The Importance of Test Prep for Students The Role of Test Preparation in Academic Achievement Test preparation is essential for helping students perform at their best during assessments. Whether for state exams, standardized tests, or subject-specific assessments, test prep familiarizes students with the format, question types, and expectations. This reduces anxiety and boosts confidence. Reinforcing…
In the podcast, Silvia Ybarra and John Hollingsworth co-authors of Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) and EDI for English Learners, share their expertise on applying EDI effectively in classrooms and across entire school systems. Together, they discuss the origins of EDI, how it evolved, and why it drives educational improvement. Silvia and John emphasize EDI’s structured…
EDI AND HIGHER-ORDER QUESTIONING: BUILDING CRITICAL THINKERS Structuring Lessons with Thought-Provoking Questions As an educator focused on effective instruction, the transformative power of Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) is evident in how it elevates classroom questioning from basic recall to deep critical thinking. This approach reshapes traditional questioning methods into a structured process that promotes deeper…
4 Steps to Instructional Excellence What is a culture of instructional excellence? It’s a place where teachers and administrators focus on providing excellent instruction for students. It’s a place where everyone knows what excellence looks and feels like, and the whole team supports the goal of obtaining it. Dr. Edwin Feulner, president of The Heritage…
How do EDI and Common Core Standards work together? Let us begin with understanding the terminology to avoid miscommunication. Common Core refers to educational standards created at the national level. Common Core standards are organized by subject and grade. Many teachers have been misled to believe that Common Core requires inquiry learning, project-based learning, or…
Educeri is Here We are proud to report that our new service, Educeri, is officially up and running! What is Educeri, you ask? Educeri (ed-ju-sair-ee) is a subscription-based lesson service that gives users unlimited access to hundreds of digital K-12 resources from any device. Through Educeri, we are committed to providing lessons – awesome ones…
What makes one teacher’s class a joy and another’s a torture? Were some people simply born to teach? As we remember our favorite teachers, I think we remember a je ne sais quoi, an indefinable quality, about them most. When we ask the world what makes a teacher great, the word “passionate” comes up every time.…
Parental Involvement Parents are their children’s first teachers. Children learn about life from the examples and expectations set by their parents or guardian. Once children start attending school, their social and educational world expands by leaps and bounds. But it is essential for parents, those first important teachers, to stay involved in their child’s education…
For more than 50 years, success gurus in the business world have been urging employers and employees to work smarter not harder. In business, it often means to think big, delegate more, and let technology work for you. It’s often recommended for people who are overwhelmed with details, facing multiple deadlines, and feeling stressed out…
Anyone who has been teaching for a few years knows that teachers face huge amounts of stress. It comes unremittingly from 20-120 students all demanding attention, and from administrative requests for meetings and paperwork, and parental requests about how Johnny’s doing. In the midst of this, a teacher has to prepare daily lessons, correct assignments,…