News

Education News Update » 04-14-26

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:46:10 GMT

Promising Teacher PD

According to a new government report, teacher collaboration is one of the few approaches to professional development backed by both emerging research and the teachers themselves. The Education Department has released a letter encouraging districts to use Title II funding to pay for professional development of this type: collaborative planning blocks and schedules, team-based training and evaluation strategies, and stipends for lead or guest teachers. Federal support for collaborative teaching could encourage more states and districts to improve the scheduling, mentoring, and evaluation structures needed to support formal teacher collaboration. EdWeek

Eroding Education Access

Recent federal and state immigration policies have increased enforcement actions involving minors, including arrests and monitoring of children near or in schools. Some states are proposing laws to exclude undocumented children from public education or track their immigration status, directly challenging the Supreme Court ruling in Plyler v. Doe. To date, none of these efforts have succeeded, but many state officials continue their campaign against undocumented students. These policies create fear among immigrant families and may discourage them from enrolling children in school, threatening progress toward equal access to education. Brookings

Curriculum Year Zero

When rolling out a new math curriculum, the year before launch — or “Year 0” — is more important than the launch year itself, according to a new case study from the National Math Improvement Project that examines how both New York City Public Schools and the School District of Philadelphia handled pre-implementation planning. The case study chronicles how both districts built the foundations of their efforts during Year 0 through teacher buy-in, feedback loops, family engagement, aligned professional development, and communities of practice across schools. One district chief from Philadelphia said, “It has to be a people-centered process, interacting with stakeholders to understand their needs.” K12Dive

These summaries are abbreviated highlights from the original articles. While we strive to capture key insights, these do not represent the full text or intent of the authors. We encourage readers to explore the full articles linked above for complete context.

Behind the Scenes @SERP

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 19:22:35 GMT

David Dudley

Illustrator and Content Developer

If you’ve used SERP resources, you’ve likely noticed the illustrations woven throughout our materials. While we’re able to rely on high-quality Adobe Stock images for many of our needs, they aren’t always a perfect fit—that’s where original illustrations come in, created by our in-house illustrator and content developer, David Dudley .

An in-house illustrator allows SERP to design visuals that are closely aligned with the learning goals of each lesson, ensuring that images support understanding rather than simply decorate the page. Because having an illustrator on staff is rare, we wanted to take you behind the scenes to introduce the person behind some of our most recognizable visuals—and share a bit about his creative process and the role illustration plays in supporting teaching and learning.

From Sketchbook to Curriculum

How did you get started as an illustrator, and what drew you to this kind of work?

Like lots of people, I drew as a kid as a way of making up stories, fantasizing on paper. Drawing became a habit long before I thought of it as a possible vocation.

It took a long time, and an indirect path, for anything like a career to take shape. I majored in art at Oberlin College, and had some vague notion of being an art-for-art’s sake fine artist. I got an MA in creative writing at Temple University, then did doctoral work in English, but I lost my way, or my will, part way through a dissertation. Then, through an old family friend who was a chemistry professor at the University of California at Berkeley, I got involved with a high school chemistry curriculum development project, Living by Chemistry. I drew illustrations and cartoons for the preliminary drafts they were testing in classrooms, and also helped write and edit some lessons. I felt like I’d finally found a way to be useful while enjoying work that used the different skills I’d been cobbling together my whole life.

Content First, Always

Can you walk us through your process—from receiving concept to final illustration?

Sometimes someone else at SERP has a specific request for an illustration. Other times, I’m coming up with illustration ideas for material I’m writing, so there’s more of a back and forth between my writing brain and my illustrating brain, so to speak. I might even change the writing a bit to set up an illustration idea. Either way, content comes first: the illustration has to serve the ideas that are important in whatever project we’re working on.

How do you balance visual storytelling with educational clarity?

Good illustration should delight and instruct: docere et delectare, to use a formulation from classical rhetoric. So style and content are not at odds; they’re two sides of the same coin. You try to entice, entertain, explain, and clarify all at once. The content motivates the form, and the form should make the content more accessible.

More Than Decoration

What’s unique about illustrating for education compared to commercial or editorial illustration?

I suppose someone who buys an illustrated magazine or a book might be ready to meet you half way, but a captive audience of students could be less receptive. So engagement and accessibility may be especially important in educational illustration. It’s also important to try to let as many students as possible see themselves in the worlds conjured by educational illustration. People who work in all aspects of education tend to have a strong sense of mission, and it’s fulfilling to contribute to that mission through illustration.

What do you find most rewarding about seeing your work embedded in WordGen, STARI, or other SERP programs?

It’s been fun to see students using and enjoying my work on a few occasions when I’ve done classroom observations, or to hear back from teachers that students really enjoyed or “got” certain illustrations. I did some fairly simple, almost stick figure–like characters for SERP’s Math by Example project, and students started spontaneously modifying the figures, adding hair, clothes, and props to the cover illustrations. It was really gratifying to see kids playing with the drawings, making them their own—kind of becoming friends with their math workbooks! (see below)

Hits and Highlights

Are there specific illustrations or characters that have resonated most with students or teachers?

I guess my all time hit, if the analytics are to be believed, is the interactive anatomy model I drew for SciGen. It has superimposed images of each organ system, and users can use sliders to change the transparency of each system, making their own unique anatomical figures. I think of it as a sophisticated toy: you wouldn’t want a surgeon using it as a map for open heart surgery, but it does allow the rest of us to play visually with the amazing interconnectedness of systems in our bodies.

There are two versions (see above). One with transparency sliders and another version that works entirely with keyboard strokes (to meet WCAG 2.2 accessibility standards).

What’s your favorite piece you’ve created for SERP—and why?

It’s hard to pick a favorite illustration project I’ve done for SERP. For some reason, the answer that pops into my head right now is a set of cartoons I did to go with a teacher-facing list of Twelve Vocabulary Myths Debunked . I like them because they’re simple, nicely drawn, and they use visual wit to illuminate the content they go with.

What's Next on the Drawing Board

What new projects or updates are you excited about right now?

I’m updating a few illustrations for STARI. My role there is tiny, but I’m really happy to be able to contribute anything I can to such an effective reading intervention.

My main project right now is a high school civics project. Sometimes there are cartoons and illustrations to do, but for now it is mostly a research and writing task, with lots of input from wonderful teachers.

How do you hope students engage with your artwork as SERP evolves its curriculum?

I hope I can continue to amuse and instruct, to make people smile and also make it easier to digest challenging concepts.

Introducing SERP’s New Download Center

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 18:30:35 GMT

We’ve updated SERP’s Download Center to improve how materials are organized, previewed, and accessed across our site.

This update focuses on clarity and usability—making it easier to see what resources are available and in what formats—while continuing to offer free access to SERP materials.

What’s new?

The updated Download Center includes:

Visual Previews

See materials before downloading!

Clear Format Indicators

Know which resources are available in print, online, or as Google Docs!

Links to the SERP Store

Easily find materials available for purchase in print!

Communication Preferences

Manage notifications and updates from SERP in your profile!

Accessing materials:

To use the new Download Center, everyone must create a new free account. Because SERP encrypts login information, previous accounts cannot be transferred to the new system.

Registration is quick, and all the SERP materials available in the previous Download Center remain free in the new one!

Create your free account to explore the new Download Center.

Frequently Asked Questions

STARI March Highlights

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:29:32 GMT

What's in this issue:

SXSW EDU
Summer Live Virtual Professional Learning
Connect with STARI
What We've Been Reading

SERP a t SXSW EDU: What We Heard & What's Next

The STARI team joined educators, researchers, and leaders at SXSW EDU —where we recorded a live episode of our SERP Stories podcast and took part in conversations shaping the future of education.

A few themes rose to the top: the urgent need for engaging, research-based solutions for adolescent readers; growing momentum behind education R&D; and the critical role of leadership in making change stick.

Read our full reflections to hear what resonated most—and how it’s shaping our work going forward.

SERP a t SXSW EDU: What We Heard & What's Next

We asked educators to share their stories—and the answers were as diverse as the journeys themselves. From reading to cats, to learning through music, to navigating literacy as a new immigrant, each story reveals a different path to reading.

Explore the stories and reflect on what they reveal about supporting adolescent readers.

Summer Live Virtual Professional Learning

Save the Date: July 28 and 30

Join us for live virtual professional learning designed to give you a strong start with STARI.

This interactive Zoom Webinar, mirrors our full STARI Professional Learning Series, combining expert guidance, classroom video, and hands-on practice to help you understand and plan for implementation.

Connect with STARI

EdWeek Webinar: Unlocking Success for Struggling Adolescent Readers

Join us on A pril 29, 2-3 ET as Catherine Snow and educators from LA, NYC, and WI discuss what works for adolescent readers. Can't attend live? Register to receive the recording. Register .

Episode 6: When Teens Can't, Won't & Don't Read: What We Can Do

Why are so many teens disengaging from reading, and what actually helps? Recorded live at SXSW EDU, we bring together expert voices to unpack the barriers adolescents face and the evidence-based strategies that re-engage struggling readers. Listen Now!

Office Hours are Open!

Bring your STARI questions to the next STARI Community Forum with Dr. Emily Hayden on April 16 ! Register .

What We've Been Reading:

A Film That Makes a Strong Argument for the Value of Debate NYTimes , watch Immutable on PBS
10 Maxims: What We've Learned About How Children Learn to Read Reading Universe
One Reading Skill Might Be Responsible for Many Older Students’ Struggles EdWeek

Keep Calm and STARI On!

- The STARI Team

Education News Update » 03-31-26

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:51:34 GMT

Social Media Companies Negligent

A jury found that Meta and Google were to blame for the depression and anxiety of a woman who compulsively used social media as a small child, awarding her $6 million in a rare verdict holding Silicon Valley accountable for its role in fueling a youth mental health crisis. The trial is a test case tied to about 2,000 other pending lawsuits brought by parents and school districts arguing that companies should be considered manufacturers of defective products for hooking a generation of young people to social media feeds. This verdict came a day after a jury in a separate trial in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $375 million for failing to protect young users from child predators.

NPR

The AI Hivemind

A research team asked large language models open-ended questions intended to spark creativity, such as, “Compose a short poem about the feeling of watching a sunset;” and “Write a 30-word essay on global warming.” The researchers posed 100 of these questions to 70 different LLMs and had each model answer them 50 times. The answers were frequently indistinguishable across different models by different companies that have different architectures and use different training data. The metaphors, imagery, word choices, sentence structures — even punctuation — often converged. The researchers say this is likely because the training for LLMs favors safe, consensus-based responses and penalizes risky, unconventional ones.

Hechinger

Teacher Working Conditions

The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on our schools. Academic and engagement challenges continue to plague educators. Public trust in our schools is at its lowest point in recent history. Not surprisingly, teachers have struggled, too. Using data from an annual survey in Illinois, researchers have documented a decline in teacher working conditions. Teachers report worsening conditions along most dimensions, but there has been a particular increase in defiance, inappropriate language, threats, and serious disruptions. Something since the pandemic has fundamentally altered the classroom environment.

Brookings

SERP at SXSW EDU: Reflections from the Field

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:08:49 GMT

What we heard, what we’re thinking, and where we’re heading next...

This March, the STARI team joined educators, researchers, designers, and edtech leaders from across the country at SXSW EDU in Austin, Texas.

We arrived ready to share our work - through a live taping of SERP Stories and conversations at our STARI booth - but we left with even more: new ideas, meaningful connections, and a sharpened sense of urgency about the role of research and development in education.

What follows is a snapshot of what resonated most - drawn from voices from our team.

What We Heard

Christine Dahnke

Director of Organizational Development & Partnerships

“Do you work with adolescents?” This was a question we posed to those who stopped by our STARI booth in the Expo. It was a joy to connect with fellow educators and learn more about their contexts and the challenges they’re navigating in serving middle and high school students.

The steady engagement reminded us that the need for research-based Tier II interventions is broad and persistent. We were also struck by the range of visitors - not only middle school educators, but also those in adult education, community colleges, and teacher preparation programs. The experience reinforced an important point: the need for engaging, research-based literacy solutions doesn’t stop at middle school, it extends across systems.

Across sessions, a few ideas stayed with me. There was a consistent emphasis on using technology to spark curiosity and connection. Conversations about education R&D pointed to growing momentum at the state level to build the infrastructure needed to support innovation. And, as expected, leadership lessons surfaced again and again, with principals positioned as a critical lever for change.

And in one unexpected moment, Schooled: The Musical brought everything back into focus. It was a reminder that student identity, voice, and aspiration must remain at the center of education conversations.

Kala Jones

SERP Stories Host & Literacy Specialist

The live taping of SERP Stories was a reminder that presence is its own kind of practice. The crowd was affirming, the Q&A was lively, and there’s something you can only access when you're actually in the room with people who are wrestling with the same questions you are. That magic can’t be replicated via comments or a screen, and that’s not talked about enough.

A session on ancestral intelligence in the age of AI deepened that for me. The speakers asked us to sit with a longer arc than the current tech moment usually allows; to consider whose knowledge systems have always been intelligence, just not always named as such. It was a reframe that felt personally and professionally clarifying: the long game isn't new. Some communities have been playing it across generations, across erasure, across everything.

And then The Box Sent Back from the Future made it visceral. Being handed “artifacts” from 2051 and asked to reverse-engineer how we got there wasn't just a creative exercise– it was a practice in taking the future seriously as a place we're actively building toward. Equity and imagination aren't destinations. They're disciplines. And being present to that — really present — is where the work begins.

Margaret Troyer

Director of Literacy Research and Development

I kept noticing how often the conversation returned to systems, not just solutions .

In addition to the discussion of systems in our own session, I attended several sessions focused on adopting and scaling the use of high quality instructional materials (HQIM). All the presenters agreed that adopting HQIM was just one step in a process. In the words of Dr. Nyshawana Francis-Thompson from Philadelphia, “Programs matter, but people matter more.”

These leaders described a process that began with engaging a wide range of stakeholders (“from the boardroom all the way to the classroom,” as Dr. Latonya Goffney from Aldine ISD said) in defining why a new program needs to be adopted, why this particular program was chosen, and how its success will be measured. An implementation plan needs to be in place before a curriculum is chosen, and teachers need to be supported through professional learning.

And this isn’t just a one-year process! Leaders talked about the way professional learning should look different in year one, in year three, and in year five - and who is leading the professional learning should look different too, as school-based staff transition into roles of leadership in implementing HQIM. It was inspiring to hear from leaders who were so planful in adopting the best materials for student and teacher success.

Emily Hayden

Literacy Specialist

“Public Education Holds Worth.” These words, featured in the The Holdsworth Center’s logo, were reinforced in President Lindsay Whorton’s interview with Beth Frerking.

Set on a 44-acre retreat along Lake Austin, the Holdsworth Center brings Texas educational leaders together to connect, reflect, and strengthen preK–12 public education through leadership development. Though Texas-based, Dr. Whorton’s message resonates broadly: we won’t have the democracy we want without strong, transformational public education—and that requires sustained investment in leadership.

So how can leaders meet this moment—navigating today’s complex political landscape while creating schools that truly transform students’ lives?

At SXSW EDU, Laureen Adams , Mary Rice-Boothe , and Tanji Reed Marshall pointed to contextual intelligence —a deep understanding of communities and the people within them—as essential. This approach grounds leadership in ways that are empowering and agentive, rather than reactive or protective.

It was encouraging to be in conversation with leaders at SXSW EDU who share this commitment.

What We’re Taking Forward

Across sessions, conversations, and our own reflections, a few ideas continue to shape our thinking:

1. Engagement Is the Missing Link

The question isn’t just what works—it is what connects.

2. Education R&D Is Having a Moment

From research-practice partnerships to state-level innovation efforts, there is a growing investment in building what works, alongside a need to keep this work grounded in real classrooms.

3. Leadership is Essential At Every Level

From principals to system leaders, sustainable change depends on leadership capacity across systems - from classrooms to central offices.

4. Storytelling Shapes Understanding and Action

At our booth and beyond, educators didn’t just want to hear about STARI—they wanted to share their own experiences. How we communicate research shapes how it’s understood and used.

What We’re Taking Forward

SXSW EDU is known to be high energy and our experience felt especially energizing.

There is a growing movement toward solutions that are rigorous, human-centered, and designed for real classrooms. That’s the space SERP has always worked in—and it’s where we’re doubling down.

How We Learned to Read: Stories from SXSW EDU

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:42:36 GMT

At SXSW EDU this year, we asked a simple question:

How did you learn to read?

The answers weren't about a single program or approach. They were personal—shaped by family, language, and the small moments that made reading feel possible.

We captured a few of these stories on video. Here are four that stayed with us.

"I used to read to my cats."

Jody from Greenfield, Wisconsin, remembers learning to read surrounded by cats—and a lot of imagination.

What started as pretending to read soon became something more. She listened to her mom read favorite books over and over, memorizing the rhythm and patterns of the words. Eventually, she was the one doing the reading—holding onto her very patient (or not-so-patient) feline audience.

Her story is playful, but it reflects something real: reading often begins with imitation, repetition, and a safe space to practice.

"I had to figure it out by listening."

Chris from Frisco, Texas, came to the United States in fourth grade without knowing English—not even the alphabet.

He learned to read by listening closely to the people around him, piecing together meaning word by word. He asked questions, made connections, and translated constantly between English and Korean, his first language.

Over time, those connections became more automatic. What once required constant translation began to "blend together."

His story is a powerful reminder that for many students, learning to read also means learning a new language, navigating a new environment, and building understanding across both.

"I used music to connect with reading."

John from San Antonio, Texas, learned to read through song.

As the son of a preacher, music was always present—but for John, it became more than just sound. It became a pathway to literacy.

He would sing songs and write them down. As he wrote the lyrics, complex words started to make sense. The rhythm and repetition helped him remember not just melodies, but meaning.

"I would sing songs to myself while I'm studying or taking a test to remember things," John says.

Music gave him a way to hold onto words, to make them stick, to connect reading with something that already felt natural and joyful.

His story reminds us that learning to read isn't about one prescribed method—it's about finding the bridge that connects new skills to what already makes sense.

"I connected the dots between Spanish and English."

Alejandra, now based in Philadelphia and originally from Northern New Mexico, traces her reading journey back to time spent with her grandmother.

Every day after school, her grandmother read to her in both Spanish and English. Alongside those shared moments, everyday experiences—like noticing signs around the house—helped her connect words across languages.

For Alejandra, reading wasn't something learned in isolation. It was built through relationships, routines, and bilingual experiences at home.

Her story highlights an essential truth: literacy is deeply rooted in family, culture, and language.

What These Stories Remind Us

Each of these experiences is different. Reading to a cat. Learning a new language. Listening to a grandmother's voice. Connecting with music.

But together, they point to something bigger: There is no single path to becoming a reader.

Reading develops through:

Repetition and play
Language and translation
Relationships and shared experiences

As educators, these stories invite us to look beyond skills alone and consider the experiences students bring with them—and the conditions that help them grow.

Education News Update » 03-17-26

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 19:17:55 GMT

Changing Civics Lessons

A poll from the education nonprofit iCivics, asked a nationally representative group of 2,200 K-12 educators about their instructional choices, perspectives on the field, and concerns for the future. Teachers overwhelmingly said instruction should not have a partisan bent. But they feel that they’re under scrutiny anyway: 35% say they have changed or removed lessons they usually teach, “because of the climate in their school or community.” More than half said teaching basic civics concepts now feels difficult, and almost 6 in 10 said they worried about potential backlash for teaching something the “wrong way.” Twenty percent said they had experienced backlash.

EdWeek

Social Media Trial

The world’s biggest social media companies face several landmark trials this year that seek to hold them responsible for harms to children who use their platforms. The first of these trials has now begun in Los Angeles. The plaintiff says that despite the public position of Meta and YouTube being that they work to protect children and implement safeguards for their use of the platforms, their internal documents show an entirely different position, with explicit references to young children being listed as their target audiences. They drew comparisons between the social media companies and tobacco firms, citing internal communication between Meta employees concerned about the potential harm their platforms can have on children and teens.

PBS

The 90/10 Gap

A new study finds that inequalities in learning between high-achieving students and their lower-performing classmates have grown since 2005, when the study data began. In particular, the years since 2013 saw the gap between the 90th and 10th percentile widen dramatically. The divergence was largely driven by stagnation among struggling students, which turned into steep learning losses during the COVID pandemic. Patrick Wolf, an economist and one of the paper’s co-authors, called his findings “demoralizing,” arguing that many American schools are clearly failing the students who most need their help.

