Robert Pondiscio
@rpondiscio
Dad, teacher, volunteer fireman, American, senior fellow @AEI; author, "How the Other Half Learns."
Two big Ninth Circuit rulings today: 1. Court rules that Oregon requirement that parents seeking to adopt a kid from foster care agree to "respect, accept, and support" kid's sexual orientation and gender identity violates the First Amendment. Opinion by (excellent Trump…
If the student hasn’t learned, the teacher hasn’t taught. - Zig Engelmann
Try this: "Like any thoughtful group of educators, we must pay careful attention to what students say and do in order to ensure we're serving them to the best of our ability. But at the end of the day it's the adults who are in charge and accountable."
“Student voice must inform decision making” A quote from our new superintendent.
From our recent article: open.substack.com/pub/scienceofl…
No idea who this child is, but I’d be inclined to give him a good spanking and send him to *his* room.
"Men need to say, 'Shut up and go to your room. I'm the man of the house. I will not be taught what it is to be a man by a woman.'"
It's also my first day of investing an unhealthy amount of my attention, mood, and overall life satisfaction in a football team. Go Bills. #BillsMafia
FIRST DAY OF BILLS CAMP!! @Ticketmaster | #BillsMafia
The NYT gives Trump far too much credit here. Patents have long known that the way schools and the medical community have “treated” particularly vulnerable children who struggle with gender dysphoria has been flat-out wrong, but too many were afraid to say this out loud.
nytimes.com/2025/07/22/us/…
✏️🪩Are you ready for it?!?📕⌨️ 🎉Episode 5 of the #KnowledgeMatters Podcast is LIVE! Host @natwexler discusses Memory and the Writing Effect with guests Jeff Karpicke from @Purdue and John Sweller, Developer of Cognitive Load Theory! 📝🧠 🎧Listen here: tinyurl.com/ynnhd8jd
In this episode @natwexler applies research on cognitive load theory to writing in powerful and practical ways!
✏️🪩Are you ready for it?!?📕⌨️ 🎉Episode 5 of the #KnowledgeMatters Podcast is LIVE! Host @natwexler discusses Memory and the Writing Effect with guests Jeff Karpicke from @Purdue and John Sweller, Developer of Cognitive Load Theory! 📝🧠 🎧Listen here: tinyurl.com/ynnhd8jd
"Guide on the side" teaching may work for the best students -- they already understand the fundamentals -- but it fails those who need help the most. tinyurl.com/4nhj3v9n @MichaelPetrilli @rpondiscio @Doug_Lemov @esanzi @VodkaPundit @rastokke
98.4% of people criticizing U.S. Department of Education cuts don't even know what the agency does. (None of this -- even if you squint -- falls under the purview of the DOE, which has no input into school curriculum, which is controlled by the states) (h/t @DeAngelisCorey )
While “elite” Americans benefit greatly from family stability, “it is rare they publicly encourage others to [do likewise]. Scheffler has displayed the benefits of marriage & family in his actions & in his words, emboldening others to do the same” ifstudies.org/blog/pro-famil…
🚨One week out! Be sure to register for @rpondiscio's webinar on maintaining classroom discipline, an oft-neglected topic in education policy circles. aei.org/events/running…
On Tuesday, July 29, from 4:00-5:15pm ET, join us for a web event on the best way to maintain classroom discipline, featuring @rpondiscio, @tombennett71, @CarolynGorman_, and @MrDanielBuck. RSVP at the link below:
Gopnik is the same New Yorker writer who infamously described the smell of ground zero a week after 9/11 as "not entirely horrible from a reasonable distance—almost like the smell of smoked mozzarella." Still haven't forgiven him -- or his editors -- for that one.
The New Yorker having a normal one.
Wait. @DTWillingham has a Substack? Instant follow.
New substack: What is the science of reading? And why the definition matters.... dtwuva.substack.com/p/what-is-the-…
I admire @rebelEducator but not sure about this. The culture and customs of the classroom date back to when schools were built exclusively *for* boys. Nor do I think we should consider self-control beyond their reach.
School is not designed with your children in mind, and especially not your boys. It’s designed for the convenience of its administrators. For whom the natural proclivities of boys are particularly inconvenient. Your son’s energy is not the problem, the school is.
Newest edition to the purse. Grateful for the important work @NaomiSRiley & @slsatel do. @AEI