Leah Mermelstein, the author of“We-Do” Writing and many other renowned professional books, shares her secrets for creating integrated units of study.  Listeners will learn her step-by-step process to bend or create their own integrated curricula.  

Episode Mentions:

• Leah Mermelstein's Schoolutions Interview, "We-Do" Writing Book, "We-Do" Model Graphic & Self-Directed Writers Book
• P. David Pearson
• Cornelius Minor's Schoolutions Interview & We Got This. Book 
• Dr. Tanya Wright's Schoolutions Interview & A Teacher's Guide to Vocabulary Development Across the Day Book
• Patterns of Power Series 
• Nell K. Duke & Kelly B. Cartwright's The Science of Reading Progresses: Communicating Advances Beyond the Simple View of Reading (graphic on page 9)
• First Education Writing Summit  (June 14, 2023) - Reboot, Revamp, and Refresh Your School's or Classroom's Writing Instruction
• Align the Design: A Blueprint for School Improvement by Nancy J. Mooney & Ann T. Mausbach 
• Schooling by Design: Mission, Action, and Achievement by Grant Wiggins & Jay McTighe

Connect & Learn with Leah:

• on her website 
• on Twitter
• on Insta

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Jennifer Serravallo shares what inspired her to publish her most recent book, The Reading Strategies Book 2.0, and launch her ground-breaking literacy podcast for educators, To the Classroom.  With each episode, Jen interviews leading researchers and scholars, seeking answers to all things literacy, and then processes the research with colleagues, leaning on the question, “How will we take what we’ve learned to the classroom?”  

Episode Mentions:

• Maryanne Wolf 
• Wiley Blevins 
• Dr. Melanie Kuhn
• Dr. Peter Afflerbach
• Academic Intervention Services (AIS) & Response to Intervention (RtI)
• The Literacy Strategies Community
• Dr. Daniel Willingham
• HyeJin Hwang

Jen’s Current Podcast Playlist:

• Triple R Teaching
• Science of Reading: The Podcast
• Code Switch
• Fresh Air
• Have You Heard
• Nice White Parents
• So Many White Guys
• The Splendid Table
• The Yarn
• This American Life
• Bone Valley

Connect and Learn with Jen:

• on her website & To the Classroom Podcast (Spotify & Apple Podcasts)
• on Twitter (@JSerravallo)
• on Instagram
• on Facebook

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Change is a journey and can be complex. Matt Renwick inspires listeners with his article:7 Questions I Ask Myself When Working with Educators Resistant to Change (derived from his book, Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H.: 5 Strategies for Supporting Teaching and Learning). Matt's authentic approach and questions get to the heart of knowing each educator deeply for who they are both in and out of their classrooms.  

Episode Mentions:

• Matt's school -  Mineral Point Elementary School (Wisconsin)
• Cognitive Coaching: Developing Self-Directed Leaders and Learners (Christopher-Gordon New Editions) 3rd Edition by Arthur L. Costa
• Regie Routman - Read, Write, Lead: Breakthrough Strategies for Schoolwide Literacy Success (2014)
• Micki Uppena Mineral Point Elementary School  (Librarian)
• The Marshall Memo 
• Heather Fisher
• Jennifer Garvey Berger

Matt's Publications:

• 7 Questions I Ask Myself When Working with Educators Resistant to Change (February 2023)
• Leading LIke a C.O.A.C.H.: 5 Strategies for Supporting Teaching and Learning (2022)
• Classroom Libraries: Who Owns the Reading? (WSRA Journal, 2019)
• Busting Myths, Telling Truths (Language Magazine, January 2018)
• Digital Portfolios in the Classroom: Showcasing and Assessing Student Work (2017)
• Five Myths About Classroom Technology: How do we integrate digital tools to truly enhance learning? (ASCD Arias) (2015)

Connect and Learn with Matt:

• on his website & newsletter
• on Twitter (@ReadByExample)
• on LinkedIn

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Sara Bradford is an autistic woman ​and advocate. She ​is a member of the Autism Council ​of Utah and also the owner of the SJ Childs LLC Facebook ​Autism Advocate Support Group. ​In this episode, Sara shares her experience and perspective as a mother and partner to her ​husband and children, who are all on the ​autism spectrum. She is a global ​autism speaker and the ​podcast host of The SJ Childs Show. Sara offers resources and shares advice for caregivers and educators regarding autism awareness and advocacy.  

Episode Mentions:

• The SJ Childs Show
• Autism Council of Utah
• SJ Childs, LLC Facebook Autism Advocate Support Group
• Autism Society of America
• The Global Autism Project
• Dr. Barry M. Prizant - Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism
• Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism 
• Infinite Learning Academy
• Vela Education Fund 
• employU
• Neurodiverse Learning Retreat 
• Utah Afterschool Network - UAN I Am Project 

Get in touch and learn with Sara (aka S.J. Childs) via linkfly

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Penny Kittle lives by her words, "When you stand next to beautiful writing, your writing is just kind of set free." Penny shares how her latest book, Micro Mentor Texts: Using Short Passages From Great Books to Teach Writer's Craft offers a process for studying and teaching on the shoulders of incredible authors as mentors to transform student writing.