The74

STARI Spotlight: How One Wisconsin Teacher Is Using Series 4 to Engage High School Readers

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:54:31 GMT

When Sarah Bleicher introduced STARI Series 4 to her high school reading intervention classes in Waunakee, Wisconsin, she wasn't sure how her students would respond. Would they engage with structured reading instruction? Would the books resonate with teenagers who've struggled with literacy for years?

The answer came quickly, and from an unexpected source.

"I had boys come in, grab the books, and want to start reading poetry out loud before I even asked them to," Sarah recalls. "That really spoke to the selection."

Sarah Bleicher
STARI Teacher

Meeting Students Where They Are

Sarah works with a diverse group of learners: English learners transitioning out of specialized services, students graduating from special education reading support, and adolescents who've struggled with reading for reasons that don't fit neatly into any one category. For these students, finding age-appropriate materials that don't feel remedial is critical.

Series 4 delivers on that promise through carefully selected novels that tackle mature themes without talking down to teenagers. In Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass , Sarah's students, half Spanish-dominant ELs and half native monolingual English speakers, found a story that reflected all of their experiences and provided bilingual students the opportunity to shine.

"They really liked it," Sarah says. "The Spanish-speaking students felt like, 'We could be beneficial to our classmates.' It spoke to them."

When Reluctant Readers Take the Lead

Perhaps the most telling sign of STARI’s Series 4 impact came from a student who would never admit he liked the book, but became the class's unofficial accountability partner.

"He's the first person to always say, 'Come on, why aren't you paying attention? Look, it's in the book. You know what we do every day,'" Sarah explains. "For someone who's really a struggling reader to feel empowered by something, it's pretty cool."

This student, who Sarah taught as a freshman the previous year, transformed from disengaged to a classroom leader. Something clicked and whether it was natural maturity or the power of an age-appropriate book that spoke to his experience as a Student of Color in a district that serves predominantly white students and families, his engagement shifted.

Beyond Engagement: Measurable Growth

While student enthusiasm matters, Sarah also tracks concrete progress. Using AIMSweb benchmarking, she's documented consistent gains in reading fluency and stamina across both Series 3 and Series 4.

"They've all improved in their fluency," she notes. "I've seen huge growth in their reading stamina overall."

The structured fluency practice, leveled and connected directly to the novels, has been particularly valuable for students with IEPs who need systematic support.

What Makes Series 4 Work for High Schoolers

For Sarah, several elements set Series 4 apart:

Mature, relevant content. The books tackle real issues teenagers face, bullying, identity, cultural adjustment, without being preachy or simplistic.

Built-in accessibility. The program includes everything a teacher needs, making it possible for any language-based educator to pick it up, even without specialized literacy training.

Settings students can relate to. While earlier STARI units featured urban environments that felt distant to Sarah's students, Series 4 shifts this with books like Fifteen and Change : "First of all, they thought it was cool that somebody was from Wisconsin," Sarah says.

Advice for Teachers Considering Series 4

To teachers who haven't tried STARI before, Sarah's message is simple: "Series 4 is definitely very, very good for high school level. As long as you have a dedicated course for that intervention, it's pretty ideal."

And to those hesitant about using adolescent novels with mature themes? "It's not what students don't see on a regular basis anyway. It's really difficult for high school to find things that struggling readers will be interested in. When you find something that students are interested in, you have to grab it."

Sarah Bleicher teaches reading intervention at Waunakee High School in Wisconsin. She's been using STARI with her students for three years and currently implements Series 4 with sophomores. For the full interview with Sarah, listen to Episode 5 of SERP Stories .

Education News Update » 03-03-26

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:09:14 GMT

Redesigning IES

A long-awaited report says that the U.S. Department of Education’s research arm needs to be overhauled with a focus on making its products leaner, more relevant, and timelier. The report calls for the agency to take a more coherent approach to its work focused on key priorities—ending the way IES’ four internal “centers,” or divisions, work, which has traditionally been in a fairly independent, balkanized fashion. The report also contends NCES is slow to release results and that many of its collections are outdated, and it criticizes the Regional Educational Laboratories. It is unclear whether a drastically-reduced Ed. Dept. staff can carry out the report’s suggestions. EdWeek , Chalkbeat

STEM Workforce

The STEM teacher workforce is facing strong headwinds as the pipeline of new teachers has been struggling to meet demand. Yet, STEM teacher qualifications and turnover rates in high-need settings have remained surprisingly stable over three decades, despite these increasing staffing pressures. Targeted interventions, including the Noyce program, have helped shore up the STEM workforce in high-need settings. However, there remains a gap between the qualifications of STEM teachers in high-need schools and those in low-need schools. And many teachers have degrees that are not in the STEM subject they actually teach. This suggests that more substantial financial incentives are needed to ensure a good distribution of teaching talent. Brookings

Microschools

In recent years, public “microschools” have begun popping up. At a microschool in Indiana called Nature’s Gift, there are just 64 kids in grades kindergarten through 12th. They are taught by three licensed teachers and several class guides who provide extra support. Students often engage in online schoolwork, supported by guides, as well as group instruction time with a teacher. This model has been used by charter groups to provide a local education option in rural areas. But public school districts are looking to adopt the microschool model to address decreasing enrollment and a desire among parents for flexibility. Hechinger

Why Evidence Matters for Adolescent Readers, and What Minnesota Is Doing Differently

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 16:55:48 GMT

What Alejandra, Huey, and Elsa Taught Me

Early in my teaching career, I assumed that most curricula were more alike than different. If the standards were covered and the materials looked well organized, I believed student outcomes would follow.

Experience - and a deep dive into the science of reading and the science of learning - has since taught me otherwise.

In my first year teaching middle school reading, I had a class of more than 20 students. Years later, three of them still stay with me.

Alejandra was outgoing and confident. She raised her hand eagerly to read aloud and completed her work with a smile. Huey was quiet and compliant. He completed assignments but, when asked to read, could only decode every other word. And Elsa, when she came to class at all, often slumped in her seat, eyes down, distant.

At the time, I saw these students as individuals with very different needs. Years later, after transitioning from classroom teacher to instructional coach to district administrator, and after observing hundreds of middle school classrooms, I understand that my early experience was not unusual. It was the norm.

Across the country, secondary educators are supporting growing numbers of students like Alejandra, Huey, and Elsa, students expected to navigate increasingly complex texts without the instructional support they need to fully engage, understand, and participate. And for too long, the tools available to teachers at the middle and high school level have not kept pace with what we know about how adolescents learn to read.

A Growing National Challenge - and a Statewide Response

Policymakers are beginning to respond. In recent years, many states have taken steps to legislate a focus on research-based, high-quality instructional materials. In Minnesota, this effort took shape in 2023 with the passage of the Reading to Ensure Academic Development (READ) Act , which set a clear statewide goal: ensuring every child reads at or above grade level, every year.

The urgency behind this law reflects educators' daily reality and statewide data show that fewer than half of Minnesota students meet grade-level reading benchmarks. For adolescents, these gaps compound quickly, affecting not only English language arts classes, but also science labs, social studies discussions, and career-focused coursework that relies on complex texts.

Recognizing that legislation alone is not enough, the Minnesota Department of Education partnered with the University of Minnesota’s Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) to tackle a critical question: What literacy interventions are actually supported by strong evidence, and for whom do they work?

Responding to Students’ Needs with Evidence

For students who have spent years struggling to make sense of text, well-intentioned but unproven interventions can feel like yet another missed opportunity. What they need are instructional approaches designed specifically for adolescent readers, approaches grounded in rigorous evidence and responsive to the realities of middle and high school classrooms.

This is the challenge CAREI took on.

Under the READ Act, CAREI conducted a comprehensive scoping and evidence review of more than 1700 literacy interventions, examining not just whether programs claimed to be “research-based,” but whether their evidence met strong scientific standards, including alignment with ESSA Tier I and Tier II criteria. Rather than producing a simple list, CAREI analyzed the quality, design, and relevance of studies, asking whether the research demonstrated meaningful outcomes for students like Huey and Elsa.

This level of rigor matters. By middle and high school, students bring widely varied reading histories, academic identities, and confidence levels into the classroom. Effective interventions must account for this complexity, supporting decoding and fluency, while also fostering comprehension, discussion, and engagement with ideas.

By grounding decisions in the science of reading, not assumptions or trends, CAREI’s work offers educators a clearer path forward: one rooted in evidence, transparency, and student need.

From Research to Classrooms, and Why STARI Matters

The READ Act’s intervention review process, informed by CAREI’s analyses, resulted in a short list of 41 evidence-based programs that districts can confidently consider. SERP Institute’s Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention (STARI) was among those recognized.

For SERP, this recognition matters, not because it elevates a single program, but because it affirms a long-standing commitment to designing literacy instruction around how adolescents actually learn. STARI was built for students who can decode but struggle to comprehend, engage, and persist with grade-level text. It pairs structured reading instruction with rich discussion, purposeful writing, and opportunities for students to see themselves as thinkers and contributors.

For students, this can mean classrooms where reading is not an isolating task, but a shared intellectual experience. Where struggling readers are invited into meaningful conversations about text. Where literacy instruction acknowledges both challenges and strengths.

From Evidence to Opportunity

Advancing adolescent literacy is a collective responsibility. With a statewide literacy law in place, CAREI’s rigorous evidence review, and sustained partnerships among researchers, state agencies, and school districts, Minnesota is building a model for how evidence can guide action, without losing sight of students.

When educators and leaders use high-quality research to inform the programs they adopt, students are far more likely to experience instruction that meets them where they are and helps them move forward. For middle and high school students striving to become confident readers, that shift can open doors, not only to academic success, but to fuller participation in school and beyond.

Education News Update » 02-17-26

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 17:54:43 GMT

Rising Behavioral Problems

Teachers are reporting a rise in misbehavior, even among the youngest children. Students are more disruptive and defiant. They sometimes lash out physically at classmates and teachers. This has been variously blamed on: the pandemic, changing school environment, reduced recess, and increased screen time. Many schools are trying new methods to bring classrooms under control, with districts and states sharply divided over the right approach. Some schools are focusing on rewarding positive behavior and practicing social skills. Other schools use restorative practices that emphasize group conversations and building community. In contrast, other states are bringing in more consequences and exclusionary discipline, even for the youngest kids. Hechinger

How Boys Pull Ahead in Math

Boys and girls now start kindergarten on roughly equal footing in math, but boys consistently gain ground during the kindergarten year and continue pulling ahead through fifth grade. The growing math advantage for boys is stable across nine cohorts and persists regardless of pandemic disruptions, challenging claims that early schooling disadvantages boys academically. In fact, elementary schooling in math appears to favor boys. In reading, girls enter kindergarten with a sizable advantage that remains largely unchanged through elementary school. In other words, gaps in reading favoring girls are “fully baked” at school entry, suggesting schools neither widen nor close those gaps. Brookings

DC’s Effort to Boost Math

The District of Columbia is using many different methods in its push to boost math achievement: increased rigor, extra supports, deeper data analysis, math field trips, funding increases, and quick pivots when interventions don’t work. Different metrics show overall improvements in the city’s K–12 math performance in recent years. However, a lot of work remains to see more math gains across all student groups. For instance, the 2024 NAEP results showed economically disadvantaged students’ average score was 45 points lower compared to other students. Black students’ average score fell 65 points lower than that for White students — a gap that was not significantly different from that in 2003. K12Dive

STARI January Highlights

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 22:14:11 GMT

What's In This Issue:

Mid-Year Check-In: What STARI Spotlight Stories Teach Us About Growth

Connect With STARI

What We've Been Reading

Mid-Year Check-in: What STARI Spotlight Stories Teach Us About Growth

The start of a new year can feel like a moment to reset and refocus. Mid-year data offers insights, not final answers, and there’s still meaningful work ahead to support students’ reading confidence, skill growth, and engagement.

Recent STARI Spotlight stories highlight how educators are approaching that work right now:

Small School, Mighty Results

At PLT Campus in Prophetstown, IL, educators made a bold decision to prioritize reading with STARI. After one year, 84% of participating students moved up at least one level on the IAR. Just as important, students began setting goals, tracking progress, and seeing themselves as contributors to their school community, reminding us that growth shows up in mindset as well as scores. Read More

Leading STARI Professional Learning, Insights from Two Facilitators

Two facilitators shared how leading STARI training in their own schools was manageable when it connected directly to classroom practice, using real video examples, familiar routines, and ongoing check-ins. Their experience is a reminder that meaningful professional learning can strengthen implementation at any point in the year. Read More

Path to Progress

As the second half of the year unfolds, consider these practical steps:

Center student agency: Invite students to set small goals and track progress, not just on tests but in the habits that support reading growth.

Revisit routines with colleagues: Use professional learning moments, formal or informal, to reflect on what’s working and adjust together.

Lean into real talk: Use structured discussion to uncover thinking and deepen comprehension, even when scores feel stuck.

Connect with STARI

STARI Community Forum

Join the next STARI community forum on February 12th! Register

Coming Soon: Episode 5

Beyond Middle School: Building the High School Series

Catch up on previous episodes

The Road to SXSW EDU

We’re on the road to SXSW EDU! Follow along as we share the stories, people, and classroom work we’re bringing to Austin.

STARI at CESA 5

Thank you to Wisconsin Cooperative Educational Service Agency 5 (CESA 5) for featuring STARI in the January 22 Secondary Literacy Intervention Showcase Series.

What We've Been Reading:

Small-Group Reading Instruction Can Be Effective, Op-Ed from SERP Executive Director Suzanne Donovan in EdWeek

How Mississippi Transformed Its Schools from Worst to Best NYTimes

Four Takeaways From New Report on AI's Risk in Education The74

Report: In Some Urban Districts, Science of Reading Limits ‘Robust Comprehension’ The 74

Keep Calm and STARI On!

- The STARI Team

Education News Update » 02-03-26

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 18:53:31 GMT

Math Teaching

Nationwide math scores have flatlined after more than decade of declines. In response, more states are mandating “evidence-based” methods to teach math. That means what the field views as research-backed, which is currently in debate, could have far-reaching consequences. One group, calling themselves the “Science of Math,” promotes explicit instruction, in which teachers explain and model new concepts and procedures step-by-step. Another group, the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, argues that explicit instruction has some value in math teaching, but that it should be minimized. NCSM says the main approach should be guided inquiry, where teachers provide structure to students doing inquiry-based activities. EdWeek

Older Readers Left Behind

Many states are focusing on deploying research-backed reading programs for their younger students. But despite a stagnant reading comprehension rate for older students, they are continually left out of the conversation about improving literacy. Identifying these struggling students can be challenging. The author also says that reading strategies should be used more broadly: in every class, across all grade levels, not just language arts. They argue that teachers of older students need more training in supporting literacy. According to a survey, only 38% of educators said they are getting training from their district in how to handle older students reading below grade level. EdSurge

The 5% Problem

Now more than ever, tutoring providers, researchers, and big edtech are in a race to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to help K-12 students learn math. However, these ambitious projects have been continually hampered by the same problem: students don’t use them. The “5 percent problem” describes the small fraction of students who use a learning technology with enough consistency to show learning gains. More worrisome is that these are often the same students who would likely succeed anyway. Edtech companies are now recognizing that that the key to engagement lies in human involvement and support: giving teachers the agency to weave these tools into their classroom culture and initiatives. LEVI

STARI Spotlight: Queens Technical High School

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 18:56:15 GMT

Inside Queens Technical High School’s Literacy Turnaround: How STARI Is Helping NYC Teens Thrive

When New York City high school students enter 9th grade, they bring a wide range of literacy skills, and for some, years of unfinished learning. At Queens Technical High School, a committed MTSS team is showing what’s possible when schools pair evidence-based interventions with collaborative leadership and a strong culture of teacher support.

A Data-Driven MTSS Model That Works

Each fall, the Queens Tech MTSS team screens all incoming 9th graders, identifies students reading below the 20th percentile, and conducts targeted secondary screeners. This data-driven process ensures students receive the right level of support from day one.

The result?

This year 140 students are enrolled in strategic reading, including three STARI classes that are taught five days a week.

Why STARI Stands Out

Teachers at Queens Tech highlight several features that make STARI work for adolescent readers:

High-interest texts that students want to discuss
Fluency routines that build confidence and energy
Vocabulary, comprehension, and metacognitive strategies that transfer to other classes
Supports that help multilingual learners accelerate quickly

Students especially love STARI texts that are set in NYC like Bronx Masquerade and Ask Me No Questions , and teachers report lively discussions that extend beyond the classroom.

“We’re seeing consistent growth. Even new teachers see progress early on.”

Leigh Carey
STARI Teacher

Collaboration Is the Secret Ingredient

Leigh Carey, STARI teacher at Queens Tech, describes the culture this way:

“This isn’t a trend. This is real, tangible work, and students are succeeding.”

That success is now extending beyond Queens Tech. Leigh credits Gina Ceparano , District 24 Literacy Specialist, with helping spread the positive impact of STARI to other schools. Through Gina's leadership, District 24 has begun to build a more coherent and aligned literacy strategy. As a result, Queens Tech is now recognized as a hub school, offering model classrooms, coaching, and implementation support to other NYC high schools adopting STARI.

A Model for New York City

With strong leadership, consistent progress monitoring, and a shared commitment to students, Queens Tech has created a powerful blueprint for adolescent literacy.

SERP is proud to support their work and excited to highlight their story as NYCPS continues scaling STARI across the city.

Education News Update » 01-20-26

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 18:28:52 GMT

Funding Waivers

Iowa will have more flexibility in how it uses federal funds after the Department of Ed. signed off on a first-of-its-kind waiver request that may be a blueprint for other states. Supporters of the idea say states deserve more flexibility and can use it effectively, but critics worry that money federal lawmakers intended to support specific student groups won’t reach them. While Iowa’s approved waiver request ended up being fairly narrow, a pending waiver request from Indiana could show how much new authority the administration is willing to give some states. At the same time, the Department of Ed. still needs to ensure money is being appropriately spent, which is harder after layoffs. Chalkbeat

Using Math Vocabulary

Researchers have spent decades trying to understand why some teachers are more effective than others. A new study suggests that one surprisingly simple difference between stronger and weaker math teachers may be how often they use mathematical vocabulary words, such as “factors,” “denominators” and “multiples,” in class. Teachers who used more math vocab had students who scored substantially higher on math tests. Researchers suspect that vocabulary is part of a broader group of effective teaching practices. Teachers who use more math terms may also be providing clearer explanations and walking students through examples step-by-step. These teachers might also have a stronger understanding of math themselves. Hechinger

School Finance Reform

State finance reforms since the 1970s have changed school funding formulas to improve socioeconomic equity by providing more funds for districts in lower-income communities and with lower property values. Because of the correlation between income and race in the U.S., researchers expected to find that the reforms would also improve racial equity of school funding. However, a recent study found that the same reforms did not make funding more equal by race or ethnicity. In fact, in some cases, these reforms widened funding gaps between districts with the lowest and highest shares of Black or Hispanic students. This may be due in part to funding differences between states or between districts. Brookings

Leading STARI Professional Learning in Your School: Insights from Two Facilitators

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 00:07:51 GMT

Thinking about implementing STARI at your school, but wondering about the training involved?

Here's something you might not know: you and your colleagues can complete STARI professional learning right in your own school, with the teachers and leaders you already work with every day.

With a STARI Facilitator license , you can lead your colleagues through our comprehensive professional learning series and train STARI teachers right in your school and district. It's designed to be both easy and effective. But don't just take our word for it.

If the idea of leading STARI professional learning sounds intimidating or like a massive time commitment, you're not alone. That's why we talked with two school-based leaders who've been there to share their real experiences facilitating STARI training.

Meet Our Featured Facilitators

Geneviève DeBose is a Literacy Coach for the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools . With three years of experience facilitating STARI professional learning, she brings valuable perspective on what works.

Carly Gifford is a Reading Interventionist in Wisconsin who's in her first year of facilitating STARI professional learning. Her fresh experience offers insights for those just getting started.

Getting Off to a Strong Start

Let's address the elephant in the room: planning two full days of summer professional development sounds intimidating, right?

Ideally, the first six sessions of STARI professional learning should be completed before teachers begin using STARI in their classrooms. Both Carly and Geneviève were able to schedule these sessions during summer district work days with their future STARI teachers. And here's the good news—it wasn't nearly as overwhelming as it sounds.

The secret? The STARI Facilitator Guide walks leaders through every single step of the process. Both facilitators emphasized how manageable the planning process was when working with their co-leaders.

