Renaissance Blog

Literacy is the foundation of learning, which is why the most effective way to teach students how to read has been the topic of debate for many years. The sheer volume of information, research, and evolving trends has caused inevitable [...]

One of the most difficult challenges students can face in the classroom is trying to achieve “catch-up growth,” which is defined as the amount of growth necessary to reach grade-level expectations. It’s also a challenge for educators to find the [...]

Decades of research show that all students benefit from reading instruction that explicitly and systematically addresses five key areas: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. This important research, which is also known as the [...]

For more than 35 years, educators have relied on Accelerated Reader to help inspire K–12 students’ reading practice. In earlier blogs, we answered two of the most common questions we receive about the AR program: how books are [...]

As the creator of Renaissance’s new Star Phonics assessment, I often receive questions from educators and families about how to best support students with dyslexia—and about whether these students can learn to read successfully. The good news is that [...]

Connections are the heart of education. This school year, you’ll find great new features in your Renaissance solutions to more powerfully connect assessment, instruction, and practice—to preserve instructional time while also helping you to drive greater student growth. Read on [...]

Building on emergent bilingual students’ assets When I taught first grade in California, I read aloud to my students daily after lunch. One day, I chose El zapatero y los duendes (The Shoemaker and the Elves). To elicit students’ [...]

For me, as for so many others, the last couple of years have brought a lot of unanticipated work. When I say that, I’m referring more to the nature of the work I’ve been doing than to the quantity—although I’ve [...]