Nystrom Elementary News Today

How can we ever make progress when we’re locked in an eternal game of whack-a-false-mole?

Good literacy plans in California are rare and wasted opportunities abound.

I once believed that improving reading at a failing school could be a finite job. I thought it meant bringing in a new curriculum, showing teachers how to use it and then lingering long enough to ensure that students receive consecutive years of high-quality instruction.

Good literacy plans in California are rare and wasted opportunities abound.

Seventy-five elementary schools benefited from a $50 million settlement of a lawsuit against the state; they were encouraged to adopt “science of reading” improvement strategies.

Research by Stanford University found that 75 of the lowest-performing California elementary schools that received funding from an out-of-court settlement made significant progress on third-grade state Smarter Balanced tests this year.

West Contra Costa Unified School District has set up a new literacy task force to answer long-held questions about the best ways to teach students how to read.

West Contra Costa Unified will study its literacy instruction practices this year to come up with a comprehensive plan to improve students' reading skills.

Teachers are under pressure to help students master what they haven’t learned, but they are dealing with a pronounced rise in disruptive students.

Pandemic in rearview, schools are full of challenges – and joy. Step inside these classrooms to see their reality.