Carly's experience was particularly reassuring: "We got together, briefly, maybe an hour or two before, and found that everything was laid out so well…we didn't have to do much. It's all right there! So, that was, like… Gold! The Facilitator Guide is so thorough, not missing anything, and we were floored that we didn't have to prepare the training materials."

What about organizing all the nitty-gritty details of each training day? Geneviève kept it simple: "We literally just used exactly what you all gave in terms of structures and tips for how you can organize those two days. It was very straightforward."

Both leaders agreed on one crucial outcome: by the end of those two days of summer training, their teachers had built a solid foundation for launching the STARI year with confidence and the knowledge they needed to succeed.

Seeing STARI in Action

With any professional learning initiative, teacher buy-in is absolutely key. Teachers don't have time for professional learning that feels disconnected from classroom reality.

If you've explored the STARI website (and if you haven't, check it out!), you've seen our videos featuring real students and teachers engaged with STARI. These videos serve as powerful tools during professional learning, helping teachers visualize how students engage with STARI and grow over time, grounding the entire professional learning experience in authentic classroom practice.

Carly highlighted the value of the videos: "It was nice to see it being implemented. To see what it looks like and go through it ourselves, was really important. And, we could also go back later to watch again and reflect."

Geneviève echoed this sentiment with particular enthusiasm: "I think the videos are incredibly helpful to see it in action. My favorite ones are always the advice from veteran STARI teachers. I think those clips are super helpful."

Another factor securing teacher buy-in? Many of the strategies featured in STARI professional learning were already familiar to Carly's teachers, including techniques like Stop & Jot and Turn & Talk. Revisiting these strategies within the STARI framework provided teachers with valuable opportunities to deepen their understanding and refine their practice.

Geneviève noted that learning the STARI fluency routine offered something particularly unique and useful: "It's not something that most middle school teachers are familiar with. I think it's very valuable for them to have the opportunity to learn the routine, see it in action, experience it."

Sustaining Momentum Throughout the Year

Completing the first six sessions before the school year begins is a game-changer. But what about the remaining 11 sessions—the ones that happen once the school year is in full swing and everyone's schedule gets packed? How do you manage the scheduling and organization? While some schools may have enough in-person professional learning time to do all 17 sessions together, Geneviève and Carly both used a hybrid approach. They led the first six sessions in person, but teachers did the rest asynchronously, using their own teacher licenses to access the online STARI professional learning series.

The Facilitator Guide provides clear guidance about when sessions should be completed. As Geneviève explained: "The guidelines for timing of each session helped us get started and keep on track."

Once the school year launched, both Geneviève and Carly established regular meeting schedules with their STARI teachers. These meetings served as checkpoints to monitor progress and provide support by answering questions as they arose.

The Best Thing? Watching Students Grow

While the training structure and support materials matter, what truly makes it all worthwhile is witnessing student transformation.

Carly has seen remarkable changes in student confidence and engagement. Some of her students who had never spoken up in class or asked a question are now participating actively. "It's because they're being challenged. To think like, oh my gosh, that actually happened! It feels good."

Both leaders reported immediate improvements in student fluency—and not just in the obvious metric of words-per-minute. Carly shared an insight that many reading teachers will recognize: "You always have, or I do, the speed readers who think, the faster I go, the more fluent I am. And… I've even gotten those kiddos to slow down so they can comprehend."

Geneviève reflected on the broader impact she's observed: "Honestly, the texts and the conversations that kids have about them are so rich and so great, and the routines, I think, are really helpful, especially for middle school kids. The success that kids feel when they are seeing their progress in fluency, or getting better at engaging in discussion or summarizing with the five W's. And increasing the volume of reading that kids are doing, for them to see themselves as readers, and to be engaged in rich text about complex topics. It's been great."

The Bottom Line

STARI teacher training, facilitated by literacy leaders like you, makes these student outcomes possible. The process is more manageable than you might think, the materials are comprehensive and ready to use, and the impact on students is both immediate and profound.

Ready to learn more about becoming a STARI Facilitator at your school? Get started here !

Education News Update » 01-06-26

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 18:08:08 GMT

12 Charts that Defined Ed. in 2025

This year was fruitful for social science research, though the White House eﬀorts to liquidate the Education Department staﬀ may well limit the public’s insight into how schools perform and children learn in future years. Education research shows clearly how the renewed fervor of the second Trump term has, in some senses, fulfilled the hopes and anxieties embedded in his first. This article includes 12 charts that provide a visual representation of current trends in U.S. education. For example, one chart shows that achievement was lagging in the U.S. even before COVID. Another suggests that increased I.C.E. presence has worsened student absenteeism. A set of four charts suggests that cell phone bans have had a positive eﬀect on student performance. The74

The Trump Effect on Education

Even with a conservative think tank’s blueprint detailing how the second Trump administration should reimagine the federal government’s role in education, few might have predicted what actually materialized this year for America’s schools and colleges. It was almost impossible for the average observer to keep track of the array of changes across colleges and universities, K-12 schools, early education and education research — and what it has all meant. This article is a look back at how the education world was transformed during the first year of Trump’s second term. Hechinger

Top 10 Education Studies of 2025

This article provides a roundup of the most insightful studies of 2025. The research suggests that technology is at a crossroads. While AI hype remains high, two new studies are more ambivalent about using the technology in classrooms, suggesting that large language models can help teachers with burdensome paperwork but may leave young writers clueless about what they just committed to paper. Meanwhile, cell phones continue to fall out of favor in schools, with bans across the country. New research also showed the value of time-tested practices, from handwriting to recess to brain breaks and good old-fashioned productive struggle. Edutopia

SERP Highlights from 2025

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 21:12:45 GMT

This past year has been an exciting one at the SERP Institute! Effective partnership work is years in the making, but in 2025, several of these years-long efforts came to fruition.

A Year of Impact

Message From Suzanne Donovan, Ph.D, Executive Director

We completed a STARI program—Series 4— explicitly designed for high school students!

STARI was first developed in collaboration with the Boston Public Schools; then-Superintendent Tom Payzant told us that BPS high school students couldn’t comprehend their textbooks. He wanted help addressing the underlying problem—reading stagnation in the middle grades. But as we invited other districts to participate in the evaluation of STARI, or to use the freely downloadable materials, many asked for a program specifically for high school students. Learn more about STARI Series 4 .

We learned from these interactions to think differently. STARI was initially only two series: we considered series 1 as appropriate for 6th and 7th grades, and series 2 for 8th and 9th grades. But through a practitioner’s lens, middle school programs should have three levels—one per grade. So a third series was created. While some schools did use series 3 for high school students, the requests for a program designed specifically for high school continued. And after several years of work, the STARI team has now published series 4! It is now available for purchase through SERP, or as a free download through the SERP download center .

We completed two professional learning courses for K-2 teachers now available to elementary schools everywhere!

One course is on Effective Literacy Workstations and the other is on Developing Student Discourse . These courses are the culmination of years of partnership work with the DC Public Schools . We at SERP have been impressed by the quality of the DCPS leadership team, and the thoughtfulness of their decision-making. Many of the messages researchers would give districts about high quality practice are followed in DCPS, and over the years the gains on NAEP scores have offered proof of their effectiveness. But the gap between the highest and lowest quartiles widened. To shore up performance in the highest poverty areas of the city, DCPS leaders asked SERP to look at the high and low growth schools and classrooms within those areas and identify the sources of variation that could explain the different outcomes for students with the similar demographic characteristics.

After extensive research in classrooms and analyses of data, we homed in on a set of differences that both appeared to be important in the observations, and that emerged in analyses of district data as related to gains in students reading achievement: the effective use of time during literacy workstations, and the engagement of students in classroom discourse. To spread the effective practices more broadly, the partnership team set out to develop courses for teachers that called out these practices, why they are important, and how they look in authentic classrooms—no staging, no researcher involvement; just teachers who had mastered effective practices over years or decades, and maintain those practices within the structures of the classroom and school.

It is always a challenge for districts to get teachers to do new things; implementation is still a work in progress. But course pilots received rave reviews from teachers. An effectiveness study is now underway. Learn more about the K-2 Literacy Professional Resources.

We also took on new work in 2025.

We updated Series 2 of WordGen Weekly, including the development of two new units:

Should schools ban cell phones? and
Should school meals be free for all students?

WordGen Weekly , SERP's interdisciplinary middle school Word Generation program, builds students reading comprehension, academic language, and argumentation skills by giving them interesting topics for which there is no right answer to discuss and debate. The more immediately relevant the topic, the better. We are grateful to the Brinson Foundation for their support to keep WordGen up-to-date and engaging for students. Announcement of the new units brought record numbers of visitors to the SERP website in November! Download the new units .

We launched a new partnership with Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) and the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) focused on High School Civics.

There is no more important charge today than to focus students’ attention and energy on understanding and participating in civic life. With the generous support of Leonard Schaeffer, and with a team of outstanding teachers from both Rhode Island and DCPS high schools, we are putting together draft units with activities that teachers are trying out as we go. We still have a ways to go, but we are enthusiastic and energized by the work. Learn more.

And we survived the unexpected!

Our print-on-demand partner’s facility burned to the ground and the company went out of business. Serendipity had our STARI book distributor file for bankruptcy at just about the same time. With commitment to meeting the needs of schools, the SERP team worked furiously to establish new relationships and deliver all orders on time. If you’ve ordered SERP materials in the past, you will have seen a big shift: all orders now go through the SERP Store. With greater control, we can be more confident that we are delivering excellent service. What felt like disasters at the time yielded a positive outcome in the end. Cheers to silver linings!

As the year closes and we look ahead to 2026, the SERP team is delighted to be in a position to serve ever-larger numbers of educators and students with a growing portfolio of resources. We are energized by the collaborations to come, and the opportunities to make a difference. Happy New Year!

STARI November Highlights

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 18:14:41 GMT

What's in this issue:

Highlights from AMLE

Introducing STARI FAQ

Connect With STARI

What We've Been Reading

Highlights from AMLE 2025

It was our first time at AMLE , and it did not disappoint! Over 1,600 educators gathered in Indianapolis, and STARI was right in the mix.

In our sessions, we explored interventions teens actually enjoy and how peer collaboration boosts literacy . Struggling readers need programs that use real literature, build collaboration skills, restore confidence, and actually work.

AMLE Reflections from the STARI Team and Teachers

Julie Behme, M.Ed. , STARI teacher from Carlinville, IL, on The Power of Collaboration and how schools can use data to drive change.

Read Julie's full reflection here.

Akilah Hawkins, M.Ed. , STARI School Support Specialist, on how Hudson Middle School’s BELONG framework mirrors STARI’s focus on building community through literacy.

Read Akilah's full reflection here.

How Did You Learn to Read?

In true SERP Stories fashion, we invited AMLE attendees to reflect on their own reading journeys. Their stories reminded us why literacy matters, and why interventions like STARI are so impactful. Listen to their stories here .

Introducing STARI FAQs!

Search, browse by category, or view all FAQs in one spot. We've gathered answers to your most common questions in one easy-to-use resource. Visit starifaq.org to explore.

Connect with STARI

Join the STARI Educators Facebook Group

We now have a STARI Educators Facebook Group. A space to share strategies, ask questions, and learn from others implementing STARI. Join here .

STARI Community Forum

Join the next STARI community forum on January 13th! Register .

Episode 4: The Readers STARI Didn't Give Up On

What happens when struggling readers don’t just learn how to read, but start believing they are readers? Listen now .

The Road to SXSW Begins

“Kids don’t learn basketball by doing worksheets about basketball.”

Just like in sports, students learn by doing, reading, talking, thinking, and collaborating. That’s what STARI is all about, and it’s what we can’t wait to share at SXSW .

What We've Been Reading

Interactive Map Identifies Schools Beating the Odds in Reading Scores • The 74
Novels vs. Excerpts: What to Know About a Big Reading Debate • EdWeek
What Students Are Saying About the Decline in High School Reading Skills • The New York Times

Keep Calm and STARI On!

- The STARI Team

Small School, Mighty Results: How STARI Transformed Reading at PLT

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 22:20:22 GMT

STARI Spotlight: In Prophetstown, Illinois—population 2,000—something remarkable is happening. At Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico 6-12 Campus (PLT) , students who once struggled with reading are experiencing breakthrough growth, thanks to STARI and the dedication of Principal Mrs. Janet Barnhart.

By Emily Hayden, Ph.D.

Literacy Specialist

SERP Institute

A Personal Mission Born from the Classroom

Mrs. Barnhart’s journey with reading intervention didn't start in an administrator's office. It began when she taught high school English and faced a challenge that changed her career trajectory.

"I was a literature major, I was a rhetoric minor, there was nothing about teaching students to read in my preparation," she recalls. "And then I had team-taught classes, with 30% of my students identified for special education, and a lot of students who identified as non-readers. I had to jump in and figure out, how am I going to teach them to read?"

That early classroom experience stuck with her. As a Literacy Coach and Dean of Instruction before becoming Principal, Mrs. Barnhart kept searching for solutions that would truly help struggling readers at the middle and high school level.

Why STARI Was the Right Fit

Finding an effective reading program for older students isn't easy. Elementary programs feel too juvenile, while many secondary interventions miss critical foundational skills. When Mrs. Barnhart discovered STARI, she knew she'd found something different.

"It's hard to find a program that fits the needs of middle school and high school," she explains. "STARI still has the components that they're missing, the skills that underlie their reading, but it doesn't feel too elementary. STARI covers everything from phonetic awareness to the metacognitive side. That made the decision easy for us."

The Results Speak for Themselves

After just one year of implementation, the data from PLT tells a compelling story: an impressive 84% of students who participated in STARI moved up at least one level on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), which ranges from Below Proficient to Approaching Proficient, Proficient, and Above Proficient. But the numbers only tell part of the story.

What's perhaps even more meaningful is the shift in student mindset. Students who previously saw themselves as unable to contribute to school-wide academic goals are now setting ambitious targets for themselves.

"Our students set grade level goals for the IAR, and then they're very excited to ask me if I've gotten our results," Mrs. Barnhart shares. "They had really high goals for themselves, but seeing the growth from students who, in the past, maybe don't feel like they're going to contribute to being successful on that. When they see their levels going up, they feel like they can be a part of that as well."

The shift from "I can't" to "I can help us succeed" is transformative—not just for test scores, but for students' sense of belonging and capability.

Navigating the Challenges

Success doesn't come without difficult decisions. At PLT, implementing STARI means asking students to give up an elective to participate in the 45-minute daily program. It's a sacrifice, but Mrs. Barnhart is clear about the priority.

"Tell me what is more important to prioritize than reading?" she asks. "If our students can't become proficient readers, then they are going to have a difficult time in life. Once they get to high school, the window of opportunity for improving their reading is closing, and so we really have to prioritize: What is necessary for life for them?"

Another challenge comes from STARI's intentional use of relevant, real-world literature. The program chooses books that reflect the complex world adolescents are navigating—which sometimes means tackling topics that are edgy or controversial. Mrs. Barnhart sees this as an opportunity rather than an obstacle.

"Our students are exposed to so much, and if we're not teaching them how to evaluate what they see on the news, then we're really missing a good opportunity to help them be critical thinkers," she notes. "If we only give them happy, non-controversial literature it doesn't mimic real life. I think that's just a part of our charge as adults: we're not advocating for one side or the other, [but], we're teaching them how to understand the consequences of things that happen."

The key, she emphasizes, is having trusted teachers who can navigate these materials with sensitivity and help students develop critical thinking skills.

Advice for Other Schools

For schools considering STARI, Mrs. Barnhart’s advice is straightforward: look at your data and be willing to try something new.

"Be open, and go in with an open heart," she recommends. Compare STARI to your current interventions and let the evidence guide your decision.

At PLT, a small school in a small town, they've proven that size doesn't limit impact. With the right program, dedicated educators, and students who are ready to grow, transformation is possible. Their story is a powerful reminder that every student deserves the chance to become a confident reader—and that it's never too late to make that happen.

STARI Spotlight highlights real educators making a difference in reading instruction across the country. Know a teacher who should be in the next STARI Spotlight? Nominate them here . If you have a STARI success story to share, we'd love to hear from you, share here .

SERP Stories: When Students Believe They're Readers, Everything Changes

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 15:29:13 GMT

We're excited to share that Episode 4 of SERP Stories is now live!

In this episode, host Dr. Kala Jones asks a question that cuts right to the heart of adolescent literacy: What happens when we stop asking "Can they read?" and start asking "Do they see themselves as readers?"

Through candid conversations with STARI teachers, moving reflections from students, and the wisdom of experts like Linda Diamond and Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings , Episode 4 explores the often-overlooked dimensions of literacy instruction— belonging, confidence, and academic agency . These aren't soft skills or nice-to-haves. They're essential to transformation.

STARI students aren't just learning to decode or comprehend. They're reclaiming something that school took away: the belief that reading is for them. Episode 4 shows how that happens, one classroom at a time.

�� Listen to the episodes here: serpinstitute.org/podcast

Share it with someone who's fighting for the readers others gave up on but STARI never did.

Education News Update » 12-02-25

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 19:28:53 GMT

Education Statistics

In the field of education research, the federal system is designed for the slow, unglamorous work of establishing baseline data in reading and math, conducting large-scale evaluations, and studying interventions that schools actually adopt. Trump’s second term has seen heavy damage to this infrastructure. Some consequences are already evident. Public confidence in federal data faltered as publications arrived late, abbreviated or not at all. Almost no new grants or contracts for research were awarded in 2025. But the true damage will unfold over years. Longitudinal studies were cut oﬀ midstream, multiyear research programs collapsed; promising lines of inquiry vanished before they could mature. The deepest loss belongs to the children and teachers who will never benefit from the knowledge that would have been generated. Hechinger

Phone Bans and Burnout

School cellphone bans may improve teacher well-being and stress levels, according to preliminary results from a new study. Teachers have reported in recent years that the classroom dynamic has changed. Students are disengaged and distracted. Researchers found that 9 in 10 teachers said the ban had helped them manage their classrooms and build stronger connections with students. More than 8 in 10 reported that they found teaching to be more rewarding. However, an eﬀective cell phone ban must be carefully planned and supported by administrators, so that teachers are not burdened by the implementation. EdWeek

Building Critical Literacy

Today, students can find answers faster than ever before, but access to information isn’t the same as understanding it. The challenge for educators is helping students move from consuming information to questioning it. AI demands that we extend the blueprint for teaching decoding, fluency, and comprehension into the domain of critical literacy. This is the capacity to analyze, evaluate, and discern truth across formats, platforms, and perspectives. The article recommends five strategies to use with students. These include: lateral reading, deepfake image analysis, and multimodal text sets. Edutopia

Giving Tuesday: What Philanthropy Means to Us at SERP

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 16:26:15 GMT

At SERP, philanthropy is more than generosity, it’s partnership. It’s the belief that transformative change in education happens when researchers, educators, communities, and funders work side-by-side to solve real problems together. This Giving Tuesday, we’re celebrating the supporters who make our mission possible: building tools, knowledge, and systems that help every student experience belonging, confidence, and academic agency.

Philanthropy fuels the work at the heart of SERP: rigorous research, thoughtful design, and deep collaboration with practitioners. It allows us to take risks, pilot bold ideas, and co-create solutions with the districts and teachers who understand their students best. From developing new literacy interventions to expanding professional learning to strengthening research-practice partnerships nationwide, philanthropy enables us to reach farther and serve more communities.

Expanding Civic Readiness Through a Landmark Investment

We are honored this year to receive transformative support from Leonard D. Schaeffer for SERP’s Civics Curriculum Project: Preparing High School Students for the Challenges of American Democracy. This four-year initiative with the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) and the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) will respond to an urgent national need for high-quality civics education.

Building on more than two decades of SERP’s work designing research-based curricula in literacy, math, social studies, and science, this project will co-create, with educators, researchers, and designers, a semester-long high school civics curriculum focused on democratic tensions, disciplinary and digital media literacy, and a capstone civic action project. In line with SERP’s commitment to accessibility, these materials will be made freely available nationwide. Mr. Schaeffer’s support, informed by his longstanding investment in civic participation, extends that impact to a new generation of high school students, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and agency essential to a thriving democracy.

Strengthening Early Literacy on Capitol Hill

We are also proud to share that SERP received a grant from the Capitol Hill Community Foundation (CHCF) to support our project, Literacy Workstation Materials for K–2 Students in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C. This grant strengthens our mission to ensure young learners develop the strong early literacy foundations critical for long-term academic success.

At a recent CHCF grantee gathering, we connected with board members and fellow organizations dedicated to uplifting education, the arts, and community service across Capitol Hill. It was a powerful reminder of what becomes possible when neighbors unite around shared purpose. We are honored to be part of this network of changemakers and grateful for CHCF’s partnership in bringing high-quality, research-based literacy tools to classrooms in our nation’s capital.

