The Extraordinary Educators Podcast

On this special Teacher Appreciation Week episode, we bring back a tight-knit crew of past Extraordinary Educators to share about the power of connection. We talk about why community matters, how cross-state connections fuel growth, and what it takes to find your people and keep showing up for them.

We dig into what connection really does for educator well-being and professional growth. "The Cousins," as they refer to themselves, share how their group chat becomes a safe place to decompress, celebrate wins, and trade practical ideas. We also talk about how strong professional networks can influence classroom practice and leadership moves. 

If you’ve ever felt like you’re carrying the work alone, this one is a reminder that teaching is not meant to be a solo sport. Listen, then share it with a colleague who needs encouragement! 

Read the blog: CurriculumAssociates.com/blog/
Follow us on Twitter: @CurriculumAssoc
Follow us on Instagram: @MyiReady
Have feedback, questions, or want to be a guest? Email [email protected] to connect with us!

What if a “wrong” answer tells you more than a correct one? In today's episode, we sit down with Dr. Derek Briggs, professor of educational assessment at the University of Colorado Boulder, to unpack why assessment should go beyond testing, and instead focus on progress over mastery. Derek shows how context and thinking processes matter just as much as outcomes, and why mastery is not always simply laid out. 

To support a deeper understanding of progress, we explore a roadmap for measuring growth throughout your day-to-day. Start with a clear baseline, define where students are headed, and chart the route with smart, formative checkpoints. Derek shares an approach to “triage with intention”: use periodic measures to inform flexible grouping, then rotate focused attention across groups so support stays equitable. Derek also shares the power of strategic questioning, including entry and exit tickets. Over time, these small insights into a student's depth of knowledge add up to a clear picture that guides instruction.

Derek goes on to discuss the power of community. Inside the classroom, heterogeneous groups help students model strategies, language, and persistence for one another. Across the school, teachers who bring open-ended student work to the table can discuss expectations, co-create rubrics, and see patterns that single classrooms miss. And when families understand the learning goals and what quality work looks like, home practice becomes purposeful and encouraging. The result is a culture where curiosity replaces judgment, students take ownership of growth, and assessment becomes a daily driver of learning.

Read the blog: CurriculumAssociates.com/blog/
Follow us on Twitter: @CurriculumAssoc
Follow us on Instagram: @MyiReady
Have feedback, questions, or want to be a guest? Email [email protected] to connect with us!

In today's episode, we sit down with STEM Coordinator, and veteran educator, Karen Gauthier to unpack how a problem-based curriculum turns learners into mathematicians who reason, justify, and connect strategies with confidence.

Karen traces her 37-year journey from classroom teacher to district leader and explains why shifting to a problem-based math curriculum changed everything. We examine the Try-Discuss Connect routine, showing how rich tasks with multiple entry points invite diverse strategies and deeper understanding. You’ll hear what can look like in real classrooms: students choosing tools that make sense to them, partners explaining their thinking before whole-group share-outs, and teachers curating student work to highlight mathematical structure rather than a single “right way.” Karen also shares routines that guarantee equitable discourse, such as structured partnerships with clear roles and timing, so 100% of students answer 100% of the questions. 

If you want to build student agency, improve transfer, and foster a classroom culture where ideas matter more than steps, this conversation offers concrete moves you can use today.

Read the blog: CurriculumAssociates.com/blog/
Follow us on Twitter: @CurriculumAssoc
Follow us on Instagram: @MyiReady
Have feedback, questions, or want to be a guest? Email [email protected] to connect with us!

Today we sit down with third-grade teacher Natalie Banks to unpack a simple, powerful framework: courage to try small-group instruction, clarity to guide learning with posted intentions and success criteria, and connection to build a community where every student’s voice matters.

Natalie explains how she restructured her time, used data to form flexible groups, and leaned on ready-made materials to keep planning realistic. She paints a a picture of rotations that work: a teacher table using manipulatives to deepen understanding, an independent station with targeted practice, and partner activities to reinforce strategies. Along the way, we dig into the routines that keep everything smooth, ranging from explicit transitions, to shared norms for math talk, and quick checks that make progress visible.

Read the blog: CurriculumAssociates.com/blog/
Follow us on Twitter: @CurriculumAssoc
Follow us on Instagram: @MyiReady
Have feedback, questions, or want to be a guest? Email [email protected] to connect with us!

A hard truth sparked this conversation: too many students were reaching middle school unable to read independently at grade level. Erin Embon has spent 34 years across classrooms and leadership roles, and she walks us through how that pattern pushed her to rebuild reading instruction where it matters most. We unpack the data that challenged assumptions, the research that clarified next steps, and the practical moves that helped a district move to structured literacy with measurable momentum.

Erin begins by talking about what she noticed across the middle school setting, and how that influenced her work in the elementary setting. She talks about her "aha" moment and how she took that knowledge to support both teachers and students. From there, Erin explains how she supported teachers during this transition -- all while recognizing the difference between those in lower and upper elementary classrooms. Erin then wraps up by sharing some great advice for those that are starting to tackle the world of literacy in their schools and classrooms. 

Read the blog: CurriculumAssociates.com/blog/
Follow us on Twitter: @CurriculumAssoc
Follow us on Instagram: @MyiReady
Have feedback, questions, or want to be a guest? Email [email protected] to connect with us!

In today's episode, Rachel Porter, a digital curriculum integration specialist from Indiana, joins us to unpack how through-year assessment can turn scattered checkpoints into a steady engine for student growth. Rachel shares what changed when her district moved beyond one-and-done testing toward domain-level diagnostics that map exactly where each learner stands, and where to go next.

