How to Activate and Accelerate Student LearningHave you ever given instructions to your students, only to receive blank stares or confusion? Clarity is an essential part of teaching and learning, and every interaction we have with students is the foundation for moving learning forward—we must make every interaction count.Backed by the latest education research on what really works, Teacher Clarity spotlights the newest and best teaching st...

Provide the perfect structure and support to develop student independence.Effective scaffolding leads to learner autonomy—but too many educators have been airlifting students to right answers, perpetuating a generation who don’t know how to learn. Yes, we know the sweet spot for learning involves giving our students the right blend of productive failure and productive success, but how to do it is cloaked in misconceptions.How Scaffoldi...

Now in its 3rd edition, Better Learning Through Structured Teaching is the definitive guide to the gradual release of responsibility—an instructional framework any teacher can use to help students to be more successful and self-directed learners.To gradually release responsibility is to equip students with what they need to master content and develop new competencies. On a day-to-day basis, it means delivering lessons intentionally structured to incorporate four interrelat...

It’s all about the right support, at the right time, in the right amountNew teaching staff, whether novice or veteran, are a central part of a successful school year. So why is it that they are often greeted at the door of our school community with the autopilot vibe of a ticket taker at the movies? Onboarding Teachers changes the rules of engagement, offering activities and practical strategies that focus leaders and coaches on critical aspects of success...

Drive collaboration and improve student learning with PLC+Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) have long been celebrated as a powerful tool for driving collaboration and improving student outcomes. But what if there was a way to take your PLC work to the next level? Your Introduction to PLC+: Building Collaborative Teams That Drive Student Success introduces the next-generation PLC model that prioritizes collective efficacy and actionable stra...

Build and sustain the mindsets and systems that make teacher clarity work.Learning depends on clarity—a shared understanding among teachers, leaders, and students of what is being learned, why it matters, and how success will be recognized, all aligned with the learning experiences and assessment tasks. While many schools want to embrace teacher clarity, progress often stalls without clear guidance for school and district leaders. This book provides the essential f...

50 Strategies for Activating the Full Potential of Your PLC+ TeamAre you maximizing the impact of your professional learning communities? 50 Strategies for Activating Your PLC+ equips educators with the tools and actions needed to foster highly effective PLC+ teams.Successful PLCs are built on a foundation of strong collaboration, unified purpose, trust, and effective communication. The 50+ strategies in this essential guide address the challenges and poss...

Create classrooms where every student knows they belongBelonging is an instinctual feeling that serves as the ultimate gatekeeper for learning. There′s a difference between fitting in and belonging, and the cost of energy expended to "fit in" comes at the cost of disconnection. As an educator, you know the struggle of trying to reach students who feel unseen or undervalued. This updated, easy-to-use playbook tackles this urgent challenge by exploring the 11 dimensi...

ASCD Bestseller! Classroom management is traditionally a matter of encouraging good behavior and discouraging bad by doling out rewards and punishments. But studies show that when educators empower students to address and correct misbehavior among themselves, positive results are longer lasting and more wide reaching.In Better Than Carrots or Sticks, longtime educators and best-selling authors Dominique Smith, Douglas Fisher, and Nancy Frey provide a pract...

Huge numbers of our students are caught in storms of trauma—whether stemming from abuse, homelessness, poverty, discrimination, violent neighborhoods, or fears of school shootings or family deportations. This practical book focuses on actions that teachers can take to facilitate learning for these students. Identifying positive, connected teacherstudent relationships as foundational, the authors offer direction for creating an emotionally safe classroom environment in which students find a...

Design learning environments where every student chooses to actively engageEvery teacher dreams of a classroom buzzing with curiosity, but creating genuine engagement is tough, especially alongside today’s endless distractions. If you′ve ever felt like you′re pulling teeth to get a hand raised, you aren′t alone! The Engagement by Design Playbook helps K-12 educators shift from demanding compliance to cultivating real curiosity.Rather than treating ...

Imagine a school with a diverse student body where everyone feels safe and valued, and all—regardless of race, culture, home language, sexual orientation, gender identity, academic history, and individual challenges—have the opportunity to succeed with interesting classes, projects, and activities. In this school, teachers notice and meet individual instructional needs and foster a harmonious and supportive environment. All students feel empowered to learn, to grow, and to pursue their dre...