Advancing WordGen for Today’s Classrooms

We are equally grateful for the continued support of the Brinson Foundation, whose investment is fueling important updates to WordGen, SERP’s flagship vocabulary and discussion curriculum. Their generosity enables us to refresh units with current, relevant topics and expand the tools educators rely on to build student voice, critical thinking, and academic language.

The Brinson Foundation’s commitment to evidence-based, scalable educational tools aligns deeply with SERP’s mission. Their partnership ensures that WordGen continues empowering young people to engage thoughtfully with complex social, scientific, and civic issues, both in school and beyond.

Thank You

On Giving Tuesday and every day, we are profoundly grateful for the funders, partners, and advocates who believe in SERP’s vision: a world where research and practice are not separate spheres, but collaborators in creating meaningful change. Thank you for standing with us, and for helping ensure students and educators have the tools they need to thrive.

Insights from AMLE: Finding Belonging in Middle School and Literacy

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 20:46:10 GMT

By Akilah Hawkins, M,Ed,

School Support Specialist
SERP Institute

AMLE 2025 offered plenty of ideas for supporting middle school students, but one session stood out: “ Exploring the Heart of Middle School through Belonging and Community ” from Hudson Middle School in Ohio. The session highlighted practical ways to foster connection, engagement, and purpose in classrooms. Hudson’s BELONG framework: Build, Engage, Learn, Outreach, Network, and Grow , demonstrates how a school can create meaningful opportunities for students through civic engagement, peer mentorship, student leadership, and other schoolwide initiatives.

A standout example is One Book, One Day , which brings the entire school community together around a shared text. Students take part in cross-curricular projects, and even the cafeteria joins in with themed meals inspired by the book. The program is joyful, connected, and deeply student-centered.

This is where it clicked: BELONG isn’t just a framework. It’s a feeling. And that is the same feeling STARI cultivates through literacy.

Belonging Through Story in STARI Classrooms

In STARI classrooms, students read complex, thought-provoking texts that spark discussion and reflection. They explore identity, conflict, empathy, and perspective, all while strengthening their reading skills.

This isn’t just literacy, it’s connection through story. When students read about characters navigating real-life challenges, they see themselves and others in new ways. They share ideas, listen, and build community. Sound familiar? It’s the same heartbeat that runs through Hudson’s BELONG initiative.

Both STARI and BELONG remind us that students thrive when learning feels human.

Why Belonging Matters in Middle School

Middle school is a pivotal time. Students are figuring out who they are, how they fit, and what they care about. Whether through a service project or a shared novel, giving them space to belong, and making sure their voices are heard, transforms learning from an obligation into an invitation.

At SERP, research and evidence-based design are central to STARI. What stood out in Hudson’s approach is what makes that research come alive: a culture that values students’ experiences as much as their test scores.

The AMLE session highlighted that middle school is more than a stage of growth. It is a unique opportunity to build connection and community. Hudson’s BELONG framework and STARI both show how powerful learning can be when relationships and relevance are at the center of instruction. When students see themselves reflected in the texts they read and the projects they create, learning becomes meaningful, personal, and lasting.

Leaving AMLE Inspired

As the session concluded, it was clear that if every middle school made belonging part of the curriculum, and every literacy classroom made connection part of the goal, school would feel very different. At STARI, we help make that vision real, one classroom at a time.

Akilah chats with an AMLE attendee about supporting striving readers.

Kala and Akilah representing STARI at AMLE 2025.

Beyond Leveled Reading: How to Give Struggling Older Readers the Right Kind of Challenge

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 21:02:40 GMT

After reading "Why one reading expert says ‘just-right’ books are all wrong" , I suspect that Shanahan and I agree more than we disagree. However, I worry that - especially because many people don’t read beyond headlines - an important point may be obscured.

By Margaret Troyer, Ph.D.

Director of Literacy Research & Development

SERP Institute

After reading "Why one reading expert says ‘just-right’ books are all wrong" , I suspect that Shanahan and I agree more than we disagree. However, I worry that - especially because many people don’t read beyond headlines - an important point may be obscured.

First, the article notes that Shanahan is opposed to leveled reading “mainly from second grade onward.” Prior to second grade, when students are focused mainly on building phonics and decoding skills, differentiated small group instruction is appropriate so that each group may receive explicit instruction and practice with the phonics skills they are currently working on (NRP, 2000; Connor et al., 2013).

The article goes on to acknowledge that grade-level texts are not appropriate for students who read significantly below grade level. Shanahan says, “If a fifth grader still can’t read, I wouldn’t make that child read a fifth-grade text.”

Given my background and work with the Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention (STARI) , I am far more concerned about the fifth grader - and the sixth grader, and the high schooler - who cannot yet read on grade level, and the impact articles like this one may have on this group of students. Typically, these students have spent years holding grade-level texts in their hands that they cannot decode or comprehend. These students need something different.

Shanahan uses the analogy of a mother teaching a child to tie their shoes. As the mother of an 8-year-old who still can’t tie his own shoes, this analogy resonated deeply. And I know what I’m supposed to do . Some days, there is time for him to mess around trying to tie his own shoes, while I stand off to the side patiently coaching. More often, though, we simply need to get our shoes on our feet and get out the door. And on those days, we use Velcro, or I tie his shoes for him. This more accurately represents the situation that most secondary teachers find themselves in. Secondary social studies, science, and even ELA teachers are responsible for covering content. When assigned texts far outstrip students’ current comprehension skills, that’s what leads to “Velcro solutions,” like teachers reading aloud or summarizing the texts for students - neither of which builds students’ reading skills. (And some days, my 8-year-old is frustrated because he can’t do something he knows he’s supposed to be able to do, and he doesn’t want to hear my coaching. This is a real issue for older struggling readers as well.)

Yes, students who read below grade level need teachers to guide them to understand complex and challenging texts - but they need texts that are at an appropriate level of challenge for them . To be clear, we are not suggesting students be given books that are “easy enough that not much guidance is needed,” and we are not suggesting that students in a class read a dozen different texts so everyone can read at their “just right” level. Research suggests that comprehension instruction (unlike phonics instruction) is most effective with heterogeneous groups, where students can build off each other’s ideas and support one another’s understanding. In STARI, students read books with below-grade-level lexiles, but with characteristics of cognitive complexity, and the whole class reads and discusses one book.

I think Shanahan might agree with this. But I worry that the flashy headline suggests that all students should be reading grade level texts, no matter what. And given the fairly dire statistics on middle and high school reading skills, some of which are referenced in the article, there are compelling reasons to believe that this simply won’t work for most students.

Education News Update » 11-18-25

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:00:20 GMT

Students’ Thoughts on Literacy

Results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, showed that a third of the 12th graders who were tested did not have basic reading skills. Reporters asked teenagers for their reaction. There was a strong consensus: They were alarmed, but not surprised. Students from across the country told us they see the decline firsthand in their classrooms. They pointed to a combination of factors, including lost learning during the pandemic, the overwhelming workload of modern high school, lowered academic standards and, most of all, the relentless pull of screens that has, in their words, decimated attention spans. Students also made suggestions for how schools, teachers, parents and kids themselves could address the problem. NYTimes

Do School Closures Still Matter?

In the fall of 2020, many school systems remained closed for in- person instruction citing concerns over the still-raging COVID-19 pandemic. Some did not fully reopen until the following school year. Studies have generally found that schools that stayed closed longer experienced greater drops in student test scores. This researchers looks at the data to find out if this is still true. The author points out that even school systems that very quickly reopened continue to be behind academically. So, the persistent learning loss may not be driven by the closure decisions from the fall of 2020. Chalkbeat

Reality Under Universal School Vouchers

Florida public schools are experiencing declining enrollment. As in many places across the country, part of this is due to the decline in the number of school-age children. But there’s also the growing popularity of school choice, which has a big impact on school budgets. Leon County, Florida anticipates cutting about $6 million next year from the district budget, which could mean reduced services for students and even school closures. As districts scramble for students, some are hiring consultants to help recruit and are also trying to sell seats in existing classes to homeschoolers. There is also the instability of students frequently switching schools — and of new charter or voucher schools that open and then shut down. Hechinger

The Power of Collaboration: How Root Cause Analysis Drives School Improvement

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 22:29:32 GMT

The session titled The Power of Collaboration: Root Cause Analysis provided valuable insights into how collaborative inquiry and structured reflection can drive school improvement and student success. This presentation centered on Parker Junior High School’s ongoing partnership with the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) and its work toward implementing a true middle school framework.

By Julie Behme, M.Ed.

Reading Interventionist - MTSS Instructional Coach

Carlinville, Illinois

A Journey Toward True Middle School Alignment

When Parker Junior High School partnered with AMLE, the school embarked on a transformative journey to more fully align its practices with the core tenets of the middle school model. Through AMLE’s comprehensive assessment, they gathered staff perceptions and data across three critical domains:

culture and climate,
curriculum and instruction, and
leadership and organization.

This data served as the foundation for our root cause analysis process.

Collaboration as the Engine of Change

During the session, presenters described how collaboration among staff and leadership teams enabled them to identify systemic patterns rather than surface-level issues. Through structured dialogue and reflective inquiry, they uncovered the underlying factors influencing student engagement and academic growth. The process emphasized the importance of building a shared vision, fostering trust among staff, and maintaining a data-informed approach to decision-making.

Connecting the Dots: The Role of Targeted Interventions

A key takeaway from the session was the recognition that STARI could serve as a pivotal resource for middle schools seeking to improve through AMLE’s comprehensive assessment. As a targeted intervention, STARI could strengthen the curriculum and instruction domain—filling a common gap in many middle school programs and supporting students’ academic development.

A Shared Commitment to Student Growth

The story of Parker Junior High reminds us that improvement is not a one-time event—it’s an ongoing, collaborative effort. When educators come together to reflect deeply, analyze data, and act with purpose, meaningful change follows.

Julie and Chad discuss how evidence-based reading interventions can support middle school students.

Julie and Kala connect with educators at the STARI booth.

Insights from AMLE: Educators Reflect on How They Learned to Read

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 01:06:26 GMT

How did you learn to read?

At this year’s AMLE Conference, we asked attendees to share a simple but powerful story: How did you learn to read? Their reflections, captured in photos and video, remind us why literacy matters, and why programs like STARI are so important for students who need extra support.

Hearing these stories highlights the variety of ways early reading experiences can spark a lifelong love of learning:

Julie

Reading Interventionist

Illinois

I remember having phonics books, and I thought they were fun. There was a lot of rhyming and matching, and they were in color—the only workbook we ever had that was in color.

Akilah

School Support Specialist

Illinois

I remember having a toy called Alphie that used to light up. You put a card in Alphie and you go through the different words and so I would repeat after Alphie.

Chad

Principal

Nebraska

I grew up in a small rural town, and when the bookmobile came, I discovered Black Beauty and ended up reading the whole series.

These personal stories remind us that reading journeys are as unique as the students we support. Some learners thrive with hands-on phonics, others with interactive tools, and others with access to books in their community.

Connecting the Stories to STARI

Programs like STARI (Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention) are designed to meet students where they are, providing engaging, leveled texts and structured discussion opportunities to strengthen reading fluency, comprehension, and critical thinking. Just as these educators experienced different paths to literacy, STARI offers multiple pathways for students to grow and succeed.

SERP Stories Podcast: Continuing the Conversation

This same question— How did you learn to read? —is at the heart of every episode of the SERP Stories podcast . Each conversation with educators, researchers, and developers reflects on personal reading journeys, showing how early experiences shape literacy and inspire the work we do today.

SERP Stories

Listen to SERP Stories to hear more educators share their own reading experiences and learn how STARI supports students across the country.

Explore STARI Resources

Download STARI curriculum materials for free, request a STARI bundle , or join a STARI Community Forum to connect with colleagues implementing the program in classrooms like yours.

Thank You to the Brinson Foundation for Supporting WordGen Updates

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 17:07:44 GMT

At SERP, we believe middle school students deserve opportunities to engage with the most pressing and relevant issues of their time. That’s why we are so grateful to the Brinson Family Foundation for their generous support for revisions and updates to the WordGen Weekly program.

With the Brinson Foundation’s partnership, we’ve been able to ensure that WordGen materials don’t just build academic language and vocabulary skills, but they also spark curiosity and invite students to weigh in on the debates shaping their world. The updated units feature current data, fresh perspectives, and topics that resonate deeply with middle school learners today.

Brand New Units

These new additions tackle some of the most challenging topics in schools today:

Is using AI for schoolwork cheating? (new!)
Should school meals be free for all students? (new!)
Should schools ban cell phones? (new!)

Updated Units

We’ve refreshed some favorite units to reflect the latest data and debates, ensuring that classroom conversations are current, relevant, and meaningful:

Teens using nicotine: Who is responsible? (updated!)
Should we invest more in green technologies? (updated!)
Today’s news: information or entertainment? (updated!)
Should corporal punishment be outlawed? (updated!)

These updates keep WordGen true to its mission: bridging academic learning with real-world issues that students recognize, care about, and want to discuss.

We’re proud to continue this important work, and we thank the Brinson Foundation for making it possible. Together, we’re creating classrooms where every student can strengthen their academic language and argumentation skills, while finding their voice on issues that matter.

Access all WordGen units from the SERP Download Center

Education News Update » 11-04-25

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 22:32:25 GMT

Making Research Relevant

Much of today’s education research doesn’t reflect what teachers say they need. In a study of more than 25,000 presentations at the American Educational Research Association’s annual meetings, the dominant themes were equity, social justice, and identity. In contrast, a survey of classroom teachers found that their top concerns were more immediate and practical. They included student behavior and discipline, mental health and well-being, parental involvement, and teacher retention. This disconnect has consequences. Teachers often say that research feels irrelevant to their daily practice. And policymakers sometimes see this disconnect as a reason to cut funding for research altogether. Hill

Girls & STEM: Lost Progress

The latest results from the NAEP — known as the country’s “report card” — returned a poor grade, with more grim statistics about the postpandemic period. It also suggested that girls are once again performing markedly worse than boys in science. In prior years, the gender performance gap across some subjects had narrowed, thanks in part to the ways schools spent federal relief money, according to some experts. But lately, similar to results in math, the gap has reemerged. So now, with schools facing staﬃng shortages, enrollment declines, pinched budgets and a contested political future, this article explores what’s known about the unwelcome reappearance of the gender performance gap in STEM and whether schools can make it disappear again. EdSurge

3 Waves of School Vouchers

America is seeing a surge in private school voucher programs. In the last year, state legislatures in Texas and Tennessee passed voucher legislation, while the U.S. Congress passed a nationwide tax credit scholarship program. Vouchers are often framed as innovative, civil rights-oriented reforms that empower parents, but their origins and outcomes tell a diﬀerent story. Past voucher reforms have been used to perpetuate exclusion and segregation, while recent waves have expanded the programs rapidly without much evidence of academic eﬀectiveness. Policymakers should be aware of the problems of past voucher reforms and seek to avoid making the same mistakes. Brookings

STARI Highlights from October

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 23:56:47 GMT

Talk As a Bridge to Understanding

As you near the end of Unit 1, we wanted to put the spotlight this month on discussion and debate and how it supports students in STARI to deepen comprehension and build critical thinking. This month's newsletter includes resources and examples from the field to support you in this work.

What's in this issue:

Resources to Support Classroom Discussion in STARI

Boost Student Talk • See Talk in Action • Learn With Us

Building Student Voice: STARI & LAUSD Partner to Enhance Classroom Discussion

We're Heading to Austin!

Connecting with STARI

Podcast Episode 3: Scaling STARI • AMLE in Indianapolis • STARI Community Forum

What We've Been Reading

Resources to Support Classroom Discussion in STARI

Boost Student Talk

Use the Talk Moves Handout to guide discussions and debates, helping every student contribute, listen actively, and build on each other’s ideas.

Ms. Phillips-Santos’ 8th grade class engages in a discussion of the novel Game , by Walter Dean Myers.

See Talk in Action

Watch short clips of STARI classrooms to see discussions and debates come alive. These examples show students using Talk Moves to share ideas, challenge each other, and build deeper understanding.

Additional video examples can be found in the APT Video Library .

Learn With Us

Our professional learning sessions give teachers hands-on practice with discussion and debate strategies. See sessions 10-14 of STARI professional learning .

Building Student Voice: STARI & LAUSD Partner to Enhance Classroom Discussion

On October 6, the STARI team delivered Part 3 of our professional learning series to nearly 30 LAUSD teachers and leaders, focusing on strategies for facilitating powerful classroom discussions.

The session focused on strategies for motivating and guiding students through STARI’s guided reading and debate activities , centered on the theme “Talk as a bridge to deeper understanding.” Meaningful discussion helps students develop the complex comprehension skills essential for academic success.

Participants practiced using STARI Talk Moves techniques that help students articulate reasoning, listen actively, and engage with different perspectives, turning classroom talk into a rigorous learning tool.

Teachers reflected on the mindset shift required to let students lead discussions. As LA educators noted, it can feel uncomfortable to step back, but strong classroom norms and respectful discourse make student-led talk a powerful way to grapple with complex texts and ideas.

The energy and commitment of LAUSD educators continues to inspire us!

We're Heading to Austin!

SXSW EDU 2026

The STARI team is thrilled to share that SERP Stories has been selected for SXSW EDU 2026 ! We'll be taping a live episode in Austin, bringing the voices and stories of educators implementing STARI to the national stage.

A huge THANK YOU to this community for your votes and support in helping us get there. Stay tuned for more details as we get ready to share STARI with the world!

Connect with STARI

Episode 3: Scaling STARI

Could STARI succeed beyond Boston? This episode uncovers what scaling in education really demands and the lessons STARI's journey offers to anyone working to grow innovation in schools.

Join us at AMLE in Indianapolis, Nov 5-8!

Concurrent Session: Better Together: How Peer Collaboration Fuels Literacy Growth in Adolescents.

Nov 6, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM.

Speed Session: Tier II That Teens Don't Hate: Literature Based Intervention That Works.

Nov 7, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM.

Visit us at Booth #416 : Stop by to say hi!

STARI Community Forum - Nov 18th

Join the next STARI Community Forum on Nov 18 at 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM ET / 7:30 AM - 8:00 AM PT.

Together we'll tackle challenges, and celebrate what’s working in STARI classrooms.

What We've Been Reading...

Many Young Adults Barely Literate, Yet Earned a High School Diploma, The 74
The Stricter the Cellphone Policy, the Happier the Teacher, Research Finds, EdSurge

For more EdNews, check out the SERP blog !

Keep Calm and STARI On!

– The STARI Team

Education News Update » 10-21-25

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 20:58:14 GMT

Teacher Evaluations

This article by David Blazar examines the eﬀect of the DCPS teacher evaluations for useful ideas and problems. Analyses of D.C. Public Schools’ high-stakes teacher evaluation system, IMPACT, show that while it improved overall performance, it also produced inequitable outcomes across teachers by race and experience. Since implementing IMPACT in 2009, DCPS adjusted its evaluation system to make incentives more equitable, particularly for teachers in high-poverty schools, which reduced— but did not eliminate—racial disparities. Blazar’s recent study finds that replicating DCPS’s success requires not only strong incentives but also an emphasis on equity in their design and a willingness to revise them when outcomes fall short. Brookings

Shutdown Tracker

This is a regularly-updated tracker from Education Week that shows how the federal government shutdown is aﬀecting schools. Most of the 2,447 employees at the Education Department are furloughed, with no more than 122 full-time equivalent employees now on duty at any given time. Approximately 466 Ed. Dept. employees have received reduction in force notices, though these are temporarily blocked by a judge. Title 1, IDEA, and school lunch funds will continue flowing during shutdown. However, Impact Aid funds are on hold, and Head Start funds may be delayed. Grant-making and civil rights enforcement are halted during the shutdown. EdWeek

Latest Industrial Revolution

As AI continues to dominate popular thinking about education, EdSurge sought to dig deeper. EdSurge Research conducted a participatory project about how AI is changing teaching and learning. The purpose of this project is to share resources and to add nuanced perspectives to the very loud conversations about AI in education. EdSurge gathered a small group of 17 teachers and created a forum to encourage critical conversations about how AI is impacting their classrooms to better understand the challenges and opportunities. The research considered questions like: How are teachers using AI to foster student engagement and motivation? & How do we leverage AI to better support teachers? EdSurge

Not Just Faster, Fluent! Why do STARI fluency passages work so well?