Ep. Mentions:

• Donald Murray
• Donald Graves
• Thomas Newkirk
• Tom Romano
• Book Love Foundation
• Matt de la Peña
• Kelly Gallagher-180 Days & Four Essential Studies
• Andrea Davis Pinkney
• Rebekah O'Dell
• Kwame Alexander (My Mother's Fried Chicken Was a Link to My Past—and My Daughter's Future)
• All Parents are Cowards 
• Sarah Zerwin-Point-Less
• Ezra Klein 
• Chris Crutcher
• Peter Elbow
• Jacqueline Woodson

Penny's Recommendations:

• Writing with Mentors: How to Reach Every Writer in the Room Using Current, Engaging Mentor Texts 
• The Teacher You Want to Be: Essays about Children, Learning, and Teaching  
• Craft and Process Studies: Units That Provide Writers with Choice of Genre 

Penny's Selected Writing:

• On Joy, Teaching, and the Deep Satisfaction of Writing
• NCTE Speech: Risk, Voice, and Clarity in Teaching 
• Engaged in Young Adult Literature: A Collaborative Conversation

Connect:

• via Website 
• on Instagram (Penny&Book Love Foundation)
• on Twitter
• on LinkedIn
• on

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

A.J. Crabill lives by his mantra: "Student outcomes don't change until adult behaviors change." In this episode, A.J. explains why changing adult behaviors (especially regarding school boards) requires new mindsets, knowledge, and skills. His latest book, Great on Their Behalf: Why School Boards Fail, How Yours Can Be Effective, provides a step-by-step guide to transforming student outcomes through the transformation of adult mindsets, knowledge, and skills -- starting with our own.

Episode Mentions:

• Pamela "Mama" Dawson - Choir Director at DeSoto High School (just won a Grammy) 
• Mrs. Murphy (A.J.'s Economics Teacher)
• Document for Coding Board Minutes 

A.J.'s Recommendations:

• Learn more about the book or get it: http://www.GreatOnTheirBehalf.com
• Read a preview of the book: http://tinyurl.com/Great-On-Their-Behalf-sample

Get in touch and learn with A.J.:

• via Website & Blog
• on Twitter
• on Instagram
• on Facebook
• on Pinterest
• on YouTube
• on LinkedIn
• on Vimeo
• on Goodreads

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Kindergarten teacher extraordinaire "Mr. Greg" of The Kindergarten Smorgasboard and ELEVATE Conference shares why being a teacher matters most. Listeners will leave inspired by Greg's hilarious tales from the classroom and practical tips to try right away with their students!  

Episode Mentions: 

• The Kindergarten Smorgasboard
  • Resource Center
  • Blog
• Basket Head 
• ELEVATE Conference
  • Holly Ehle - The Science of Literacy Learning
• Scheduling Sunday!

Greg's Recommendations:

• Greg HIGHLY recommends a doorbell for the classroom
• Greg HIGHLY recommends glue sponges to replace glue sticks
• Here is a great DIY sensory bin idea
• ABC Bootcamp is one of the most effective ways to teach letters & sounds in early elementary. The HOW & WHY

Connect and learn with Greg:

• via website The Kindergarten Smorgasboard
• on Twitter
• on Instagram
• on Facebook
• on Pinterest
• on YouTube

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Chief of Operations and Lead Writer for Two Writing Teachers, Stacey Shubitz, and Two Writing Teachers Co-Author, Melanie Meehan share beliefs, practices, and research around the benefits of teaching writing through a workshop approach.    Stacey and Melanie also shine as authors of groundbreaking professional books and co-hosts of the Two Writing Teachers Podcast! 

Episode Mentions: 

• Stacey’s Publications
• Melanie’s Books & Resources
• Katie Egan Cunningham 
• Carol Snook
• Ron Berger 4Ts
• Allison Zmuda - Roles of the Teacher
• Donald Graves
• Frank Smith (Psycholinguist)
• Steve Graham (A Meta-Analysis of Writing Instruction for Students in the Elementary Grades)
• The Literacy Studio by Ellin Oliver Keene 
• The Literacy Workshop by Maria Walther & Karen Biggs-Tucker
• The College Essay Is Dead by Stephen Marche 
• ChatGPT & Education Slide Deck by Dr. Torrey Trust
• ChatGPT may doom high school English classes like mine. Maybe that’s not so bad by Ben Berman 

Connect with Stacey & Melanie via:

• Websites: Stacey & Melanie
• Twitter: Stacey & Melanie
• Facebook: Stacey & Melanie
• Instagram: Stacey & Melanie
• Pinterest: Stacey & Melanie
• LinkedIn:

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Try out my new SpeakPipe widget! Leave a voice memo about a Schoolutions episode that has inspired you or a PK-12 public education issue/solution. Make sure to let me know your role or connection with public education.  

Here’s to continuing to find inspiration together! 

Connect with Schoolutions Podcast:

• via my Website
• via SpeakPipe
• on Twitter
• on Facebook
• on Instagram
• on Threads
• on LinkedIn

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Dr. Tanya S. Wright shares research examining instructional practices that promote young children's oral language, vocabulary, and knowledge development. Listeners will be inspired to incorporate intentional vocabulary instruction for students throughout the school day. Tanya offers a wealth of information with examples based on her book, A Teacher's Guide to Vocabulary Development Across the Day: Grades K-3.

Episode Mentions: 

• Tanya's books:
  • Literacy Learning for Infants, Toddlers, & Preschoolers: Key Practices for Educators(NAEYC 2022)
  • A Teacher's Guide to Vocabulary Development Across the Day: Grades K-3(Heinemann 2021)
  • All About Words: Increasing Vocabulary in the Common Core Classroom: PreK-2(Teachers College Press 2013)
  • Nurturing Knowledge: Building a Foundation for School Success by Linking Early Literacy to Math, Science, Art, and Social Studies(Scholastic 2007)
  • A Parent's Guide to Reading With Your Young Child(Scholastic 2006)

Other Resources Tanya Recommends:

• SOLID Start (FREE, open-access science curriculum materials with integrated literacy learning opportunities)

Connect with Tanya:

• on Twitter

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.