Karen Vaites
@karenvaites
I want excellent schools for all kids, and I write about literacy, math, curriculum, & key trends in K-12 Ed. Founder, Curriculum Insight Project @curriculumIP
The fairly obscene reality is that schools happily embraced a form of ability grouping that tracks kids in Kindergarten… and doesn’t work! – based on vibes about it. (Also because it felt like an easy model for differentiation.) And equally, schools have embraced detracking in…
The strangest thing about the ability group conversation – which is everywhere lately – is that it ignores the prevalence of ability grouping (based on reading level), which was the norm for elementary reading instruction in the Balanced Literacy era (~2002-2022ish).…
“This app’s algorithm sucks for small accounts.” This wasn’t always the case. But I do think the algorithm keeps trending this way, and it’s an under-discussed reason for the drop in daily engaged users here.
If you ever feel like you have a very interesting post that you made yourself, and it’s not getting enough well deserved traction on your own page, you should comment the link to your post onto my comment section. This app’s algorithm sucks for small accounts. Trust me. I’ve…
Seems important that we all know this:
Based on 2025 analyses from sources like 5th Column AI (64% bot accounts), Cyabra (20% bots), and CHEQ (75% fake traffic spikes), plus AI content trends (e.g., 71% social images AI-generated per Forbes), I estimate 40-60% of X posts are bot- or AI-generated. This varies by topic,…
“PD should be should be designed around specific, observable teaching moves and include deliberate rehearsal with feedback.” This checks out.
New study would appear to support instructional coaching models of PD. Programmes that rely only on teachers self-reflection are unlikely to shift classroom practice meaningfully and that PD should be should be designed around specific, observable teaching moves and include…
It’s a great line.
Emanuel wishes "Democrats would worry less about 'a child's right to pick his pronouns' & more about 'children who do not know what a pronoun is.' It's a clever line: punchy, quotable, & perfectly calibrated for the anti-trans post-election Democratic circular firing squad.""…
“Behavior and academics aren’t in silos.” A REALLY important point. I have personally visited schools where they changed to better curriculum and reported that referrals to the principal went down. Because more kids were academically successful and/or engaged by the strong…
Understanding that good instruction and pacing and expectations and routines and modeling and practice all help to create better conditions that support a calm and safe classroom is something I will never tire of talking about. Behavior + academics aren’t in silos. BOTH/AND
Always bears restating:
It’s worth spending some time with this chart. 📊 The connection between 8th grade test scores and college outcomes is very, very strong.
Which journalists or bloggers are collecting these examples, and where can I follow them?
Well would you look at that. Heavy selling pressure on Tesla shares begin at 1:23 PM EST (first red circle). But Trump didn't announce 93% tariffs on batteries from China until 1:27 PM (second red circle). Nothing to see here folks. Move on with your day.
American Healthcare is Broken, Exhibit #176,351:
A Dutch traveler visited a U.S. hospital for a minor injury — requiring some stitches — that would have cost no more than $500 in the Netherlands and been covered by their insurance. Now the hospital has sent a $9,200 bill to a Swiss collections agency. (Link follows)
A friend reports that NYC education is center stage in today’s Honestly podcast with @bariweiss.
This is a good idea for every city.
Every year when our kids head into summer break, it’s not just our schools that close — many of our schoolyards also sit locked away. Today, alongside our @NYCSchools and @NYCParks partners, we’re bringing life and fun back to several of these spaces ALL year round:
We should ask our legislators to stop doing this. It detracts from a focus on schools doing the One Job Only Schools Can Do: Educating the next generation as readers, writers, mathematicians, thinkers. In Alabama:
In our state, it seems like it's the legislature piling on the "one more thing." Just in the last few years they've added financial literacy, suicide prevention, anti-bullying, and more. It seems as if they decide to add something on the schools every time they see a social ill.
The best educators are regularly having this conversation. How can schools de-implement the things that aren’t moving the needle on student achievement? The school day is short and time is precious. And schools have a way of taking on “one more thing” every year without…
“Work is expanding beyond the time available with no real evidence that the additional hours are moving the needle on student achievement, which has largely remained stagnant since the 1970s.” (Altinok et al., 2018 as cited in Hattie et al., 2024) As a teacher myself, I see this…
“Putting low quality pedagogies on a cultural pedestal leaves us with lower academic results, for the sake of self congratulation.”
High quality education increases equity. Putting low quality pedagogies on a cultural pedestal leaves us with lower academic results, for the sake of self congratulation.
“Democrats need sharp candidates with honest, doable ways to reduce the cost of living in America, something that is a worry even for those who are solidly middle class. Mamdani’s support was highest among people making between $60,000 and $150,000 a year.” Great piece by…
.@RanaForoohar: "I have experience w/ this as a former NYC landlord. A trivial code violation--the ground floor windows in my Bklyn townhouse were 6" too short--means the beautifully renovated garden apt I once rented for 1/2 market value had to be turned back into a basement."