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 15:27:43 GMT

Fluency practice doesn't have to be boring!

At least, that's what we've discovered while creating fluency passages for STARI units, and honestly, it's become one of our favorite challenges as curriculum developers.The Science of Reading tells us that word recognition plus comprehension are the keys to skilled reading. When students can read quickly, accurately, and smoothly, comprehension soars!

The Secret Ingredient: Rich Content

Here's what makes writing these passages genuinely enjoyable for us (and hopefully engaging for students): we load them up with fascinating non-fiction content. Research tells us that background knowledge is key for successful comprehension. In fact, it’s another important strand of the reading rope. So we take every opportunity to build background knowledge during STARI lessons, and fluency passages are a great place to do this. And we know that our students have lots to say about such topics, even if they are still building foundational reading skills. Having thoughtful discussions about real world topics is essential to building complex comprehension skills AND for student engagement! So instead of asking students to read generic passages about nothing in particular, we get to dive deep into research about topics that will directly support students' understanding of the novels they'll read in their STARI lessons.

Four Levels, One Rich Discussion

We prepare every fluency passage at four different Lexile levels, ensuring every student can access the content meaningfully. But here's the clever part: we overlap content between these different levels.

Picture this: instead of four random passages at different difficulty levels, students read four interconnected pieces that approach the same topic from different angles. When discussion time comes, every student contributes unique insights while building a deeper, more complete understanding together.

See It in Action: The LBJ Example

Take Fluency Passage 2 from Unit 4.3. All four passages explore Lyndon Baines Johnson, America's 36th president, but each offers a different lens:

Passages written at Level B and C dive into specific legislation Johnson championed, Medicare and Civil Rights laws:

Level B

Unit 4.3, Passage 2

Click to enlarge/download

Level C

Unit 4.3, Passage 2

Click to enlarge/download

Passages written at Level A and D focus on his path to the presidency and relationship with JFK:

Level A

Unit 4.3, Passage 2

Click to enlarge/download

Level D

Unit 4.3, Passage 2

Click to enlarge/download

The result?

A classroom discussion rich with multiple perspectives on this pivotal historical figure.

When you compare Passage A (410-600L) to Passage D (1010-1200L), you'll notice something important: we don't "water down" the content. Instead, we adjust sentence length and number of multi-syllabic words while maintaining the substance and complexity of ideas.

The Bigger Picture

STARI fluency passages do double duty. They build reading skills while expanding students' knowledge base in topics that connect to social studies, science, and beyond. Students aren't just practicing reading; they're becoming more knowledgeable, better-prepared readers who bring richer background knowledge to every text they encounter.

Because at the end of the day, fluent reading isn't just about speed. It's about creating confident, knowledgeable readers who can engage deeply with any text they encounter.

Emily Hayden is a SERP Literacy Specialist and develops curriculum for Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention (STARI).

Education News Update » 10-07-25

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 20:23:18 GMT

Education & Supreme Court

With many eyes on the administration’s incendiary attempts to shutter the Department of Education and eﬀectively dismantle public education, fewer people are closely watching how a conservative majority on the Supreme Court is changing how K-12 students learn in the country. This last term brought Mahmoud v. Taylor, which handed a victory to religious parents looking to shield their children from LGBTQ-inclusive materials. In another case, the court decided to preserve the federal E-Rate program, after its funding structure was challenged. In St. Isidore v. Drummond, the Supreme Court deadlocked, and the ruling from a lower court held, which argued that religious schools should not receive public charter grants. EdSurge

Elevating the Turn & Talk

Many teachers will agree that turn and talk is one of their classroom staples. However, there are some pitfalls with this approach. Some students can’t find a partner and are left out. Certain students listen while others consistently dominate the conversation. Sometimes, conversations are oﬀ topic. Or students may struggle to find the words to start a conversation. This article shares some simple tweaks to reduce problems and maximize the eﬀectiveness of the turn-and-talk strategy. For example, the teacher can take a more structured approach, where each partner takes one minute to be the “speaker,” while the other is the “listener.” Then, roles switch. Edutopia

Lack of Resources

In a new Gallup Poll, many educators reported a shortage of resources. One on four teachers does not have enough of a basic resource, such as laptops, classroom furniture, or printing resources. Two-thirds of teachers report a shortage of “people resources,” such as teaching assistants, aides, or paraprofessionals. A dearth in resources has long plagued educators, with as many as 90% having to reach into their own pockets to buy materials for their students. Teachers reported that professional growth opportunities and materials are two of the most important factors when it comes to job satisfaction: 77% of teachers who have adequate resources report being satisfied at work, versus 44% of those who do not. The74

STARI Highlights from September

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 16:56:14 GMT

What's in this issue:

Tips for Getting Started: Partnering with Parents
STARI Parent Info Flyer
Latest NAEP Results & Meeting the Need of High School Readers
NYCPS Approves STARI as Tier II Intervention
Connecting with STARI: Community Forum, SERP Stories, AMLE in Indianapolis
What We've Been Reading

Tips for Getting Started: Partnering with Parents

At the start of the year, many STARI students aren’t sure why they’re in an intervention class, and some even resist attending. Parent outreach can make a big difference.

As NYC STARI teacher Leigh Carey shared:

“Parent outreach made a huge difference, families were grateful to know about the program and encouraged their children to take it seriously. Often, parents don’t realize their child is reading below grade level until we have that honest conversation. Once students and parents understand why they’re in STARI, buy-in grows and behavioral issues drop.”

Try This: Use our Parent Info Flyer to open a positive conversation with families about their child’s participation in STARI and how they can support their child's reading growth.

Meeting the Needs of High School Readers

The latest NAEP reading results are in: the average reading score for 12th graders in 2024 dropped three points compared to 2019.

These results highlight an urgent reality: too many students are leaving high school without the reading proficiency they need for college, career, and life.

That’s why we developed STARI Series 4, designed specifically for high school students. This series is built to:

Engage older readers with relevant, age-appropriate texts and topics
Strengthen critical reading skills including comprehension, fluency, and decoding
Provide structured support that helps students build confidence and persistence in reading

With Series 4, teachers have evidence-based tools to support students who still need targeted literacy instruction in high school. Learn more about STARI Series 4.

New York City Public Schools Approves STARI as Tier II Literacy Intervention

We’re proud to share that New York City Public Schools has officially approved STARI as a Tier II literacy intervention for students in grades 6 and up. This recognition speaks to STARI’s strong track record, helping struggling adolescent readers boost not just their skills but their confidence too. Learn more about NYC Reads, Chalkbeat .

NYC Teachers:

Free, district-supported STARI professional learning in partnership with AIS is available to help you bring STARI to life in your classroom. The next set of professional learning sessions start October 1!

Connect with STARI

STARI Community Forum - Oct 14th

Mark your calendar! The next STARI Community Forum is happening on Oct 14th at 4:00 PM - 4:30 PM ET / 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM PT.

Come ready to swap ideas, troubleshoot together, and get inspired by fellow STARI teachers.

SERP Stories: Episode 2, The Birth of STARI

I remember the teacher who clearly said, ' I am not gonna humiliate my students by putting texts about ducks in front of them so they can learn to decode words. I need materials that respect their developmental level and I just can't find them.'

- Suzanne Donovan, SERP

Join us at AMLE in Indianapolis, Nov 5-8!

We'll be leading two sessions at this year's AMLE Conference ! Drop by our sessions and our booth.

Concurrent Session: Better Together: How Peer Collaboration Fuels Literacy Growth in Adolescents

Speed Session: Tier II That Teens Don't Hate - Literature Based Intervention That Works

What We've Been Reading...

How Much Freedom Do Teachers Have in the Classroom? In 2025, It's Complicated. EdSurge
Why Are So Few Kids Reading for Pleasure? The 74

For more EdNews, check out the SERP blog !

Keep Calm and STARI On!

- The STARI Team

SERP Stories: The Birth of STARI

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 17:02:27 GMT

We’re excited to share that Episode 2 of SERP Stories is now live!

In this episode, host Dr. Kala Jones takes us back to the very beginning of STARI (Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention). You’ll hear how Boston Public Schools first identified adolescent literacy as a pressing challenge and how SERP convened researchers, teachers, and designers to build a program from the ground up. Episode 2 tells STARI’s origin story, from idea to prototype.

But the story doesn’t stop there.

Coming next, Episode 3 explores the scaling journey : how STARI grew beyond its Massachusetts roots to reach classrooms across the country. What does it take to move from a promising local intervention to a nationally recognized program? Evidence, persistence, and strong partnerships. Episode 3 also shows that scaling isn’t just about growth, it’s about staying true to the research and design principles that made STARI successful in the first place.

�� Listen to the episodes here: serpinstitute.org/podcast

Together, Episodes 2 and 3 reveal the full arc: from spark to scale.

Share these episodes with a colleague who’s curious about how innovations in education take root and grow.

Education News Update » 09-23-25

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:48 GMT

EL Outcomes

English learners make up a growing share of U.S. classrooms, yet research shows schools often struggle to meet their needs. This report from Education Week examines how dual language immersion programs can boost academic and linguistic outcomes, how literacy instruction tailored to English learners benefits all students, and which states are providing—or failing short on— teacher training and resources. Drawing on examples from districts and states leading the way, it highlights eﬀective strategies, persistent gaps, and the role of state-level guidance in supporting equitable educational opportunities for English learners. EdWeek

Teens and Meaning

Dr. Immordino-Yang, a professor and neuroscientist, studies what causes teenagers to engage and learn more deeply. In a 2024 study published in the journal Scientific Reports, Immordino-Yang’s team described the adolescent propensity to gravitate towards meaty social and political issues, seek patterns of significance below the surface of everyday events, and translate local concerns into bigger, more universal questions. That can lead to “fraught“ conversations with teens, she admits in this interview transcript, but it’s precisely this kind of emotionally rich, reflective mode of thought—which her team dubbed transcendent thinking because it "goes beyond the here and now"—that predicts the future growth of the teenage brain. Edutopia

Civics Programming

The Education Department said Wednesday that it is partnering with conservative organizations to present educational programming about patriotism, liberty and what it described as American values, as part of the observation of America’s 250th anniversary next year. The initiative is led by the America First Policy Institute, a right-leaning group founded by senior veterans of President Donald Trump’s first-term administration. It convened 40 other conservative organizations on Wednesday, including Turning Point USA, Hillsdale College, the Heritage Foundation, and Moms for Liberty, to begin planning. Christian evangelical groups, such as the Faith and Freedom Coalition, are also participating. WPost

SERP’s Civics Work Receives Support from Leonard D. Schaeffer

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 17:16:49 GMT

SERP is pleased to announce support from Leonard D. Schaeffer for our Civics Curriculum Project: Preparing High School Students for the Challenges of American Democracy . The proposal was submitted in partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) and the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), both key partners in the development and implementation of the course.

For over two decades, the SERP Institute has been generating innovative and effective elementary and secondary curricula in a variety of areas: literacy, math, social studies, and science. Now we’re answering a call as urgent as any: American civics education. Many educators recognize the challenge and the opportunity, but high-quality civics curricula are in short supply. And to be taken up, those curricula must respond to the standards established by states and school districts.

A hallmark of SERP’s approach to problem-solving research and development is the deep partnerships we form with districts; these partnerships ensure that the structuring and refinement of curricula and professional learning supports dovetail with the constraints of school systems. SERP is thrilled to execute this project through a continuing partnership with the District of Columbia Public Schools and a new partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Education. Over the course of the next four years, practitioners, researchers and designers will generate, implement, and evaluate a new, semester-long high school civics curriculum. The high-quality instructional materials will:

Focus on the tensions between key democratic principles (such as majority rule vs. individual rights, and freedom of speech vs. freedom from harm promoted by speech).
Integrate general literacy, disciplinary literacy, and digital media literacy .
Incorporate a capstone civic action project , empowering students to exercise their rights and responsibilities as citizens.
Be made freely available online to teachers nationwide

Through his Fellows in Government Service initiative, Leonard Schaeffer has long championed civic participation by supporting talented college students to engage in government service. With his backing, this new effort will extend that impact to a much larger group of high school students - equipping them with the critical knowledge, skills and agency essential to a thriving democracy. With Mr. Schaeffer’s enabling support, SERP and its partners will help to ensure the next generation is ready to meet the moment as active, informed citizens.

Building Community, One Forum at a Time: Inside the STARI Community Forums

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 18:02:11 GMT

When we launched the STARI Community Forums over a year ago, our goal was simple: create a space where educators using STARI could connect, share ideas, and learn from one another. What’s happened since has been inspiring.

In each 30-minute forum, teachers from across the country come together to swap tips, ask questions, and celebrate wins from their classrooms. The conversations are real, practical, and grounded in the daily work of teaching reading to striving adolescents.

One teacher recently shared how her students lit up during partner reading. Another asked for strategies on supporting group discussions, and immediately received several ideas from colleagues in other states. These exchanges are what make the forums powerful: they remind us that teaching STARI isn’t a solo journey.

The forums aren’t long, but they’re rich. Each session is structured to maximize teacher voice, highlight concrete strategies, and leave participants with something they can try the very next day.

Whether you’re new to STARI, a seasoned implementer, or just curious, the Community Forums are a chance to learn, connect, and feel part of a national community of practice.

Join us for the next STARI Community Forum on September 16, 2025, 10:30 AM ET - 11:00 AM ET / 7:30 AM PT - 8:00 AM PT

For additional STARl Community Forum dates, visit serpinstitute.org/stari

Education News Update » 09-09-25

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 17:55:51 GMT

Modern Education Research

In a new blog post for the Alliance for Learning Innovation, Mark Schneider, former Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, argues the agency is at a turning point. After what he describes as decades of relying on an outdated grant-driven model that produced limited results, Mark calls for a fundamental rethinking of how IES approaches education R&D. Drawing on successful models from other federal agencies and his own lessons learned, Schneider lays out his vision, principles and practices to modernize education research and better serve schools and students. He argues that IES should stop funding disconnected studies under a common topic header and instead fund integrated portfolios with a shared objective. AlliLearn

Tutoring Post-Pandemic

Before the pandemic, almost 100 studies pointed to impressive math or reading gains for students who were paired with a tutor at least three times a week and used a proven curriculum or set of lesson plans. On the strength of that evidence, the Bidenadministration urged schools to invest their pandemic recovery funds in intensive tutoring to help students catch up academically.However, researchers found that tutoring during the 23-24 school year produced only one or two months’ worth of extra learning in reading or math — a fraction of what the pre-pandemic research had produced. The main problem was that schools just could not get suﬃcient minutes of tutoring to students. Hechinger

Thought Experiments

A new study shows that allowing students space for mental exploration can be as valuable as hands-on lessons. Thought experiments can have some advantages over real experiments: they require no special equipment, are low-cost, can be used in a variety of learning environments, and are easily scalable. They are also ideal when hands-on experiments are impossible or when the conditions needed for a physical experiment are diﬃcult to create. The study author stresses that thought experiments are not meant to replace hands-on activities in classrooms, but to complement them. They can also help students focus on underlying scientific principles and reasoning — skills that are critical for deep learning. HGSE

NYC Reads

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 18:06:05 GMT

STARI Named a Tier II Literacy Intervention by NYCPS

We are proud to share that the New York City Public Schools has named STARI (Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention) one of its approved, research-backed Tier II literacy interventions for students in grades 6 and up .

This recognition underscores STARI’s proven impact in helping struggling adolescent readers build both skills and confidence. Developed through SERP’s long-standing research-practice partnerships, STARI addresses decoding, fluency, and comprehension while also engaging students with high-interest, discussion-rich texts.

Why STARI?

Why was STARI one of only a handful of programs that made the cut?

STARI is engaging - students love it! Students who have struggled with reading during elementary school may think it’s boring or not for them. STARI builds core skills while engaging students with real books on topics that interest them.

STARI works! In multiple research studies, STARI students outperformed non-STARI students on standardized reading texts.

Supporting NYCPS Teachers

To support NYCPS’s adoption of STARI, SERP has partnered with AIS to offer professional learning at no cost to NYC teachers . Our goal is to ensure educators have the tools, strategies, and confidence they need to bring STARI to life in their classrooms.

NYC teachers can sign up for STARI professional learning here .

Schools can access STARI materials in multiple ways:

Download for free from our STARI Download Center

Order pre-printed materials and literature bundles using our bundle form or by visiting the SERP Store .

Looking Ahead

We look forward to partnering with NYC educators as they seek to raise achievement and agency for both teachers and students in secondary schools. At SERP, we believe all students deserve the support to become engaged—and engaging—readers.

August/Back to School STARI Update

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 15:47:54 GMT

Back to School's Back, Alright!

STARI Resources at Your Fingertips

Get Your STARI Materials

Stories From the Field

What to Expect When Starting STARI:

There’s a little bit of ‘selling’ involved at the start. I tell students, ‘This class is here to help you. It’s light on homework, you’ll earn credit, and you’re getting better at something that will benefit you for the rest of your life.’ That first month is about convincing them this intervention matters.

Kate Leo
STARI Teacher, Des Moines, IA

Our first month of STARI was all about building classroom culture , what we called ‘Unit Zero.’ We focused on routines and set up two STARI classes: one with mostly Levels C and D fluency passages, and another with Levels A and B, so we could truly differentiate. It was awkward at first, student buy-in was low. They didn’t understand why they needed another class, especially in our CTE school where schedules are already packed. But then it clicked, they started enjoying it, built strong bonds, and took ownership of their learning. By the end of the first term, five students tested at grade level and exited STARI. That was an incredible moment.

Leigh Carey
STARI Teacher, New York City

How do I...? Is this right...? Tell me why...? And other questions..

Whether you’re new to STARI or have been teaching it for years, questions come up.

Join us for a STARI Community Forum on Sept 16th at 10:30am-11:00am ET.

Bring your questions, your challenges, and your wins, everybody's welcome, and we’ll tackle them together.

ICYMI

Unit 4.3:Truth, Lies, and Memory , invites students to examine how history is told and by whom. Centered on the Vietnam War and the 1970 Ken State shootings, this unit challenges students to engage with multiple perspectives and reflect on the essential questions: Who decides what's true? Why learn about the past?

Professional Learning for Coaches

Instructional coaches are often asked to:

Support ELA and/or STARI teachers
Observe lessons
Facilitate PLCs
Co-plan STARI lessons and provide feedback on observed lessons

Does this sound like you?

The STARI Coach License give you access to specialized coaching resources like discussion prompts, observation tools, and tips for supporting implementation of STARI.

SERP Stories Podcast

Listen to the latest episode where we take a deep dive into the adolescent literacy crisis.

What We've Been Reading... or not!

The Harvard Gazette takes a look at the books that have shaped classrooms over the past 40 years. Some of them are definitely NOT on Harvard Professor and SERP Board Member Catherine Snow's reading list!

"I always hated that book."
- Catherine Snow

Thank you for your commitment to supporting adolescent readers!

If you have any questions, reach out to us at info@serpinstitute.org .

- The STARI Team at SERP

Education News Update » 08-26-25

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 20:30:25 GMT

Life Skills Class

After witnessing widespread school disengagement during the pandemic, the author of this article set out to create a class that students would see as genuinely valuable to real life. Survey responses showed that parents, students, and communitymembers overwhelmingly preferred topics related to practical life skills, such as how to budget expenses, how to manage stress and time, and how to resolve conflicts. The author then designed a yearlong course exploring skills that met students’ interests and goals, emphasizing experiential learning and practical skillbuilding. Many students who took the course said it was the most relevant class they’ve taken in high school. EdWeek

EL’s Educational Rights

The Trump administration has quietly rescinded guidance spelling out the educational rights of the nation’s more than 5 million English learners that educators say was crucial to serving children from immigrant families. The rescission comes after the Trump administration laid oﬀ nearly every staﬀer in the Education Department responsible for serving English learners and looks to wind down a federal website that provides toolkits for helping English learners. The administration has also proposed zeroing out dedicated Title III funding for English learners and issued an executive order declaring English the oﬃcial language of the United States. Chalkbeat

No-Zeroes Policies

The collection of practices known as equitable grading, which includes not giving students zeroes, not taking oﬀ points for lateness, and letting students retake tests, has spread. More than half of K-12 teachers say their school or district used at least one equitable grading practice. The most common practice is not giving students zeroes for missing assignments or failed tests. Just over a quarter of teachers say their school or district has a no-zeroes policy. However, 8 in 10 teachers also say that a no-zeroes policy is harmful to student engagement. Opposition to no-zeroes policies comes from teachers of various racial backgrounds, experience levels, and who work with diﬀerent demographics of students. Chalkbeat

STARI Coach Course

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 13:47:15 GMT

New for 2025: STARI Professional Learning for Coaches

We’re excited to announce a brand new addition to the STARI Professional Learning Series, professional learning designed specifically for instructional coaches .

