing Leadership is the essential guide for school leaders looking to master this craft. This interactive playbook doesn't just advise but actively equips leaders with the tools they need to foster trust, accountability, and engagement in their teams. School leaders today face a critical mandate: to empower, engage, and work in concert with their teams to foster a positive and productive school environment. How Teams Work doesn't offer mere platitudes-it offers practical strategies and tools, with concept maps, learning intentions, team challenges, reflection prompts and more. Information is organized into six modules exploring: The foundational role leaders play in team dynamics Strategies to bring together and mobilize effective leadership teams Methods to forge and maintain team unity and collaboration How to build and maintain trust and respect within teams Practical tools for maximizing team productivity and decision-making Guidelines on reflective leadership to assess and improve team performance How Teams Work isn't only a resource; it's a roadmap to sustainable success, illuminating the path to nurturing leadership at every level. In an age where the turnover of educators is high and the need for sustained, collective school improvement efforts is urgent, leveraging the power of teams isn't just advantageous-it's essential.
Methods and Structures for Engaging, Explicit Instruction
Research-based, easy-to-use lesson structures for explicit and engaging teaching In Teaching Reading Across the Day, literacy expert Jennifer Serravallo provides nine effective, predictable, research-based lesson structures that help busy teachers save planning time and focus their teaching-and student attention-on content rather than procedures. Each of the nine lesson structures (read aloud, phonics and spelling, vocabulary, focus, shared reading, close reading, guided inquiry, reader's theater, and conversation) has its own chapter and features a wealth of resources that let you see the lessons in action in K-6 ELA, Science, and Social Studies classes, including: An annotated teaching vignette, lesson explanation, and research notes Tips for planning, structure and timing suggestions, and ideas for responsive teaching Detailed planning templates and 23 accompanying online videos covering over 3 hours of classroom footage Jen's reflections, key look-fors, and ideas for next steps The nine lesson structures can be used with any curriculum or core program, text, and subject, making it easier for teachers to maximize explicit and engaging teaching time across the day, and simplify planning and preparation. Jen incorporates a wide range of compelling research about how best to teach reading to every student in your class and translates the research (or the science of teaching reading) into high-leverage moves you can count on to deliver powerful lessons again and again. She also honors the art of teaching reading, helping teachers tap into their experience and hone their expertise to make quick, effective classroom decisions that take student learning to the next level.
Foster multilingual learners' academic success, wellbeing, agency, and belonging Though multilingual learners (MLs) comprise nearly 25% of the school-age population, the most widely-used social emotional learning (SEL) frameworks and programs lack an intentional focus on these students' unique strengths and challenges. To foster MLs' academic success and wellbeing, educators must consider students' cultures, languages, assets, expectations, norms, and life experiences when integrating SEL practices. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Diane Staehr Fenner and Mindi Teich break down how each of the five competencies in the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) SEL framework can be implemented with ML success in mind. Staehr Fenner and Teich's practical and engaging guide provides SEL considerations that are unique to MLs, relevant research, easy-to-implement educator actions, and tools to seamlessly integrate SEL practices into content and language instruction. Additional features include: Tools and practical strategies educators can apply immediately Programmatic and systemic considerations that impact SEL for MLs Examples of successful SEL strategies for MLs currently being used in classrooms Ample opportunities for reflection and application in each chapter Templates to prioritize and integrate SEL for MLs into teaching practices MLs thrive when they are validated and supported to achieve their goals, empathize with others, build relationships, and make responsible decisions. The essential actions presented in this guide will enable you-regardless of your role or prior experience with SEL-to empower MLs to achieve academic and lifelong success.
