The real truth about achieving excellence

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The real truth about achieving excellence

February 5, 2015

Categories: Assessment, Math, Reading

How important is talent when it comes to success? Our efforts to create excellence in students are inextricably linked to our beliefs about what constitutes talent. Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent Code, advances that to help students achieve excellence [...]

Effective teachers are empowered—and so are their students

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Effective teachers are empowered—and so are their students

January 22, 2015

Categories: Assessment, Math, Professional Development, Reading

Educator effectiveness and grit are trending across educational media. Is it coincidence or inevitability that these two concepts should dominate current discourse simultaneously? Perhaps it is the potential for these ideas to be unified toward a single purpose: to empower [...]

Reflecting on education reform—Awareness of the past can unite us today

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Reflecting on education reform—Awareness of the past can unite us today

January 8, 2015

As I reflect back on almost 40 years in the field of education, I note how fitting it is that the job from which I retire is with Renaissance Learning, as these 40 years can be viewed as an ongoing [...]

Learning with a destination in mind: The art and science of personalized goal setting

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Learning with a destination in mind: The art and science of personalized goal setting

December 18, 2014

Categories: Reading

A version of the famous quote from Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu states, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” But what determines whether that journey will be successful? If we’re listening to current research on performance and [...]

Informational text: The writing on the wall

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Informational text: The writing on the wall

December 4, 2014

Categories: Reading

From cave drawings to instant messaging, humans are uniquely wired to leave a record of our experiences. So, too, are we uniquely driven to comprehend the experiences recorded by others. In our efforts to make applicable meaning from ancient cave [...]

What kids are reading—and why it matters

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What kids are reading—and why it matters

November 18, 2014

Categories: Reading

Everyone—big or small, young or old—enjoys a great story. When you give a book, you give not merely words on a page but freedom, independence, adventure, intrigue, joy, introspection. You name it. But where can you find potential gift-giving literary [...]

Discovery: The power of finding what I didn’t even know I wanted

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Discovery: The power of finding what I didn’t even know I wanted

November 6, 2014

Categories: Reading

Can you guess America’s most-ordered ice cream flavor? It’s not butter pecan, and it’s not blueberry cheesecake, and it’s not mint chocolate chip. (These, however, are my most-ordered flavors….) A year-long study by GrubHub revealed that the most-ordered ice cream [...]

Better testing, better teaching

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Better testing, better teaching

October 23, 2014

Categories: Assessment

Last week, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) released a statement supporting the use of high-quality and meaningful assessments that fit together within a coherent program [...]

To scaffold or not to scaffold? The first big misconception about rigor

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To scaffold or not to scaffold? The first big misconception about rigor

October 16, 2014

Categories: Math, Reading

Think back to the last really rigorous and complex task that you worked on. Did you develop and complete it from start to finish all on your own? Or did you perhaps talk with colleagues, look at models, or seek [...]

Learning progressions: Deeper and more enduring than any set of standards

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Learning progressions: Deeper and more enduring than any set of standards

October 2, 2014

Categories: Assessment, Math, Reading

Many of us can remember the advent of standards-based education, but few of us envisioned how politicized educational standards would become. Every day brings a new challenge, founded or not, to the Common Core, and educators in states that have suddenly [...]

Renaissance Blog

Latest Post

The real truth about achieving excellence

The real truth about achieving excellence

Recent Posts

Effective teachers are empowered—and so are their students

Effective teachers are empowered—and so are their students

Reflecting on education reform—Awareness of the past can unite us today

Reflecting on education reform—Awareness of the past can unite us today

Learning with a destination in mind: The art and science of personalized goal setting

Learning with a destination in mind: The art and science of personalized goal setting

Informational text: The writing on the wall

Informational text: The writing on the wall

What kids are reading—and why it matters

What kids are reading—and why it matters

Discovery: The power of finding what I didn’t even know I wanted

Discovery: The power of finding what I didn’t even know I wanted

Better testing, better teaching

Better testing, better teaching

To scaffold or not to scaffold? The first big misconception about rigor

To scaffold or not to scaffold? The first big misconception about rigor

Learning progressions: Deeper and more enduring than any set of standards

Learning progressions: Deeper and more enduring than any set of standards