If you're coaching teachers implementing STARI this year, this new course was created with you in mind.

Why We Created the STARI Coach Course

STARI is built to support students who are two or more years behind in reading, and implementing it well requires strong instructional support. That’s where coaches come in. Until now, coaches often had to piece together their support strategies on their own.

By popular demand, we've developed a Coach License that includes tailored content to help instructional coaches deepen their understanding of STARI and guide teachers through successful implementation.

What’s Included in the Coach License?

The Coach License builds on our teacher professional learning course and adds exclusive coaching content within each session:

Coaching-specific videos and tools
Planning tips to support each STARI component
Guided activities to support implementation and teacher reflection

It’s a practical, flexible resource for any coach supporting middle and high school reading intervention.

Also New: The Coach-Facilitator License

If you're not only coaching but also leading professional learning sessions in your school or district, the Coach-Facilitator License may be a better fit. It includes:

All coaching content
The facilitator version of the self-paced training
A printed facilitator guide
Resources to support in-person teacher learning

Which License Is Right for You?

Teacher

$375

Self-paced course designed for classroom teachers

Coach (New!)

$575

Self-paced course designed for coaches, includes teacher professional learning content plus Coaching Corner content

Facilitator

$675

Self-paced course which allows a facilitator to lead collaborative sessions in-person with a group of teachers. One printed facilitator guide included.

Purchase of 6 or more teacher licenses is also required.

Coach-Facilitator (New!)

$875

Access to both the self-paced version of the online series for coaches and facilitators. One printed facilitator guide included.

Purchase of 6 or more teacher licenses is also required.

Still unsure which option fits your role?

Explore our STARI Professional Learning Overview or email us anytime at info@serpinstitute.org .

Capitol Hill Community Foundation

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 19:54:48 GMT

SERP Receives Grant from Capitol Hill Community Foundation to Support K–2 Literacy

We’re thrilled to announce that SERP has been awarded a grant from the Capitol Hill Community Foundation (CHCF) in support of our project: “Literacy Workstation Materials for K–2 Students on Capitol Hill.”

This grant directly fuels our mission to equip young learners with the tools they need to build strong literacy foundations and thrive as lifelong learners.

We’re deeply grateful to CHCF—not only for their financial support but for their commitment to fostering connection and community. At the recent grantee gathering, we had the opportunity to engage with CHCF board members and fellow grantees dedicated to advancing education, the arts, and service across Capitol Hill. It was a powerful reminder of what’s possible when we come together in support of our neighborhoods.

We’re honored to be part of this network of changemakers and proud to bring high-quality, research-based literacy resources to classrooms in our nation’s capital.

Education News Update » 08-12-25

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 20:56:00 GMT

States & Federal School Vouchers

Congress’ passage of the first federal school voucher program means every state will have to decide in the coming years whether to participate—including those that already have private school choice programs and others that have resisted setting aside public funds for private schools. The legislation sets up a K-12 private school scholarship program through which individual taxpayers can receive dollar-for-dollar tax credits for donations to the scholarship-granting organizations. Many Republican leaders hailed the expansion of school choice. Democratic state leaders said they were reviewing the provision, and some said they were examining how the funding could help low-income students or support public schools. EdWeek

Chronic Absenteeism

One of the most surprising ways that school has changed since the start of the pandemic is that students aren’t showing up. This article shares insights from a recent symposium on widespread absenteeism. Chronic absenteeism has come down a lot from its peak in 2021-22, but it’s still 50 percent higher than it was before the pandemic. High-income students and high achievers are also skipping school, and moderate absenteeism is increasing. Showing up has become optional. Many students say they skip because school is ‘boring,’ but mental health issues also contribute to absenteeism. Critically, today’s absenteeism could mean labor force problems tomorrow. Hechinger

Grade Retention

Third-grade retention policies have been shown to boost short-term academic outcomes for struggling students, but these benefits fade over time; however, the consequences for English learners may be diﬀerent. An analysis of Texas’ third-grade reading retention policy shows multi-lingual students categorized as English learners (ML-ELs) benefited from the retention and instructional support on test scores and EL reclassification in subsequent grades, though longer-term outcomes like high school graduation showed no significant diﬀerence. ML-ELs in schools with higher spending on bilingual and accelerated instruction experienced stronger positive eﬀects. Brookings

SXSW Panel Picker - Choose Our Session

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 10:00:42 GMT

Help Shape the Future of Education at SXSW EDU 2025 – Cast Your Vote Today!

Community voting for SXSW EDU 2025 is officially open, and your voice matters!

Now through August 24 , you can help shape next year’s programming by voting for the sessions you want to see on stage in Austin. This is your opportunity to uplift timely, transformative ideas in education, especially those that push the field forward.

We’re excited to share that our STARI team has submitted a proposal

�� Our Session: When Teens Can’t, Won’t & Don’t Read: What We Can Do

“Kids don’t learn basketball by doing worksheets about basketball…” and yet many reading programs rely on isolated drills.

In this live episode of the SERP Stories podcast , we shine a light on a missing strand in the science of reading: student engagement . Join researchers and educators as they explore how identity, agency, and rigor can come together to reignite a love of reading in middle and high school classrooms .

This session isn’t just a conversation. It’s a call to action. Let’s reimagine what it means to teach reading so that every student can find joy, purpose, and success in literacy.

You can vote for as many sessions as you’d like, but only once per proposal.

Thank you for supporting our work, and for helping ensure the SXSW EDU 2026 stage reflects the conversations our field needs now.

SERP Stories Podcast Page Launched

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 15:34:30 GMT

Introducing SERP Stories: Our New Podcast Is Live!

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of SERP Stories , a new podcast from the SERP Institute that brings you inside the work of research-practice partnerships shaping real change in education.

Our first season highlights the development of STARI (the Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention) and the powerful lessons we’ve learned about adolescent literacy, student engagement, and what it takes to move research into action.

In each episode, host Dr. Kala Jones lifts the curtain on a different kind of research—one that begins in classrooms, centers educators, and stays grounded in practice. You’ll hear from researchers, teachers, and district leaders as they navigate the real-world challenges of improving educational outcomes for students.

Listen to the trailer and explore the series: serpinstitute.org/podcast

We can’t wait to share these stories with you. Subscribe, listen, and help us spread the word!

STARI Highlights from July 2025

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 15:14:42 GMT

What's New with STARI This Summer

Welcome back! We hope you've had a relaxing and restorative summer break! While you’ve been recharging, the STARI team has been hard at work getting ready for the new school year. If you took a break from your inbox, here’s a quick roundup of what we’ve been up to this summer:

STARI Professional Learning for Coaches

We're excited to launch STARI professional learning for coaches , designed for coaches and instructional leaders supporting STARI implementation. This self-paced online course includes: coaching specific videos and planning tools, tips for supporting teachers with each STARI component and activities to help guide implementation and reflection.

New Unit Alert! Unit 4.3: Truth, Lies, and Memory

Did You Hear? We Just Launched a New Podcast!

Hosted by Dr. Kala Jones, a former high school literature teacher and current SERP Literacy Specialist.

SERP Stories brings you behind the scenes of powerful collaborations between educators, researchers, and designers.

Each season, we spotlight one SERP project from idea to impact, exploring real challenges, breakthrough moments, and what happens when research meets classroom reality.

Season 1: Reading for Real

Our first season takes a deep dive into STARI. Hear from the researchers, educators and students who bring the program to life as we unpack the reading crisis too often overlooked in middle school.

Listen, watch, or subscribe:

Spotify , Apple Podcasts , Amazon Music or YouTube

Thank You for Joining the STARI Live Virtual Trainings!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our STARI Live Virtual Trainings in June and July! It was energizing to connect with educators from across the country who are committed to supporting adolescent readers.

It's beautiful to have a curriculum that is so thoughtfully designed and set up so that students get the most out of it and there isn't gray area where teachers have to fill in all the blanks.

- STARI Live Virtual Training Participant

Coming Soon!

Be on the lookout for a brand-new year of STARI Community Forums , where you can connect with fellow educators to swap tips, share inspiration, and troubleshoot challenges together.

And surprise! We submitted a proposal for the 2026 SXSW EDU Conference . Help bring us to the SXSW EDU stage by voting for our session in Panel Picker between August 5-24.

What We've Been Reading: Summer Edition

Here are some recommendations from the STARI Team:

Sula by Toni Morrison

Sula is a beautiful story on friendship and love set in a place of adversity by the genius Toni Morrison.

- Josie, Program Assistant

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Brown Girl Dreaming is a beautifully written story about growing up Black and daring to dream in America.

- Kala, Literacy Specialist

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

A really good, engaging, page turning book. It’s kind of a cold case mystery story.

- Margaret, Director of Literacy

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

The title says it all. The author says that one in three people are introverts, with skills and talents that are just as valuable as those of more talkative extroverts. Famous introverts include people like Abraham Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Rosa Parks.

- Emily, Literacy Specialist

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt

Within my social and professional circles, and even in my own family, there’s a wide range of political and religious views. This book helped me better understand why well-meaning people can hold such strong and differing beliefs on these topics.

- Christine, Director of Development and Partnerships

Thank you for your commitment to supporting adolescent readers!

If you have any questions, reach out to us at info@serpinstitute.org .

- The STARI Team at SERP

Education News Update » 07-29-25

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 22:30:40 GMT

Mixing & Matching Curricula

Teachers are more likely to be using high-quality curriculum materials than they were five years ago. New data suggests states’ eﬀorts to institute more coherent, less anything-goes approaches to materials have started to shift practice. But many teachers are still using older materials or other supplements, too. The average teacher reported using two core curricula and five supplemental resources. If education leaders want that to change, teachers need more support to meet the range of student abilities in classrooms. Teachers may also feel districts’ favored curricula have flaws, such as not enough support for lower- or higher-achieving students, problems with pacing, or too many features. EdWeek

Right to Read

In 2022, Summer Boismier was a language arts teacher in Norman, Oklahoma. Just days before they were set to return for the 2022-23 academic year, teachers were advised during a faculty meeting to restrict or remove student access to classroom libraries. This was in response to recent legislation. Boismier complied, covering her classroom library with butcher paper. However, she added on the butcher paper a QR code to connect students to Books Unbanned, a nationwide initiative oﬀering students ages 13-21 free access to the Brooklyn Public Library’s 500, 000 digital items. Boismier writes about her suspension and eventual loss of her teaching license as a result of her actions. Chalkbeat

Cognitive Science in UK Education

Cognitive science has become all the rage in British education circles, but it has largely failed to register in the U.S. Developed in the 1950s, cognitive science essentially explains how we learn, think, remember, and process information. Applied to education, it allows teachers to maximize learning by incorporating key principles, among them: working memory and cognitive load, spaced practice and retrieval, prior knowledge activation, and metacognition. In England, these days, such jargon is now mainstream among teachers. Experts speculate that the U.S. education system is too big and decentralized for cognitive science to “catch fire.” Many U.S. teachers’ colleges are also resistant to change and new ideas. The74

New WordGen Weekly Unit: Should Schools Ban Cell Phones?

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 20:39:37 GMT

New Middle School WordGen Weekly Unit!

This new WordGen Weekly unit invites middle school students to take on one of the most talked-about issues in schools today: cell phone use in schools . As with every WordGen unit, students build academic language, engage in structured discussion, and develop their reasoning and writing skills, all while exploring real-word questions they care about.

This new WordGen unit invites students to explore multiple sides of the debate around cell phones in schools, considering both the potential drawbacks and the possible benefits.

Why are some adults worried about cell phones in schools?
How might having a phone present hurt personal relationships?
What are some ways that having a phone in class could help learning?
What is your school's phone policy?
Do you agree with your school's phone policy? Why or Why not?

Why Your Students Will Love It:

It's relevant. Students are personally invested in the topic.

It encourages debate. Great for engaging reluctant speakers.

It supports academic language, critical thinking, and writing.

Now available for free download at
www.serpinstitute.org/wordgen-weekly

What Topic Should WordGen Tackle Next?

Climate change? Social media age limits? We're always looking for fresh, relevant, and engaging topics to explore in future units. What's sparking conversation in your classroom?

Thanks for being part of the WordGen community, and feel free to share this with a colleague!

Available Now! STARI Unit 4.3 Truth, Lies, and Memory

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 20:25:43 GMT

Unit 4.3 is ready to go!

We’re thrilled to announce that STARI Unit 4.3: Truth, Lies, and Memory , is now available!

Unit 4.3 challenges students to examine how truth is shaped and shared, through powerful texts, critical questions, and rich classroom dialogue. Designed specifically for high school students who struggle with reading, this culminating unit brings STARI Series 4 to a compelling close.

Unit Overview

Students explore the tragic shootings that took place at Kent State University in 1970, embedded in the context of the Vietnam War and the antiwar movement. As they analyze both nonfiction and historical fiction texts, students confront the essential questions: Who decides what's true? Why learn about the past?

Download Free Unit 4.3 Curriculum Materials

Order 4.3 Materials

Kent State

By Deborah Wiles

(Historical fiction)

This complex historical fiction novel, written in verse, incorporates multiple perspectives on the events that took place at Kent State University on May 4, 1970, when the National Guard shot and killed four college students at an anti-Vietnam War protest.

The United States and Vietnam: A Complicated History

By Kyle Johnson

(Nonfiction)

This nonfiction text builds students' background knowledge about the Vietnam War, and also provides students the opportunity to practice using nonfiction text features.

Skills and Topics

Literary Analysis: character perspective, text structure, media comparisons
Reading Comprehension: Reciprocal Teaching, QAR strategies
Decoding: multisyllabic word strategies (syllable chunking, bases and affixes)
Debate: Should the U.S. have entered the Vietnam War? Who was responsible for the Kent State shootings?
Fluency Topics: JFK, LBJ, the National Guard, the Black Panthers, protest movements, 1960s culture, and more

This unit closes Series 4 with real-world relevance and the rigor STARI is known for. With built-in scaffolds and powerful discussion topics, it's designed to meet students where they are and stretch them as thinkers and readers.

- The STARI Team

Education News Update » 07-15-25

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 14:28:01 GMT

Deaths of Decision-making

The leading causes of death among American teens—suicide, overdose, car crashes, and shootings—often stem from impulsive, in-the-moment decision making. Despite the scale of the U.S. education system, high school health classes rarely teach students how to manage their emotions and think critically in high-stakes situations. Research-backed cognitive behavioral programs have shown that teaching teens decision-making skills can dramatically reduce violence and save lives, often at little or no additional cost. A group of nonprofits has been working on a curriculum for decision making, which will be made available for free later this year. Teachers, coaches, and mentors will be able to incorporate this cognitive skill-building into their work. Brookings

AI Ethics Tool

AI’s rapid ascendence has left behind a lot of ethical gray areas for teachers and students to navigate. This is why a new tool called Graidients from the Center for Digital Thriving— a research lab housed at Project Zero— aims to provide a framework for making these ethically unclear areas of AI visible to educators inside the classroom. The tool helps educators scaﬀold a conversation with students around how to use AI to support learning for a given classroom assignment. Once students have mapped out their ideas about AI use for this assignment and discussed how they feel, educators can then set their oﬃcial expectations for what is acceptable use of AI for that project. HGSE

Risks of Universal Private School Choice

Over the last few years, a new breed of private school choice programs has emerged. These are much larger than past voucher programs and less targeted to students in need. Arizona was the first out of the gate with an education savings account (ESA) program, which makes it especially important to monitor. Most of Arizona’s early ESA recipients were already attending private schools. The highest ESA participation rates were in the wealthiest ZIP codes; the lowest participation rates were in the poorest ZIP codes. Other states’ ESA programs share this pattern of participation. The question then is whether these programs are actually helping improve education in the U.S. as a whole. Brookings

Scaling What Works: Highlights from the First LEARN to Scale Workshop

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 21:42:15 GMT

We were honored to join the first LEARN to Scale Workshop , a powerful convening of researchers, educators, and developers committed to expanding the reach of evidence-based educational innovations.

Hosted by the LEARN Network , this inaugural session explored what it really takes to move from promising design to widespread, long-term adoption in education. Presenters from Digital Promise , SRI Education , SERP Institute , and the Rutgers Graduate School of Education and InqITS shared hard-won insights on building for scale, sustaining impact, and supporting implementation over time.

Key Takeaways Included:

Clarifying what “scale” means in different educational contexts
Planning for adoption beyond initial pilots
Aligning design, development, and marketing strategies
Leveraging partnerships and feedback for continuous improvement

Watch the full session video with SERP’s Margaret Troyer here: LEARN to Scale Virtual Workshop

Read the recap and insights in the LEARN Network blog .

We’re grateful to contribute to this critical conversation and to learn alongside peers who are deeply invested in translating research into real-world impact.

Don’t miss the next workshop in the series:

Marketing Education Innovations for Maximum Impact

June 26, 3–4 PM ET

Register at the Learning to Scale Website!

Last Chance to Join the STARI Expansion Study: Free STARI Materials and Professional Learning for Your School

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 16:51:52 GMT

Are you looking for a proven way to accelerate reading growth for students in grades 6 and up who are reading below grade level?

Time is running out to join the STARI Expansion Study, a federally funded opportunity that gives schools in Wisconsin, California, Maryland, and Illinois free access to the Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention (STARI) program.

Why Join the Study?

Schools that participate in the STARI Expansion Study will receive:

Free STARI materials
Comprehensive STARI professional learning for teachers
A chance to contribute to research that supports equitable literacy practices across the country

There’s no cost to your school, and the study is designed to fit within your existing staffing and schedules.

Who Can Participate?

Districts and Schools in Wisconsin, California, Maryland, or Illinois
Serving students in grades 6-8
With students who are reading two or more years below grade level

How to Join:

Ready to learn more? Visit the STARI Expansion Study webpage for full details. Fill out this interest form and a STARI team member will contact you.

Application deadline is approaching, don’t miss this opportunity to bring STARI to your students for free while helping expand access to effective literacy interventions

Education News Update » 06-17-25

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 13:24:39 GMT

State Role in PD

Since 2009, nearly every U.S. state has adopted specific standards and teaching frameworks for literacy and math. Yet, despite these eﬀorts, the implementation of these standards in classrooms has fallen short. The author argues that, to ensure policy goals reach the classroom, states need a sustained, standards-aligned system that supports educators throughout their careers. States should adopt research-backed features of eﬀective PD programs and create strategic plans to ensure consistent implementation. Current PD practices are flawed and lack alignment with instructional goals. The author says that emerging strategies like micro-credentials show promise but require stronger regulation and infrastructure to be eﬀective at scale. Brookings

Four Day School Week

In recent years, hundreds of school districts across the U.S. have responded to labor issues and straitened budgets by switching to a four-day weekly schedule. But new research from Missouri suggests that cutting out a day of instruction doesn’t yield the benefits proponents hope to achieve. School administrators were optimistic that the schedule change helped keep teachers from leaving, but a study found that teacher retention actually stayed about the same over the longer term, despite the schedule change. And some studies have found significant drops in student performance after adopting the four-day school week, despite lengthening the remaining four school days. The74

GenAI in Early Math

LLMs give expert-sounding early math advice but make frequent errors of various types. AI isn’t inventing these problems; it’s reflecting and amplifying the gaps that already exist in our collective understanding of early math. This is a major concern as LLMs have become a resource for struggling educators and parents. These LLMS are also frequently used as the foundation for math apps that claim to help struggling children. And these struggling parents and teachers are the least likely to be able to detect these subtle but critical errors. For children, this could establish foundational confusions that persist throughout a their math development. Learning Agency

STARI Highlights from June 2025

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 16:41:26 GMT

Ready, Set...Rest (and Recharge!)

As the school year wraps up, we’re sharing a few highlights and reminders to help you recharge, and get a jumpstart on next year.

Get Ready for Fall with Live Virtual STARI Professional Learning This Summer

Our summer PL series is underway and it's not too late to join!

This live virtual 3-part professional learning series will guide you through everything you need to confidently launch STARI this Fall.

Cost: $375

Part 1 : June 24, 8am-2pm PT or July 29, 9am-3pm ET

Part 2 : June 26, 8am-2pm PT or July 31, 9am-3pm ET

Part 3 : TBD date and time

STARI Hits the Road: Highlights from LAUSD’s Secondary Literacy Intervention Symposium

The STARI team traveled to sunny LA to connect with nearly 90 LAUSD educators at the Secondary Literacy Intervention Symposium. In our session, Help Struggling Adolescent Readers Thrive , teachers explored engaging, research-backed strategies to build fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and reading stamina.

