This episode explores how classroom design impacts students’ attention, regulation, and learning. Dr. Laura Foster shares research-backed strategies for creating more intentional, less visually overwhelming spaces—and how small shifts in the environment can better support all learners.

Resources for Teachers

Heavily Decorated Classrooms Disrupt Attention and Learning In Young Children

Building Design for Learning with Willam Browning and James Determan

How to Use Mini Anchor Chart Flipbooks to Save Space and Time in Your Classroom

Structured and Accessible Classrooms to Support Independence

Biophilic Design in Schools

Students Speak

National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector

Research Articles & Background

Isolation of Difficulty

An Introduction to the Theory of Embodied Cognition

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Tennessee's Voluntary Pre-K Program

Fisher, A. V., Godwin, K. E., & Seltman, H. (2014). Visual environment, attention allocation, and learning in young children: When too much of a good thing may be bad. Psychological science, 25(7), 1362-1370.

Foster, L. K. (2025). Early Childhood Classroom Design: Integrating Montessori Principles with Neuroeducational Research. Journal of Montessori Research, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.17161/jomr.v11i2.24130

Kaplan, S. (1995). The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework. Journal of environmental psychology, 15(3), 169-182.

Price, J., & Romualdez, A. M. (2025). ‘It just feels unnatural being here’: Autistic secondary school students’ experiences of sensory sensitivities in the school environment. Autism, 29(9), 2228-2238.

Valentine, C. (2023). Architectural allostatic overloading: exploring a connection between architectural form and allostatic overloading. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(9), 5637.

Artwork and logo by The Interior Gaze

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 In this episode of The Research to Practice Gap, I sit down with Dr. Sharde Theodore to discuss how social emotional learning (SEL) can transform classroom culture and improve outcomes for students. 

Articles by Dr. Theodore

National Center for the Elimination of Educational Disparities

Resources for Teachers:

Daily Progress Reports

Check In/Check Out (CICO)

Classroom Job Ideas for K-12

Class Dojo

Critter Coin (like Class Dojo but more appropriate for secondary students)

GoNoodle

Brain Breaks for Middle & High Schoolers

Encouraging Students to Become Independent Learners

Research Articles & Background:

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)

Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

SEL Interventions Discussed:

Strong Start

Coping Power

Social Skills Training

Social Narratives

Peer Mediated Instruction and Intervention

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 In this episode of The Research to Practice Gap, Dr. D’Annette Mullen of Boston University talks about disrupting disproportionate discipline in schools through art, restorative practices, relationship-building, and student voice. 

Join our newsletter community for practical insights, implementation tips, and resources! 

Semicolon Books

Works by Dr. Mullen:

• Racism by Another Name: Black Students, Overrepresentation, and the Carceral State of Special Education 
• Chapter 4: It’s All About Relationships: (Re)Imagining Classroom Dynamics to Foster Student Engagement

Quote mentioned in the episode:

“When there's no name for a problem, you can't solve it” - Kimberlé Crenshaw

Resources for Teachers

• Recommended restorative practices workbook: Circle Forward: Building a Restorative School Community
• Using Restorative Practices Proactively
• Artful Integration: Restorative Practices, the Arts, and Evidence-Based Impact
• Respect From Day One

Research & Background

• Anti-Black state violence, classroom edition: The spirit murdering of Black children by: Bettina L. Love
• The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents by Sasha Rogelberg
• Answer Sheet: Bill Gates Spent Hundreds of Millions of Dollars to Improve Teaching. New Report Says It Was a Bust by Valerie Strauss
• The Neuroscience Behind Writing: Handwriting vs. Typing—Who Wins the Battle? (Marano et al., 2025)

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 In this episode, Dr. Alejandra A. Fernandez-Morgado shares research-based insights on special education, gifted education, and creating more equitable opportunities for diverse learners. 

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Find all of Dr. Alejandra Fernandez Morgado’s work here

Book and quote mentioned in the podcast:

Quote by Paola Ramos: “Storytelling has always been a form of resistance for generations of Latinos. Some have used it to resist assimilation; others to resist change and preserve the past.”

