High-performing education systems like Finland, Estonia, Singapore, China, and Japan tend to prioritize more recess, fewer direct instruction hours, hands-on projects, and real-world problem-solving—while limiting excessive screen time. Yes, even China is limiting screen time!

Looking for fun ways to boost sight word practice? Check out this week's blog post with Pioneer Valley Books for nine engaging strategies to try in the classroom. readingrecovery.org/sightwordsclas… Pioneer Valley Books

Doctorbradjohnson.com

People. Not programs.

Listening Comp is not the same as reading comp.

The most exhausting part about being a teacher is hearing “experts” come out every yr like “Everyone. The new science is out. You see. We must… teach kids. But not like in the past! What we do is… you know… teach them. Directly. In a new groundbreaking way called “teaching”

"Reading is a message-getting, problem-solving activity, which increases in power and flexibility the more it is practiced." - Marie Clay

Writing teachers: I'm working on a chapter for a new book on the importance of play in the writing classroom. I'm interested in examples and anecdotes about how you encourage students to play in their writing. Email me: [email protected]

"Children build complex processing behaviors by repeatedly engaging with continuous text rather than solely focusing on isolated skills." Log in to your member account to read this great article by Jamie Lipp, Ph.D. in the latest Journal of Reading Recovery. readingrecovery.org/resources/jour…

So apparently, Sweden went all-in on tablets in the classroom--then saw 4th-grade reading scores tank. Now they're spending €60M to bring back real books, because screens weren't helping. And here in the U.S., only 30% of 8th graders read at grade level, with writing scores just

NEW on the blog! From struggle to strength: Liam’s story shows the power of responsive teaching. 👉 literacypages.wordpress.com/?p=8663 #ReadingSuccess #ResponsiveTeaching #LiteracyGrowth #FromStruggleToStrength

Don't blame the teachers. Don't blame the children nor their parents. No. It's the nature of the beast itself. Children have an innate urge to find meaning. In everything they experience. Phonics lessons, materials and tests have not enough meaning and are doomed to failure.

"The study found that there was very little research evidence, from experimental trials, to support the Government’s narrow approach to synthetic phonics and that a less rigid approach was more effective for children with reading difficulties." ow.ly/UT0b50XNecu

Kareem J. Weaver Proof of working isn't sufficient. There should be ample evidence that whatever is being adopted works better than what it is replacing.

Building an app to give older kids practice w/ gr level multisyllable words There were some that declared merely teaching the code will ensure all kids can decode easily if just tier 1 was solid because "the rules make sense!!" Let me tell y'all. The rules make so little sense+

New National Reading Panel? Cool. Maybe this time we can include ALL the research, include veteran teachers, skip the “science of reading” hype machine, and ask who it’s actually helping. (Hint: not always kids.) 📚👀 Read more: nancyebailey.com/2026/02/19/a-n…

Nothing brightens a teacher's day like a sweet note from a student! ❤️❤️❤️ Teachers, never doubt how much you matter. #MondayMotivation #ReadingRecoveryWorks

"Throwing around a phrase like 'causes harm' is not harmless. That kind of rhetoric matters, and it understandably struck a nerve with our community of literacy experts who’ve spent decades doing the actual work." myliteracycouncil.org/bigclaims_thin…

And maybe the people selling you this "science" have never taught a child to read. Maybe they have degrees in law, journalism, marketing, not education. Maybe they've gotten very good at selling curriculum.