We were inspired by their adaptive expertise: constantly balancing student needs with curriculum demands. Participants brainstormed ways to integrate these practices into their current settings, asking forward-thinking questions like:

How can fluency-building strategies strengthen comprehension in science classes?
How might partner reading support decoding interventions while extending comprehension work?

Thanks to the passionate LAUSD educators who spent their Saturday with us, and embodied the event's theme: “ Read to Lead, Teach to Inspire .”

New Study in JREE: STARI’s Positive Impact on Middle School Literacy

A newly published study led by SERP's Director of Literacy, Margaret Troyer, demonstrates that STARI can improve literacy outcomes for middle school students. Conducted in a district where only 25% of students typically scored proficient, the study found that students who participated in STARI outperformed their peers on state ELA tests , achieving gains that surpassed the estimated learning loss from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read the full study or 1-pager .

We’re still celebrating this STARI success story from Illinois!

Last month, we highlighted this amazing result from Janet Barnhart and her team at Prophetstown High School/PLT Middle School:

“ 80.95% of our students in our intervention increased by one or more proficiency levels on our state test. We are so happy with the program and its results! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

If your students made big strides with STARI this year, we want to hear from you too!

Share your STARI success in this quick form . Your story could be featured in an upcoming newsletter to inspire other educators!

What We've Been Reading: Summer Edition

Here are some recommendations from the STARI Team:

Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin

This semi-autobiographical piece provides insight on life in the 1930s in Harlem, and epicenter of arts and culture.

- Josie, Program Assistant

Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey

Teachers don't take enough rest. This book talks about the power of rest and how healing it can be.

- Kala, Literacy Specialist

There is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America by Brian Goldstone

This is a fantastic though heartbreaking read. It follows four homeless families, and reads like a novel - so engaging - but also lots of information about homelessness in America.

- Margaret, Director of Literacy

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

Historical fiction that explores language, power, and gender during the creation of the first Oxford English Dictionary. The OED took 70 years to complete and though the public could submit words, decisions about what counted as "suitable" were made by a privileged group of male scholars against the backdrop of the women’s suffrage and workers' rights movements.

- Emily, Literacy Specialist

Thank you for your commitment to supporting adolescent readers!

If you have any questions, reach out to us at info@serpinstitute.org .

- The STARI Team at SERP

New STARI Study Published in the Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 23:36:33 GMT

We’re excited to announce the publication of a new peer-reviewed study on the Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention (STARI), featured in the Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness on June 3, 2025.

Article Title: An Evaluation of the Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention (STARI) in an Urban School District During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Authors: Margaret Troyer (SERP Institute), Marie-Andrée Somers (MDRC), and Lowry Hemphill (Wheelock College, Boston University)

Read the full article here.

What the Study Found

This rigorous, preregistered study examined STARI’s impact in six middle schools within an urban district where only 25% of students typically achieved proficiency on state tests. Conducted during the 2021–2022 school year, when pandemic-related disruptions posed additional challenges, this evaluation offers compelling evidence that STARI works, even in difficult contexts.

Key findings include:

Improved State Test Performance: Students randomly assigned to STARI outperformed control group peers on the state ELA test, with an effect size of 0.32—greater than the average negative impact of the pandemic on adolescent literacy.
Broad Skill Gains: STARI students showed gains across multiple reading subtests, with effect sizes ranging from 0.15 to 0.32.
Improved Self-Efficacy: STARI students reported higher self-efficacy (the belief that they can be successful at reading) compared with peers in the control group, with an effect size of 0.61.

Why It Matters

This study adds to the growing body of research confirming that STARI, an evidence-based, discussion-rich, and culturally responsive intervention, can help struggling adolescent readers build fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and reading stamina.

Notably, STARI's unique approach centers not on remediating basic skills first, but on engaging students in grade-level reasoning and discussion to accelerate reading growth. This design fosters motivation and cognitive engagement, key ingredients for lasting literacy development.

Explore more evidence behind STARI’s effectiveness here.

Get Trained This Summer

Educators can bring STARI to their classrooms by joining one of our live, virtual professional learning sessions this summer. These three-day trainings are designed to give teachers the tools, confidence, and strategies to launch STARI effectively—starting on Day 1 of the school year. Register here.

Education News Update » 06-03-25

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 23:25:13 GMT

Skills Predict Algebra 1 Success

Many students fail Algebra 1 on their first attempt. These failures may be rooted in foundational gaps that begin earlier in math, encountered in middle school and even elementary school. A new study found that certain skills from prior grades seemed to unlock success in Algebra I—those that undergirded the concepts that students would learn in Algebra 1. Students who had mastered that specific set of skills were more successful in the course than students who didn’t have them, even if they had a similar level of general math knowledge. The findings suggest that helping kids who are behind succeed in this class requires “fine-tuned” support to learn specific, underlying skills. EdWeek

Rethinking Education

This article is actually an edited transcript of an episode of “The Ezra Klein Show.” The episode asks, When it comes to the intellectual faculties that we once thought were at the core of education, how are modern kids doing? They’re not doing well. But, if you have this technology that not only can but will be doing so much of this for you, for us, for the economy, why are we doing any of this work at all? Why are we reading these books ourselves when they can just be summarized for us? Why are we doing this math ourselves when a computer can just do it for us? Most of all, what are children actually going to need to know in a future world changed by technology? NYTimes

Educational Choice for Children Act

The Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) continues to move, quietly, towards becoming one of America’s costliest, most significant federal education programs. Now part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, ECCA would create a federal tax-credit scholarship program that’s unprecedented in scope and scale. Tax-credit scholarship programs like ECCA aren’t quite private school voucher programs, but they’re first cousins. The bill would provide minimally regulated scholarship-granting organizations with a great deal of discretion over how federal education funds are spent. ECCA is poised to redistribute funds from poor and rural communities to wealthy and non-rural communities. A hypothetical scenario illustrates the possibility of waste, fraud, and discriminatory behaviors. Brookings

Live Virtual STARI Professional Learning This Summer

Wed, 28 May 2025 20:22:24 GMT

Invest in Your Practice with Live Virtual STARI Professional Learning This Summer

Are you new to STARI or looking to complete your STARI professional learning? Registration is now open for our live, virtual STARI Professional Learning Series — a three-day training designed to equip you with the tools, strategies, and confidence to implement STARI’s evidence-based literacy program in your classroom.

Why Join?
This is the same high-impact training delivered to hundreds of NYC educators in the 2024–25 school year. Due to its success, we’re excited to make it available to educators nationwide!

What to Expect

Essential STARI Training: Learn the core components of STARI and how to implement them effectively.
Actionable Strategies: Walk away with research-backed techniques you can use right away to implement STARI.
Interactive Format: Live sessions on Zoom with breakout rooms and opportunities for engagement.
Access to All Sessions On-Demand: Includes STARI Professional Learning Teacher License to revisit any session at your convenience and explore components not covered during the live training.

Choose the Part 1 and Part 2 time slot that work best for you.

Part 1 is required before attending Part 2.
Parts 1 and 2 are required before attending Part 3.

Part 1: June 24, 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM PT or July 29, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM ET
Part 2: June 26, 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM PT or July 31, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM ET
Part 3: Date and time TBD*

Details:
�� Time Commitment: 18 hours total over 3 days (breaks included)
�� Format: Live Zoom sessions
�� Cost: $375 per educator

Spots are limited. Secure your seat today and be ready to launch STARI with confidence next school year!

* Parts 1 and 2 will prepare you with everything you need to launch STARI on the first day of school. Part 3 will take place after the school year begins, giving you a chance to reflect on your early experiences and deepen your practice.

Participants in Parts 1 and 2 will be polled to help determine the best date for Part 3. If you're unable to attend the live session, an asynchronous option will be available.

SERP Presenters:

Margaret Troyer

Director of Literacy Research & Development

Kala Jones

Literacy Specialist

Emily Hayden

Literacy Specialist

Akilah Hawkins, M.Ed.

School Support Specialist

SERP Institute

Kimberly Chase, Ed.D.

School Support Specialist

SERP Institute

The training was paced well, all three presenters were engaging, clear and informative. I appreciated the time to think through how this would look in my classroom. The technology used made it easy and safe for everyone to participate.

— STARI Professional Learning Participant

STARI Highlights from May 2025

Wed, 28 May 2025 17:51:13 GMT

A Look Back and the Road Ahead

Dear STARI Community,

As the school year winds down, we want to take a moment to recognize and celebrate the incredible work you’ve done. Teaching is always challenging, but this year, like every year, you’ve shown resilience, creativity, and deep commitment to your students’ growth.

Through STARI, you’ve given students the tools and confidence to become stronger, more engaged readers. Whether you’ve been implementing STARI for years or just started exploring the program, your dedication to evidence-based literacy instruction makes a lasting impact.

As you reflect on the year’s successes and challenges, we hope you also take time to recharge and celebrate your hard work. And as we look ahead, we’re excited to continue supporting you with resources, insights, and community connections.

We’d love to hear from you, what worked well this year? What challenges did you face? Your experiences help us strengthen STARI and better support teachers like you.

Wishing you a smooth finish to the school year and a restful summer!

With appreciation,

Margaret Troyer

Director of Literacy

A Look Back

What implementation strategies made STARI more effective in your classroom this year?

We saw a lot of behavioral issues early in the year, students wandering the halls or arriving late to their intervention class. A turning point was when we reached out to parents. They were so appreciative just to hear about STARI, and many encouraged their kids to take it seriously. Another key shift came from having honest conversations with students and families about reading levels. In elementary school, kids know their letter levels, but by middle school, that transparency disappears. When we shared assessment results openly, respectfully and directly, it was like a lightbulb moment for families. Students had no idea they were behind, and once they understood, it helped shift their mindset and reduce the resistance.

- Leigh Carey

Teacher, NYC Public Schools

STARI Success Stories

I am happy to announce that 80.95% of our students in our intervention increased by one or more proficiency levels on our state test. We are so happy with the program and its results! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

- Janet Barnhart

Principal, Prophetstown High School/PLT Middle School

Mantra for the Next Year of STARI

Stay calm and STARI on!

- Kate Wynn

Teacher, Chicago Public Schools

The Road Ahead

Live Virtual STARI Professional Learning this Summer

Join us for a live virtual 3-part professional learning series designed to get you ready to launch STARI with confidence this fall. Cost: $375

Part 1 : June 24, 8am-2pm PT or July 29, 9am-3pm ET

Part 2 : June 26, 8am-2pm PT or July 31, 9am-3pm ET

Part 3 : TBD date and time

Coming Soon! Unit 4.3 Truth, Lies, and Memory

This new unit dives into the Vietnam War era of the 1960s and 1970s. Central questions explored in this unit include: Who decides what's true? Why learn about the past?

LAUSD Teachers

Join us at Secondary Literacy Intervention Symposium on May 31 ! We'll be leading a session titled "Help Struggling Adolescent Readers Thrive." We hope to see you there!

Heading to the UNITED Conference in Seattle?

If you'll be at UNITED: The National Conference on School Leadership from July 11-13, stop by Booth 2613 to learn more about STARI and other innovative resources from SERP.

What We've Been Reading...

Looking for your next great read? This month we're bringing you book recommendations from the STARI Team.

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

This is the new Hunger Games prequel. I started reading the Hunger Games series when I was teaching middle school because my students were reading it. And now that I'm into the series, I have to read the new book to find out what comes next (or before, in this case).

- Margaret, Director of Literacy

The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen

This short story collection features 8 different narratives of migrants taking place in California and Vietnam. I'm excited to read The Refugees after recently finishing Nguyen’s novel The Sympathizer, which I really enjoyed. While working on Unit 4.3, I’ve been learning a lot about the Vietnam War, and I have enjoyed learning from the perspective of Nguyen's novels.

- Josie, Program Assistant

Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools by Monique Couvson

Black girls feel some of the harshest effects of punitive punishment. This book tells the stories of those impacted.

- Kala, Literacy Specialist

Getting Out of Saigon by Ralph White

A memoir by the young branch manager of the Chase Manhattan Bank in Saigon in the last days of the Vietnam War. He's brought in to keep that bank open as long as possible and to evacuate senior employees and their families before the city is turned over to North Vietnamese troops. Great background reading for our new STARI Unit 4.3: Truth, Lies, and Memory.

- Emily, Literacy Specialist

Leading with Heart and Soul by Dr. Irvin Scott

A powerful reflection on values-driven leadership. It’s full of stories, quotes, and wisdom that remind us what truly matters in leadership and life.

- Christine, Director of Development and Partnerships

Thank you for your commitment to supporting adolescent readers!

If you have any questions, reach out to us at info@serpinstitute.org .

- The STARI Team at SERP

Education News Update » 05-13-25

Tue, 13 May 2025 19:48:07 GMT

Push for Civics Education

Civics ed., long a source of political debates about the content of the curriculum, has become even more of a minefield recently. Surveys found that many teachers avoid discussing issues seen as controversial in the classroom. In the face of those trends stands a surprising phenomenon: A newfound pressure for teachers to do more instruction on civics, not less. Lawmakers in at least 44 states have introduced measures related to civics education this session. On both sides of the aisle, politicians frame these bills as a way to boost students’ knowledge of how American institutions function—which surveys have long shown is flagging—and how they can participate in the democratic process. EdWeek

Ed Researchers Sue Government

Dozens of education scholars have now submitted declarations to the courts against the U.S. Department of Education to fight cuts to data and scientific studies. Professional organizations representing the scholars are asking the courts to restore terminated research and data and reverse mass firings at the Institute of Education Sciences. Three similar suits argue that it is impossible for the Ed Department to carry out its congressionally required duties after the March firing of almost 90 percent of the IES staﬀ and the suspension of panels to review grant proposals. They describe how their work has been harmed and argue that the cuts will devastate education research. Hechinger

Guide to Stronger Math Instruction

Math can be a diﬃcult subject for students to master—and for teachers to teach. Concepts build on each other, so gaps in knowledge compound over time. It's hard for students to immediately see the relevance of what they’re learning to the real world. Plus, students often feel like they’re not “math people” and resist tackling challenging problems. Achievement remains low overall in the subject. Education Week reporters pored through the research to find the best practices to teach students the math skills they need and boost their confidence in the subject. The guides in this report oﬀer practical tips and strategies for math educators of all grade levels. EdWeek

Animating Understanding: SERP’s Work Featured on Tumult’s Blog

Wed, 07 May 2025 23:15:14 GMT

We're thrilled to share that the SERP has been featured on Tumult's official blog for our innovative use of Tumult Hype in developing interactive learning materials.

Hype, a powerful HTML5 animation tool, has become integral to our mission of creating engaging educational resources. Unlike passive videos, the animations created with Hype encourage exploration and discussion, fostering deeper understanding.

One standout project involved collaborating with New York City's Middle School Quality Initiative (MSQI) to address challenging science topics. Using Hype, we developed interactive animations on concepts like wave energy and natural selection, making abstract ideas more tangible for students. For instance, our "lemonade" animation vividly demonstrates condensation, allowing students to visualize water droplets forming on a cold glass—a phenomenon that's hard to capture in traditional teaching methods.

We invite you to read the full feature on Tumult's blo g to learn more.

Explore some of the interactive animations we've developed:

STARI Highlights from April 2025

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 18:05:52 GMT

Planning Ahead with STARI

As the school year winds down, planning for the next one is already underway—and we’re here to support you every step of the way. This issue of the STARI newsletter is all about helping you look ahead with confidence.

Thinking about bringing STARI to your classroom next year? We’ve gathered insights from experienced STARI educators and coaches to help you get started. From what to expect, to how to set yourself up for success, and what you can do right now to prepare—this issue is packed with practical tips.

What to Consider When Getting Started with STARI

Insights from Patrice Razor

Jackson Public Schools, MS

The first step is to clearly identify the student population you'll serve. For us, that meant using end-of-year assessment data to determine which students who would benefit most from STARI.

Equally important was identifying the right teachers—those who were invested in student growth and open to embracing something new.

Before the school year began, we held a Teacher Institute in July with support from our coaches and SERP staff. We wanted teachers to experience the program hands-on, understand the materials, and get the training they needed to feel confident.

We also built in monthly PLCs to provide ongoing support and capacity-building throughout the year.

In terms of scheduling, we found multiple ways to make it work:

As a learning strategies course for Tier 2 intervention
As a compensatory reading course alongside regular ELA
As a pull-out model during a 100-minute elective block

Every school’s context is different, but once we had these systems in place, STARI ran like a well-oiled machine.

Get a Head Start with Summer STARI Training

Ready to hit the ground running next school year? Join our live virtual STARI training this summer!

Over the past year, we’ve partnered with educators in NYC to deliver interactive, hands-on sessions that prepare teachers to launch STARI with confidence—and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Now, we’re opening up these sessions to educators across the country.

Interested? Help us find a time that works for you by filling out our short interest survey .

We’ll use your input to schedule sessions that fit your summer plans!

STARI Support Station

Have a challenge in your STARI classroom? The STARI Support Station is here to help answer real questions from you and share practical tips to help you make the most of STARI. Share your questions .

If you prefer a more immediate conversation, RSVP to join the next STARI Community Forum on May 1st at 10:30am ET/7:30am PT.

This month in STARI Support Station, we’re tackling your questions about how to talk with colleagues and build support for bringing STARI to your students.

Here are the recurrent questions we are hearing from the field:

Challenge 1:

Is there evidence that STARI works?

“We want to invest in programs with strong, proven outcomes.”

Ways to respond:

Highlight that STARI meets ESSA Tier 1 evidence standards — the highest level of evidence under federal guidelines. Learn what ESSA Tiers of Evidence mean and why it matters .
Point to real-world outcomes : improved reading comprehension, engagement with complex texts, and gains for English learners and struggling readers.
If possible, share testimonials from other schools or data from similar student populations.

Challenge 2:

Do our teachers have time to learn a new program?

“We’re already asking a lot of our staff.”

Ways to respond:

Emphasize that STARI is supported by robust training —it’s not “hand off the materials and go.”
Point out that STARI has lots of routines and structures in place, so once teachers are trained, it’s very manageable - even for those without a literacy background.
Highlight that it’s designed to build teacher capacity , not burden them.

Challenge 3:

How will we fit this into our schedule?

“We can’t add another thing to the day.”

Ways to respond:

Share examples of flexible scheduling models (pull-out, integrated reading support, enrichment periods).
Emphasize that STARI is a Tier 2 intervention , not an extra or elective—it’s core to helping students who are behind.
Offer to pilot the program with a small group to demonstrate impact before scaling.

Have You Got Game?

We know Game by Walter Dean Myers is a fan favorite—and a powerful anchor text in the STARI curriculum. But if you're having trouble locating copies, reach out to us at info@serpinstitute.org and we’ll help you track them down.

And don’t forget: you can order individual books, full curriculum sets, or book + curriculum bundles .

STARI Presenting at LEARN Network’s Next Virtual Workshop

Thursday, May 1st | 3:00pm-4:00pm ET

We’re excited to share that STARI will be presenting as part of an upcoming session of the LEARN to Scale workshop series, hosted by the LEARN Network —a national initiative funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) to promote learning growth through evidenced-based tools.

Join us for a conversation on how to scale evidenced-based programs like STARI to support literacy growth nationwide.

Reminder: Recruiting for our STARI Study

If you teach in CA, IL, MD, NV or WI you can get STARI materials and PD for FREE by participating in our STARI Expansion Study .

Learn More

Visit our study website

Schedule

Set up a 1:1 meeting with a STARI team member

We're Hiring!

School Support Specialist, Los Angeles, CA

What We've Been Reading...

The Story Behind Student Declines Board member Carey Wright weighs in on why student performance has been falling since 2013—and why the pandemic is only part of the story. New York Times

What Happens When Schools Ban Phones? From knitting to fishing, one district explores surprising alternatives to screen time with a bold phone-free policy. The Hechinger Report

The Top Skills Employers Want in the AI Age Forget coding—employers are prioritizing communication, problem-solving, and collaboration in a tech-driven world. Education Week

Sleep Training for Teens Experts are sounding the alarm on sleep deprivation and sharing strategies to help teens reclaim rest in a social media-heavy world. Associated Press

Supreme Court Considers Opt-Out Case A closely watched case could determine whether parents have the right to opt their children out of lessons involving LGBTQ themes in public schools. The 74

Thank you for your commitment to supporting adolescent readers!

If you have any questions, reach out to us at info@serpinstitute.org .