We talk about the deeper, domain-by-domain guidance i-Ready provides. That clarity allows teachers to group students purposefully, plan targeted lessons, and track progress more efficiently. Rachel also walks us through her district’s post-COVID rebound—how timely data, focused interventions, and consistent habits helped them return to pre-pandemic performance and keep climbing.

Rachel goes on to talk about how she incorporates celebrations for students and teachers across the board. She outlines three simple weekly habits tied to growth: about 45 minutes of personalized instruction, at least two passed lessons, and a pass rate above 70 percent. She then explains how monthly recognition builds momentum for every learner, not just the usual high achievers. Add in midyear check-ins and end-of-year growth goal celebrations, and you get a culture where effort turns into measurable progress!

What if a single test score isn’t telling you what matters most about your readers? We sit down with Dr. Kristen Braatz, AVP of Curriculum and Instruction at Curriculum Associates, to unpack how educators can capture a fuller, more actionable picture of literacy growth.

Kristen traces the realities behind stagnant literacy scores and the rising demands of reading in a digital world. We dig into why high-quality curriculum must go beyond comprehension checks to challenge students to analyze, argue, and create. You’ll hear how meaningful tasks, like structured discussions, frequent writing, and opportunities to teach ideas back, make thinking visible and reveal true progress. Along with that, we dive into the power of aligning assessment with instruction -- teachers gain time, students get targeted support, and literacy growth shows up both on the page and in real-life tasks.

If you’re ready to move beyond data for data’s sake and toward evidence that drives meaningful reading and writing, this conversation will give you clear steps to start now. 

Read Kristen's blog: CurriculumAssociates.com/blog/measuring-literacy
Follow us on Twitter: @CurriculumAssoc
Follow us on Instagram: @MyiReady
Have feedback, questions, or want to be a guest? Email [email protected] to connect with us!

Middle schoolers are a different set of students, and it is important to consider how best to engage them in their learning. National Director, Naneka Brathwaite, joins this episode to unpack five key strategies to engage middle school students: make progress visible, fuel autonomy with real choice, keep content relevant to age, build discourse for critical thinking, and pace efficiently so every minute counts.

Naneka explains how simple data talks, student-friendly progress trackers, and clear goals help learners name where they are and choose what to try next. From there, we dig into incorporating student choice by providing parallel paths to the same standard to support students deciding how they learn best. 

Relevance and discourse go hand in hand. Hear practical ways to pair developmentally appropriate texts with age-appropriate topics, reducing shame while raising curiosity. Naneka shares routines that move teachers from a "sage on the stage" to a facilitator of thinking: structured turn and talk, error analysis, and respectful disagreement that push ideas forward. In math and literacy alike, students learn to explain, question, and refine.

Finally, we talk about pacing. Older learners can revisit foundations quickly, but not at the expense of understanding. Learn how to plan concrete-to-abstract progressions, use quick checks to steer instruction, and avoid whole-class reteaching by leveraging small groups and just-in-time supports. The payoff is fewer disruptions, more buy-in, and a room that feels both calm and energized.

Today we sit down with Dr. Anita Archer to unpack how clear, compassionate behavior systems transform a room from reactive to ready. The big shift isn’t about control; it’s about removing guesswork so students know what to do and teachers can teach.

To begin, Dr. Archer dives into why behavior management is important. From there, she breaks down how to mapping key activities into simple, teachable expectations. You’ll hear routines in action, the power of specific praise, and the art of pre-correction so success is more likely before the first direction is given. 

If you're feeling overwhelmed tackling behavior management in your own classroom, Dr. Archer talks through a reset plan: pick a date, relaunch core routines, use “Looks Like / Sounds Like” charts, and keep expectations visible for a few days while habits take root. We wrap up with some memorable "Archerisms:" avoid the void for they will fill it; predictability predicts ability; if you expect it, pre-correct it; and teach with passion, manage with compassion. 

When expectations are explicit, feedback is specific, and routines are predictable, students feel safe, respected, and ready to learn. If you’re aiming for fewer disruptions, stronger focus, and great instruction, listen to this episode today.

IES Practice Guides: ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/practiceguides

Read Dr. Anita Archer's blog: CurriculumAssociates.com/blog/effective-behavioral-management-in-the-classroom
Follow us on Twitter: @CurriculumAssoc
Follow us on Instagram: @MyiReady
Have feedback, questions, or want to be a guest? Email [email protected] to connect with us!

Feelings walk into class before backpacks do. We sit down with first grade teacher Shannon Allison to explore how simple, repeatable SEL moves turn big emotions into teachable moments and stronger learning. Instead of treating social emotional learning as an add-on, Shannon shows how to weave it into routines that students can use right away and that teachers can sustain on busy days.

Beyond what strategies Shannon incorporates into her classroom, she dives into the "why" behind them, helping students better understand their own emotions in the process. Along the way, we also unpack the teacher side of social-emotional learning -- embracing nonlinear careers, resisting social media comparisons, and learning to be proud of progress even when the path looks different from the dream. Shannon’s recognition as an Extraordinary Educator opened doors to a supportive community that celebrates specific, effective practice, not perfection, and that affirmation changed how she sees her work.

If you want practical strategies you can try tomorrow and a reminder that your journey still counts when it curves, this conversation delivers. We offer clear takeaways for classroom culture, student self-regulation, and teacher well-being, plus insights into how recognition and community fuel growth. 

Apply to join the Extraordinary Educators: www.surveymonkey.com/r/EE2026

Read the blog: CurriculumAssociates.com/blog
Follow us on Twitter: @CurriculumAssoc
Follow us on Instagram: @MyiReady
Have feedback, questions, or want to be a guest? Email [email protected] to connect with us!