Archive - Minding the Gap

To Boost Learning, Weave Writing Activities Into Regular Instruction

Teaching writing can be a way of teaching, period.

Jul 25 •

Clearing Up Misconceptions about "Building Knowledge"

Some science-of-reading advocates assume it means rejecting any comprehension strategy instruction

Jul 14 •

June 2024

Letting a Thousand Educational Flowers Bloom

A new book argues for a pluralistic approach that sounds appealing but could lead to even more problems than we have now

Jun 23 •

A Curriculum Tempest in a Texas-Sized Teapot

The state could avoid controversy and improve a proposed elementary curriculum by making some modest changes to its accounts of Bible stories.

Jun 16 •

The College Kids Are Not All Right

Reports from professors point to an alarming decline in cognitive capabilities, even at selective institutions

Jun 2 •

May 2024

Fordham Brief Calls for an End to Reading Comprehension Instruction

While it provides a useful primer on flaws in the standard approach, it overlooks a role for strategy instruction

May 22 •

How to Help Older Students Who Struggle to Read

Many students above third grade need help deciphering words with multiple syllables

May 17 •

AI-Generated Summaries Are a Problem--for Authors and Society as a Whole

If students and general readers rely on simplified and inaccurate versions of texts, they'll miss a lot.

May 5 •

April 2024

Will the Science of Reading Movement Become a Frankenstein's Monster?

An overwhelming focus on problems with phonics instruction and a shallow understanding of cognitive science have led to some unintended consequences.

Apr 14 •

March 2024

Is Lucy Calkins Really a Proponent of "Direct, Explicit Instruction"?

That's what she claims, but the lessons in her curriculum don't bear that out.

Mar 27 •

How to Make the Dream of Education Equity (or Most of It) a Reality

Studies on the effects of tutoring--by humans or computers--point to ways to improve regular classroom instruction.

Mar 18 •

February 2024

Literacy Experts Say Some EdReports Ratings Are Misleading

Reviewers are giving some bloated basal readers top marks while failing to put a seal of approval on at least one effective curriculum

Feb 27 •

#nojs-banner { position: fixed; bottom: 0; left: 0; padding: 16px 16px 16px 32px; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; background: red; color: white; font-family: -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; } #nojs-banner a { color: inherit; text-decoration: underline; } This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts