4 Keys to Building Deeper Critical and Creative Thinking in Your Classroom
This blog article describes the keys to achieving a deeper-thinking classroom. These keys are shifting student roles so they produce knowledge rather than recall information; building schemas in each content domain; supporting the skills needed to think critically or creatively; and uncovering what students are thinking using actionable assessments.
Author: Karin Hess
Publication Date: February 2023
Publisher: Aurora Institute
6 Vocabulary Strategies for Student Success
Vocabulary is one of the strongest predictors of long-term academic achievement. It's crucial to know research-based vocabulary strategies that build background knowledge and reading comprehension. This resource shares how to teach vocabulary using arts integration, which can increase student achievement by up to 20% over time.
Publication Date: June 2025
Publisher: Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM
7 Research Trends to Keep an Eye On
Education is never static. The dynamic world and society we live in, diverse students, emerging technologies, and varied learning environments are all contributing factors. Yet, there is always new research constantly emerging. This post cuts through the noise to bring you seven current research frameworks to engage learners.
Author: Cynthia Sosa
Publication Date: April 2025
Publisher: TCEA TechNotes
10 Key Policies and Practices for Explicit Instruction with Strong Evidence of Effectiveness from High-Quality Research
This guide provides 10 practices for explicit instruction and includes various scenarios for using each. Incorporating these practices supports all students.
Publication Date: 2021
Publisher: Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk
A Review of Teacher Implemented Scaffolding in K-12
This study categorized 41 articles by mode (hard or soft), contingent processes (ongoing diagnosis, responsiveness, fading), and the role of the teacher in scaffolding. Results found hard scaffolds are used primarily to scaffold writing, mainly with high school students. Hard and soft scaffolds are mainly used together to support middle school science learning. Soft scaffolds are primarily used in elementary language arts.
Authors: Sara Dominguez and Vanessa Svihla
Publication Date: July 2023
Publisher: Social Sciences & Humanities Open, ScienceDirect
ADE Short-Term Assistive Technology (AT) Loan Library
The Arizona Department of Education and Northern Arizona University provide short-term assistive technology at no cost to school personnel in order to improve access to assistive technology. The library offers a wide variety of assistive technology devices, equipment, software, and professional development materials.
Publisher: Arizona Department of Education
Boredom Busters: Easy to Use Back to School Engagement Strategies
This webinar shares innovative back to school engagement strategies that connect all students to their learning. These strategies are easily adapted to use all year with any intermediate students in any classes.
Author: Katie Powell
Publication Date: August 2023
Publisher: Association for Middle Level Education
Content Standards: Connecting Standards-Based Curriculum to Instructional Planning
This module helps teachers understand standards and benchmarks, be aware that students’ different educational and cultural backgrounds affect their learning, be able to identify methods of assessment that determine whether students have learned the standards-based curriculum, and identify the components needed to design a standards-based curriculum.
Publisher: IRIS Center Peabody College Vanderbilt University
Data-Based Individualization 101 Webinar: Getting Started with Intensive Intervention
This webinar explains the rationale for using intensive intervention, walks participants through the five steps of the Data-Based Individualization (DBI) process, and highlights practical lessons learned from implementation efforts across the country. Links to resources featured in the webinar and other resources to learn more about DBI are included.
Authors: Caitlyn Majelka and Cat Merkle
Publication Date: August 2025
Publisher: National Center on Intensive Intervention
Delivering Instruction
This research brief highlights explicit instruction, a combination of modeling with clear explanations, and planned examples followed by guided practice and independent practice using several supports to engage students and check for understanding.
Publication Date: August 2021
Publisher: PROGRESS Center at the American Institutes for Research
Designing for Learner Variability
Learner variability is a recognition that each and every student has a unique set of strengths
and challenges that impact the way they learn. This guide is designed to support teacher professional learning around learner variability as well as ideas and resources for sharing with other educators.
Publication Date: February 2024
Publisher: Digital Promise
Differentiated Instruction: Maximizing the Learning of All Students
This module discusses the importance of differentiating three aspects of instruction: content, process or instructional methods, and product or assessment. It explores the student traits of readiness level, interest, and learning preferences that influence learning.
Publication Date: 2022
Publisher: IRIS Center Vanderbilt University
Elements of Effective Instruction
The Elements of Effective Instruction is a framework designed to support educator learning and
growth. It outlines five intertwined elements of instructional practice that complement and enhance one
another. When integrated into learning experiences, these elements foster student engagement with the ultimate goal of providing just outcomes for every learner.
Publication Date: February 2025
Publisher: Great Schools Partnership
Elements of Effective Teaching
This fact sheet summarizes research on key elements of effective teaching and illustrates how
those elements align with professional practice metrics used in various teacher evaluation tools.
Publication Date: January 2025
Publisher: Institute of Education Sciences
Evidence-Based Practices for Reading Comprehension
This podcast discusses the evidence supporting reading comprehension development and implications for effective instruction. It offers the components and processes of reading comprehension, research frameworks applicable for educators of students at any age, evidence-based practices to promote comprehension, and interventions for students who experience comprehension breakdowns.
Authors: Danielle Gomez and Amy Elleman
Publication Date: December 2023
Publisher: The Windward Institute
Exploring Artificial Intelligence Resources: Lesson Plans in AI Teachology and ChatGPT
In this webinar, teachers learn how to use two AI resources to generate lesson plans, Teachology and ChatGPT. The webinar reviews how to get started with AI and create new lesson plans and ideas for teaching.
Publication Date: October 2023
Publisher: Instructional Design CSUF
Habits of Success: Helping Students Develop Essential Skills for Learning, Work, and Life
This report offers guidance for K-12 districts and schools by synthesizing the latest research and knowledge on emerging practices for developing local habits of success frameworks; addressing equity and cultural considerations in implementing habits of success and lifelong learning skills; and promoting and assessing habits of success. The report provides recommendations and next steps to support all students in building strong habits of success.
Author: Eliot Levine
Publication Date: 2021
Publisher: Aurora Institute
High-Leverage Practices for Students with Disabilities
This revised and updated guide is relevant for general education and special education teachers. It includes four domains of evidence-based practices: Collaboration, Data-Driven Planning, Instruction in Behavior and Academics, and Intensify and Intervene As Needed. Each domain includes elementary and secondary examples of practice, research updates, and relevant resources for more information.
Publication Date: March 2024
Publishers: Council for Exceptional Children and CEEDAR Center
High-Leverage Practices Videos
These videos accompany High-Leverage Practices for Students with Disabilities and provide revised and updated information supporting the four domains with High-Leverage Practices within each domain and concrete examples to anchor and reinforce both knowledge development and application.
Publisher: CEEDAR Center
Implementation Stages
This guide explains implementation stages that commonly occur during an implementation process. For the purposes of this guide, the implementation process is organized into four stages: exploration, installation, initial implementation and full implementation.
Publication Date: July 2021
Publishers: Collaboration for Implementation Practice and National Implementation Research Network
Implementation Stages Planning Tools
The Implementation Stages Planning Tool was developed to help guide teams through the entire implementation process. It provides a flow chart to determine the current stage of implementation,
a list of appropriate stage-based activities, and an outline of expected stage-based outcomes.
Publication Date: 2020
Publisher: National Implementation Research Network
Improving Student Engagement—A Practice Guide
This practice guide offers a practical and working definition of student engagement and a concept map for local analysis and action. Instruments for assessing both schoolwide and individual student engagement levels and for selecting target areas for individual and campus engagement improvement are included.
Authors: Sandy Addis, Ray McNulty, and Thomas Hawkins
Publication Date: February 2024
Publisher: National Dropout Prevention Center
Innovative Education Methods: Transforming Teaching and Learning
Modern teaching methods emphasize interaction, adaptability, and the application of technology to create dynamic and engaging learning environments. This blog explores innovative strategies, methodologies, and actionable techniques that foster effective teaching and learning in a modern educational context.
Author: Michele McCraney
Publication Date: January 2025
Publisher: American College of Education
Integrating High Leverage Practices for Students with Disabilities within a PBIS/MTSS Framework
This guide aligns the implementation of high-leverage practices for students with disabilities with the PBIS framework. Integration across the full continuum of supports offers a systematic way to meaningfully include support for students with disabilities.
Authors: Kelsey Morris, Laura Kern, Kathleen Strickland-Cohen, and Lisa Powers
Publication Date: June 2024
Publishers: Center on PBIS, University of Oregon
Learner Variability Module 1: What Is Learner Variability?
This module is designed to provide an overview of the research on learner variability and why it matters. It includes an introduction to the Learner Variability Navigator and explains why there is no such thing as an average learner.
Publisher: Digital Promise
Learner Variability Module 2: How to Leverage the Learner Variability Navigator?
The Learner Variability Navigator is designed to take the academic research out of the journals and make it accessible to educators in a way that helps them understand learner variability. This module delves into how it was developed and how to leverage different features and resources.
Publisher: Digital Promise
Multi-Tiered System of Supports Within Schools: The What and The How
MTSS offers a reorganization of the school setting and how educators provide instruction and supports to students. This brief explains with MTSS educators can experience appropriately identifying students with disabilities, proactively using data to support every student, and creating a framework that improves the overall system and meets the needs of individual students.
Authors: Jason Harlacher and TR Bailey
Publication Date: January 2025
Publisher: American Institutes for Research
Planning for Instruction
This research brief highlights planning explicit instruction that provides access to the general education curriculum and meets the unique needs of students with disabilities across a variety of outcome areas. It covers setting a meaningful learning target, determining appropriate sequence for instruction, and setting clear objectives for each lesson.
Publication Date: August 2021
Publisher: PROGRESS Center at the American Institutes for Research
Portrait of a Leader
This resource identifies all educators can be leaders that drive transformation. It captures the knowledge, skills, and dispositions educators need to drive innovation and lead education systems change through personalized, competency-based learning.
Publication Date: February 2025
Publisher: KnowledgeWorks Foundation
Project-Based Learning for Curriculum Enhancement
Project-Based Learning (PBL) has emerged as a powerful tool for enhancing classroom curriculum and student engagement. This blog post breaks down the principles and implementation of PBL and how you can incorporate PBL strategies into your classroom to improve students’ learning experience.
Publication Date: August 2025
Publisher: University of Kansas, School of Education and Human Sciences
Reviewing and Intensifying Instruction
Some students with disabilities will experience difficulties with making progress toward academic and behavioral learning targets. This research brief highlights a process of intensifying instruction through intervention dosage, opportunities to respond, alignment, and transfer.
Publication Date: August 2021
Publisher: PROGRESS Center at the American Institutes for Research
Semantic Mapping to Grow Vocabulary
This post provides details for how to use Semantic Mapping, a well-researched activity that helps students draw on background knowledge of a topic and see connections between ideas and words related to that topic. It is highly interactive and offers opportunities for rich, collaborative discussion among students.
Author: Joan Sedita
Publication Date: December 2020
Publisher: Keys to Literacy
Six Key Instructional Practices for Promoting Progress for Students with Disabilities
This webinar highlights six high-leverage, evidence-based practices shown to support implementation of high-quality instructional programming for students with and at risk for disabilities regardless of their identified disability category or grade span. These practices were identified through an extensive, systematic meta-analysis.
Authors: Daniel Maggin, Sarah Powell, Gena Nelson, and Kary Zarate
Publication Date: August 2021
Publisher: PROGRESS Center at the American Institutes for Research
Strengthening Literacy Routines in Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts
This webinar explores how metacognitive routines can elevate disciplinary literacy and learning in social studies, English Language Arts, and science for all students. Discover practical tools to help students explicitly reflect on their thinking as they build academic confidence and engage more deeply with complex texts, scientific inquiry, and the writing process.
Authors: Alicia Ross, Jenell Krishnan, and Karen Lionberger
Publication Date: June 2025
Publisher: WestEd
Student-Centered Learning: Enhancing Classroom Experiences
This article explains student-centered learning and shares strategies to build student-centered learning environments that not only improve academic outcomes but develop critical thinking skills essential for success beyond school walls.
Author: Nikki Muncey
Publication Date: April 2025
Publisher: SchoolAI
Student Engagement: Why It’s Important and How to Promote It
Student engagement can be seen as the glue that holds together all aspects of student learning and growth. This article defines student engagement and addresses why it is important. Contributing factors and examples of classroom practices that promote engagement are included.
Author: Essie Sutton
Publication Date: Updated July 2025
Publisher: Branching Minds
Students Experiencing Inattention and Distractibility
This information sheet is designed to help teachers identify inattention and distractibility, know what to do, know when to act, and how to play an effective role in helping students focus.
Publication Date: October 2021
Publisher: American Psychological Association
Supporting Students with Disabilities at School and Home: A Guide for Teachers to Support Families and Students
This guide highlights five key practices for teachers and families to support all students, including students with disabilities, at school and home. For each practice, the guide provides tips for teachers to support students with disabilities during instruction; tips for families that educators can share to support or enhance learning at home; and free-access resources that include strategies shown to be effective by research.
Authors: Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, National Center on Intensive
Intervention, and National Integrated Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Research Network
Publication Date: May 2020
Publisher: University of Oregon
Teaching Tuesday: Literacy in Content Area Instruction
This article discusses building foundational literacy skills to help students with formation of their self-efficacy in learning in all content areas. Topics include academic language and technology to assist with literacy across content areas.
Publication Date: October 2021
Publisher: Grand Canyon University
The Comprehensive Guide to Project-Based Learning: Empowering Student Choice through an Effective Teaching Method
By integrating authentic projects into the curriculum, project-based learning fosters active engagement, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. This comprehensive guide explores the principles, benefits, implementation strategies, and evaluation techniques associated with project-based instruction, highlighting its emphasis on student choice and its potential to revolutionize education.
Publication Date: 2025
Publisher: New Tech Network
The Importance of Gathering Evidence of Learning
This article explains teachers can use Evidence of Learning information to understand how students are thinking and learning, to see if students are (or aren’t) achieving milestones, and to effectively adjust their pedagogy accordingly to improve the learning experience and classroom outcomes for students and educators.
Publication Date: October 2021
Publisher: University of Kansas, School of Education and Human Sciences
The Learner Variability Navigator
Learners thrive when their experience is personal and meaningful. This free tool helps you find research-based strategies that support the whole learner so you can create better learning experiences today.
Publisher: Digital Promise
The UDL Guidelines
This new iteration, UDL Guidelines 3.0, addresses critical barriers rooted in biases and systems of exclusion for learners with and without disabilities. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.
Publication Date: July 2024
Publisher: CAST
UDL and Learner Variability: Using Both Frameworks to Design Classrooms so Each Learner Meets Their Potential
This webinar teaches innovative ways to use the research-based frameworks of Universal Design for Learning and the Learner Variability Navigator to design classrooms that allow each student to meet their potential.
Publication Date: March 2023
Publisher: Digital Promise
Video Examples of the Prioritized Educator Competencies
These video resources show educator competencies in action. These competencies have the most leverage in transforming classroom practices to be personalized and student-centered. Footage includes teachers demonstrating key techniques and strategies, experts and peers discussing practice, students reflecting on their experiences.
Publication Date: April 2021
Publisher: KnowledgeWorks Foundation
What Is Student Agency, and Why Is It Important?
This article discusses student agency as a means of empowering students to take ownership of their learning journey. Students with agency are encouraged to set goals, make learning decisions, reflect on their progress, and adapt as they grow. This approach transforms learners into active participants rather than passive recipients in their education.
Publication Date: May 2025
Publisher: KnowledgeWorks Foundation
Which Study Skills Strategies Can Improve Students’ Academic Performance?
Graphic organizers can help students more easily process information. More specifically, these tools allow students to organize information, see the relationships between ideas, and more easily understand, remember, and apply information. Examples of the most common graphic organizers and explanations of their purposes are included.
Publication Date: 2022
Publisher: IRIS Center, Vanderbilt University