Defectors by Paola Ramos

Resources for Teachers

• Supporting translanguaging in your classroom
• School-Wide Enrichment Model
• The Fairchild Challenge
• Testimonio
• More Testimonio
• Cultural sustaining/relevant/responsive practices
• Reimagining homework
• Equity in School–Parent Partnerships: Cultivating Community and Family Trust in Culturally Diverse Classrooms
• Including student voice in educational decisions

Research & Background

• FLDOE Plan B for Gifted
• Bushi, J., Aliaj, A., & Kristo, E. (2024). Homework and Academic Success: A Critical Appraisal of Research and Practices. Journal of Education and Human Development, 13(2), 57-69.
• Chávez-Moreno, L. C. (2024). Examining race in LatCrit: A systematic review of Latinx critical race theory in education. Review of Educational Research, 94(4), 501-538.
• DeNicolo, C. P., González, M., Morales, S., & Romaní, L. (2015). Teaching Through Testimonio: Accessing Community Cultural Wealth in School. Journal of Latinos and Education, 14(4), 228–243. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348431.2014.1000541
• Floyd, E. F. (2024). Supporting thrice exceptional gifted students. Teaching for High Potential, 4-5.
• Haller-Gryc, I. (2022). When Teachers Are the Gatekeepers of Gifted and Talented Programs: Potential Factors for English Learners' Underrepresentation and Possible Solutions. Journal of English Learner Education. (14)1.
• Novak, A. M. (2022). Not white saviors, but critical scholars: The need for gifted critical race theory. In Creating equitable services for the gifted: Protocols for identification, implementation, and evaluation (pp. 246-262). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.

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In our first episode of The Research to Practice Gap, Dr. Helen Flores sits down with Dr. Buruuj Tunsill to explore how educators can better serve racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse (RELD) students in special education — particularly in under-resourced and high-needs schools.

This episode bridges research and lived classroom experience, offering concrete strategies educators can begin using immediately.

Join our newsletter community for practical insights, implementation tips, and resources! 

Dr. Tunsill's Book:

How to Better Serve Racially, Ethnically, and Linguistically Diverse (RELD) Students in Special Education: A Guide for Under-resourced Educators and High-needs Schools

Resources for Teachers

1. Recognizing Bias by the National Education Association 
2. Tools to Avoid and Address Deficit Thinking — University of Tennessee
3. Transforming Urban Education Through Hip Hop Pedagogy — Edmund Adjapong
4. Sparking Engagement with Hip Hop — Edutopia
5. Culturally Responsive Teaching Guide — University of San Diego
6. Strategies and Resources to Support Trauma-Informed Schools — SchoolSafety.gov

Research Articles Referenced

Cruz, R. A., & Rodl, J. E. (2018). An Integrative Synthesis of Literature on Disproportionality in Special Education. The Journal of Special Education, 52(1), 50–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022466918758707

Katsiyannis, A., Zhang, D., Ettekal, I., et al. (2025). Minority Representation in Special Education: 5-Year Trends from 2016–2020. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 9, 23–36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-023-00387-6

La Salle, T. P., Wang, C., Wu, C., & Rocha Neves, J. (2020). Racial Mismatch among Minoritized Students and White Teachers: Implications and Recommendations for Moving Forward. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 30(3), 314–343. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2019.1673759

Rasheed, D. S., Brown, J. L., Doyle, S. L., & Jennings, P. A. (2020). The Effect of Teacher–Child Race/Ethnicity Matching and Classroom Diversity on Children's Socioemotional and Academic Skills. Child Development, 91(3), e597–e618. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13275

Bal, A., Kozleski, E. B., Schrader, E. M., Rodriguez, E. M., & Pelton, S. (2014). Systemic Transformation from the Ground–Up: Using Learning Lab to Design Culturally Responsive Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Supports. Remedial and Special Education, 35(6), 327–339. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932514536995

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As a special educator, I struggled to find truly effective ways to support my students. I joined professional organizations, but didn’t have the time to sift through journals or navigate lengthy resource pages. I attended required professional development, yet it wasn’t always engaging—or useful.

Welcome to The Research to Practice Gap, a podcast created to bridge exactly that divide. Each month, I sit down with a researcher in the field of education to translate research into practical, evidence-based strategies and activities you can use in your classroom right away.

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