- The STARI Team at SERP

Education News Update » 04-29-25

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 00:58:54 GMT

Federal Courts & DEI

States and school districts resisting a U.S. Department of Education ultimatum regarding diversity, equity and inclusion got a temporary reprieve Thursday. Two federal judges — one in New Hampshire and another in the District of Columbia — blocked the department’s ability to withhold federal funding from those that didn’t sign on to its interpretation of non- discrimination laws or agree to end what oﬃcials called “impermissible” DEI programs. States and districts are "no longer under the immediate threat" of losing funds if they "continue to oﬀer long-standing lawful programs or don’t sign" the form, said Katrina Feldkamp, assistant counsel at the Legal Defense Fund. The74 , Chalkbeat

Grading Special Report

For decades, the value of grades in K-12 schools and the accuracy of high school GPAs in predicting career and college readiness have been debated. The pandemic, with its resulting "grade inflation," has added to the complexity to this ongoing debate. This report examines the key factors shaping school grading policies and educators’ practices, exploring both traditional grading systems and new methods for assessing student knowledge and skills. By reviewing best practices, analyzing the high school- to-college GPA connection, and addressing concerns about grading and assessment, this report aims to advance the conversation on what truly reflects student achievement and why it matters. EdWeek

Math Performance Outliers

In January, the NAEP, known as the Nation’s Report Card, showed that average eighth grade scores in 2024 were below those of 2019 and didn’t budge from 2022, when scores were the lowest in more than 20 years. Amid a grim landscape nationwide for middle school math, Tennessee fared better than most states. In two districts in the state that bucked the national trend — Weakley and the Putnam County School District — educators point to instructional coaches, a dramatic increase in class time devoted to math and teachers systematically using student performance data to inform their teaching and push students to improve. This article describes the positive impact of specific strategies on math learning. Hechinger

Education News Update » 04-15-25

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 21:04:08 GMT

NAEP

In this era of extreme partisan divide, both sides have long backed the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also called the Nation’s Report Card. But mass layoﬀs, funding disruptions, and threats of future cuts worry those aware of the inner workings of the NAEP. Data that the test relies on was cancelled. An expert panel that studies the validity of the NAEP exam was told to stop working. The long-term trend NAEP for 17- year-olds, scheduled to be administered this year, was scrapped. Oﬃcials and researchers worry this will lead to the elimination of other NAEP tests in history, civics and science. Hechinger

Common Sense Tech Use

For decades, educational technology has overpromised and underdelivered. A 2015 OECD study across 70 countries found that doubling down on technology in school didn’t yield better educational outcomes. There are, of course, eﬀective applications of tech and AI that genuinely support children’s learning. The problem isn’t technology itself—it’s how we humans choose to use it. All of us, from developers to educators to parents, should adopt a "minimalist code" when it comes to technology in children’s learning—a simple checklist for decision-making that might include: 1. Does the problem require technology to solve? 2. If technology might help, use the least intrusive form available. 3. Choose the tech option with the lowest total cost of use, including environmental cost. Brookings

U.S. Students Losing Ground

For years, the country’s lowest-scoring students were steadily improving on national tests. Today, the country’s lowest-scoring students are in free fall. The reason is not just the pandemic. For at least a decade, starting around 2013, students in the bottom quartile have been losing ground on the NAEP. Researchers point to a number of educational and societal changes over the past decade, including a retrenchment in school accountability, the lasting eﬀects of the Great Recession, and the rise of smartphones, which has coincided with worsening cognitive abilities even among adults. Figuring out what has happened to the lowest performers is critical for the country’s success. N ew York Times

Education News Update » 04-01-25

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 15:44:07 GMT

Maryland’s New Math Classes

A unanimous vote from the Maryland state board of education eﬀectively shifted years of math education practice. Typically, students have been taught algebra I, geometry, and algebra II in separate courses over a span of three years. But under the change, algebra, geometry, and statistics will be blended into two courses over two years starting in the 2027-2028 school year. The Maryland Department of Education aimed to ensure the new policy teaches students concepts they need after graduating high school. The current geometry standards “were not aligned” to preparing students for any college major because it taught some concepts that didn’t need to be mastered. Washington Post

After Pandemic Aid

Had there been no relief funds, pandemic-era K 12 enrollment drops would have forced districts to downsize (and lay oﬀ staﬀ) in the middle of trying to reopen. And often, students received essential emergency supports, like food or supplies, thanks to schools’ eﬀorts. While many systems struggled with learning recovery eﬀorts, some students did benefit from tutoring and summer school, and many will continue to get value from updated reading instruction. At the same time, in systems where test scores continue to decline, some may regret not investing diﬀerently. And districts are now struggling with budget cuts and staﬃng challenges as the relief funding ends. Brookings

Science of Student Motivation

A common view is that young people can’t be motivated —or if they can, it’s by short-sighted, selfish, hedonistic things like sex or getting likes on Instagram. But the scientific view is that adolescents can be motivated, it’s just a different set of priorities. Those priorities revolve around status and respect, the feeling that they are viewed as a person of worth and significance by others whose opinions they care about. Therefore, the trick is to frame desired behaviors through that lens. What does seem to work well is finding a way to communicate that teens can make a real contribution, that their opinions actually matter, and that you, as the adult, are going to walk that journey with them. Edutopia

STARI Highlights from March 2025

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 19:05:18 GMT

STARI On The Road: Key Takeaways From This Month's Conferences

This month, we had the incredible opportunity to connect with educators and students at the California League of Middle Schools Conference in Monterey, CA and the Illinois Reading Council Conference in Springfield, IL . These events sparked important conversations about literacy and learning. Here are some of our biggest takeaways:

Student Voices Matter – At CLMS, students from March Middle School shared how they are “unlearning” old habits and embracing new ways of thinking. Their powerful reflections reminded us how critical it is to support students in developing confidence and fresh perspectives.

The Impact of STARI in Classrooms – Educators currently using STARI highlighted how the program has improved classroom routines and boosted student achievement, with many seeing significant gains in test scores. Teachers expressed appreciation for the high-quality materials and how seamlessly STARI integrates into their instruction.

The Need for Structured Literacy Support – Those unfamiliar with STARI were especially impressed by its foundational skills approach, leading to meaningful discussions about the importance of structured literacy interventions for struggling readers.

Making Literature Accessible – A key theme across both conferences was ensuring all students can access meaningful reading experiences. STARI educators shared effective strategies like scaffolding texts, building fluency, and integrating relevant materials to enhance engagement.

As we continue to expand STARI’s reach, these conversations reaffirm our commitment to supporting educators and empowering students with the literacy skills they need to succeed.

Mark Your Calendars!

Meet us at UNITED: The National Conference on School Leadership in Seattle, WA from July 11-13, 2025.

Educators in California, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, and Wisconsin:

If you teach in one of these states you can get STARI materials and PD for FREE by participating in our STARI Expansion Study .

Upcoming Professional Learning Opportunities

NYC Educators:

On March 4th and 13th educators in New York City had the opportunity to experience Part I and II of our STARI Professional Learning Series. This virtual opportunity is open to all NYC teachers in collaboration with the AIS department.

Be sure to finish the series by signing up for Part III on May 6th .

If your NYC colleagues are interested in teaching STARI, the next three part training series starts on April 2nd .

✔️ This is a three-part training – participants must attend all sessions to complete the full program.

✔️ While designed for teachers, instructional leaders are welcome to attend to deepen their understanding of STARI classrooms.

✔️ Sessions will be led by expert literacy specialists from SERP.

Educators Outside of NYC:

Our asynchronous professional learning series is available online. This flexible, self-paced program allows you to explore STARI practices and strategies at your convenience. Access the Online Series: STARI Professional Learning Series

Stories From the Field: Why We Chose STARI

Three or four years ago, we started to notice that some of our freshmen were really floundering with our college prep curriculum.

There's just not a wealth of resources for high school when you're looking for an intervention to help struggling readers. I went to our Area Education Agency and they recommended STARI.

Since implementing STARI, we’ve seen significant progress. In the first year alone, 70% of STARI students made significant progress on their state assessment. We’ve been thrilled with how STARI strengthens foundational literacy skills for our struggling readers.

- STARI Teacher

What We've Been Reading...

The Mississippi Miracle in Reading – A key takeaway: The most effective literacy policies create real change in schools and classrooms. The 74.

Ensuring Our Schools Stay Strong – In a recent interview, SERP Board Member Carey Wright, underscores that education is the backbone of our nation’s success. Addressing challenges like teacher shortages and declining student outcomes requires evidence-based solutions that truly support educators and students. Bush Center.

Training Teachers Like Doctors – What if teacher training mirrored medical residencies? SERP Executive Director Suzanne Donovan explores how hands-on practice and mentorship can transform teaching. The 74.

Exploring the evolving role of AI in education - Examining student experiences using AI for scholarship essays . Guidance and resources for integrating AI into classrooms with TeachAI’s toolkit .

The Reading Comprehension Challenge – New research highlights how comprehension instruction often takes a back seat in classrooms. The Hechinger Report.

The Pandemic’s Lasting Impact on Students – Oakland high school graduates reflect on how COVID-19 disrupted their education and shaped their futures. The New York Times.

Bridging Research and Practice: The Power of Teacher Residencies and Innovation and Induction Clusters

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 17:44:29 GMT

In a recent article by The 74, " Training Teachers Like Doctors: Going From the Bare Minimum to Intensive Prep ", the focus is on the growing trend of teacher residency programs that mirror medical residencies. These programs emphasize hands-on practice, focused research, and sustained mentorship to better prepare educators for the classroom.

Suzanne Donovan, Executive Director of SERP, highlighted the potential of the apprenticeship model in these programs. She noted that such an approach allows for more practical training and continuous support, which are crucial for developing effective teaching practices.

"I’m convinced it’s the thing that could make education a system that continuously improves in the way that medicine does."

-Suzanne Donovan

The article also discusses how some residency programs are targeting specific goals, such as equipping teachers with research-based knowledge on the science of reading, or addressing chronic teacher shortages. These targeted approaches aim to enhance the quality of education and to ensure that teachers are well-prepared to meet the needs of their students.

At SERP, we believe that teacher preparation must go beyond traditional coursework and include real-world application, collaboration, and mentorship. That’s why we developed Innovation and Induction Clusters (i2) —an approach that combines apprenticeship-style learning with structured, research-backed support . i2 moves beyond isolated professional development workshops, instead embedding teachers in collaborative communities where they can learn, refine, and adapt instructional strategies alongside peers and experienced mentors.

i2 also emphasizes problem-solving in real classrooms . Just as medical residents work with real patients while receiving expert guidance, i2 participants tackle authentic instructional challenges while receiving ongoing support from researchers, veteran educators, and school leaders. This ensures that teachers are not only learning best practices but also developing the ability to think critically and adapt in response to their students’ needs .

Models like teacher residencies and induction clusters like i2 will play a vital role in elevating the teaching profession and improving student outcomes . By bridging research and practice, these models ensure that educators enter the classroom better prepared, more confident, and ready to make an impact.

Learn more about SERP’s i2 approach to teacher training here .

Interested in bringing i2 to your school or district? Email us at info@serpinstitute.org .

STARI Highlights from February 2025

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 17:29:02 GMT

300+ Educators Joined Us & More Exciting Updates!

EdWeek Webinar Recap

More than 300 educators tuned in live for our webinar on Accelerating Reading Growth in Grade 6 and Beyond !

Missed it? No problem!

A recording is available now to share key insights:

From the Webinar: “I am surprised at how much the students love the books. We don’t always get kids excited about reading, so it was amazing to see them finding these books exciting and even asking for other books by the same authors!”

STARI Team Engaging with Educators Nationwide!

The STARI team has been out in the field, connecting with fellow educators at major literacy conferences!

OHIO - LitCon
WISCONSIN - Wisconsin State Reading Association Conference
ILLINOIS - Comprehensive Literacy & Reading Recovery Conference AND Illinois Reading Council Conference
CALIFORNIA - California League of Middle Schools Conference

Easy Access to Materials

Need to reorder STARI curriculum materials, literature, or professional learning? You can now bundle purchases of STARI curriculum materials, literature and professional development.

You can now order everything in one place!

STARI Educator Community Forum

We launched a community forum for STARI educators to share insights, challenges, and successes. We’d love to hear from you!

Why STARI Matters: A Student's Journey

STARI doesn’t just improve reading skills—it transforms lives. One teacher shared this inspiring story:

“One of my students moved from the U.S. to Mexico at age 2 and came back to the U.S. in 8th grade, needing lots of support. When he started my 9th-grade college prep class, he struggled significantly. With STARI in place, he began catching up in 10th grade, and by 11th grade, he was bringing in huge books to read. Now, as a senior, he’s college-bound, knows where he wants to go, and is performing at grade level in all his classes. STARI bridged the gap in his language development and reading, giving him the foundation he needed to succeed.

- Kate Leo, Teacher

EdWeek Webinar: STARI Team plus Special Guests

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 18:01:52 GMT

EdWeek Webinar

Accelerate Reading Growth in Grades 6 and Beyond

Discover how STARI ( Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention ) is transforming struggling readers into engaged, confident learners. In this free webinar, educators from Mississippi, Iowa, and New York will share inspiring success stories and practical insights.

What to Expect:

Learn about STARI’s motivating, culturally responsive, and easy-to-implement approach.
Gain actionable strategies for supporting students in need of reading intervention.

SERP Presenters:

Margaret Troyer

Director of Literacy Research & Development

Kala Jones

Literacy Specialist

Emily Hayden

Literacy Specialist

Guest Speakers:

Leigh Carey

STARI Teacher, New York City Public Schools

Kate Leo

English Teacher /Reading Specialist, Dowling Catholic School, West Des Moines, IA

Patrice Razor

Director, English Learners & Special Populations, Jackson Public School District, Jackson, MS

Are You Looking For More Ways to Improve Adolescent Literacy in 2025?

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 17:25:56 GMT

Here are our top 5 ways to learn about STARI:

EdWeek Webinar

Join us for a free webinar hosted by EdWeek, where we’ll dive deep into the world of STARI (the Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention). You'll hear from STARI experts and educators from Mississippi, Iowa and New York as they share inspiring success stories of how STARI is turning struggling readers into engaged, confident learners.

Plan to attend on January 28th at 2:00 pm EST.

LitCon Conference

We’ll be in Ohio attending LitCon from February 1-4, 2025! Come meet the STARI team at our booth (#308) and be sure to attend the session “For Struggling Readers Who Give Up/When STARI is Enuf” Sunday Feb 2, 1PM, Taft AB

Our session is February 2, 1:00 PM.

Calendar link below.

STARI Website

STARI is a research-based, literature-focused, Tier II intervention for students in grades 6-9 who read two or more years below grade level. Learn more about our research findings and how STARI addresses gaps to help adolescents reading below grade level become motivated, confident, and proficient readers.

Visit our website to review the STARI research and Tier I evidence base.

STARI Community Forum

Join us at the next online conversation with current STARI users on February 6, 4:00 PM ET.

Do you live in Illinois or Wisconsin?

We will be in Chicago on January 22-24 at the Annual Comprehensive Literacy Conference and in Milwaukee on February 6-7 at the Wisconsin State Reading Association Conference.

Will you be there?

Geometry Joins the Circle of ByExample Math Resources!

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 20:41:58 GMT

Geometry joins the circle of ByExample math resources!

For years, many have downloaded and enjoyed AlgebraByExample for first-year Algebra students and MathByExample for Grades 4 and 5. These ByExample resources have also been used by teachers in other grades to bolster students’ basic knowledge and skills, to offer meaningful practice, and to provide engaging extension assignments. MathByExample and AlgebraByExample together offer nearly 200 example-based assignments!

However, we heard from many high school teachers that they need assignments for geometry students using the same powerful, research-based approach. So, a SERP partnership team led by Dr. Julie Booth (Temple University) and teachers from several school districts got to work to create and revise GeometryByExample . The approach looks a bit different with geometry, but our in-classroom research results are clear. Students who complete more GeometryByExample assignments show greater success with released standardized test items that included geometry content.

When working through a GeometryByExample assignment, students study correct and incorrect worked examples and answer questions that target common errors and misconceptions. This does much more than just give students practice – it encourages students to think critically about geometry concepts and procedures.

Like the other ByExample programs, GeometryByExample is free to download as single-assignment or compiled PDFs, or may be purchased as pre-printed student workbooks and teacher answer keys.

Teachers love GeometryByExample because it is flexible, evidence-based, and promotes discussion.

Visit serpinstitute.org/geometry-by-example to learn more about the program! OR download the core assignment list .

Visit MathByExample Website and Download Free Assignments

Visit AlgebraByExample Website and Download Free Assignments

Order Workbooks through at the SERP Store

New Website on Student Discourse with Classroom Video Library and Discussion Tool

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 23:37:07 GMT

Today, students are expected to generate ideas, to explain their thinking, and to make and defend arguments using evidence. This requires an entirely different kind of talk– Academically Productive Talk .

The new Academically Productive Talk (APT) website provides resources for teachers and teacher educators to facilitate this necessary pedagogical shift.

This website explores:

How to initiate and sustain classroom discussion
The benefits of academically productive talk
How talk varies across grades and content areas ( math , science , ELA , social studies )
Common discussion challenges and recommended solutions
Examples of classroom discussion with 50 annotated videos!

Teacher Tip Deck

The Teacher Tip Deck is a companion resource with 35 practical moves for encouraging academically productive talk in a wide variety of contexts.

Video Library

Complete and annotated classroom footage is available in the Video Library .

I was a classroom teacher, and one of the best ways to understand what students have learned and what they’re learning is to hear them talk about it. Discussion gives us such an interesting window into students’ thoughts, and I think that’s why it’s so important to cultivate that as a regular part of any classroom environment.

Dr. Shireen Al-Adeimi, Michigan State University

Note to Researchers:

Videos from the APT website are also available on TalkBank , a site designed for researchers to access video and/or to collaborate on research that involves analyzing talk.

The Academically Productive Talk Project is the product of a collaboration led by the Strategic Education Research Partnership (SERP Institute) with Shireen Al-Adeimi (Michigan State University), Suzanne Donovan (SERP Institute), Leslie Duhaylongsod (Salem State University), P. Karen Murphy (The Pennsylvania State University), Jonathan Osborne (Stanford University), Abby Reisman (University of Pennsylvania), and Catherine Snow (Harvard University). Project directed by Karen Tran (SERP Institute).

The project was made possible by a generous grant from the Spencer Foundation # 202000131 . The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Spencer Foundation.

STARI Community Forums

Sun, 06 Oct 2024 23:16:47 GMT

Good teaching comes with lots of questions.

Come share your questions and your answers. Be a part of the STARI community and collaborate with teachers from across the country.

STARI Community Forums will continue throughout the 2024-25 school year.

STARI COMMUNITY FORUMS

Who: STARI teachers, coaches, anyone who uses STARI

Duration: 30 minutes (Time is precious!)

All you need is an internet connection!

Please email info@serpinstitute.org to let us know that you would like to be notified about upcoming dates.

Do you know about all the educator resources SERP has available?

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 22:35:05 GMT

SERP designers work directly with leading researchers to create products that address specific challenges in K-12 schools that have been identified by practitioners. Solutions emerge through an iterative design process that carefully considers learning outcomes, support for teachers, student agency, and equitable access.

Please enjoy exploring the resources below, and feel free to share your experiences using them with us at info@serpinstitute.org.

Literacy

Math

Science & Social Studies

Professional Learning and Coaching

Reading to Learn in Science

Plus...

Lesson-by-lesson Novel Summaries Now Available!

Wed, 04 Sep 2024 22:21:17 GMT

You asked, and we answered!

STARI teachers reported that student absences are the single biggest challenge they face. And it’s not just you! The nation’s schools are facing an unprecedented attendance crisis.

While STARI materials can't solve the attendance problem, we can help your students get caught up when they return after extended absences. We have developed lesson-by-lesson summaries for the core novel in each STARI unit in Series 1, 2, and 3 (Series 4 novel summaries coming soon!). Now, when a student returns from an absence, they can read the novel summaries for the lessons they missed. While this doesn’t replace reading the text itself, the summaries will allow them to participate in the day’s discussion rather than spending class time feeling disconnected.

Find the summaries at the SERP Download Center.

These new lesson-by-lesson novel summaries can be accessed at the SERP Download Center along with all the other STARI curriculum materials.

SERP is introducing STARI Series 4 designed to meet the needs of high school struggling readers.

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 23:21:50 GMT

Unit 4.1 is ready to go!

The Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention (STARI) has been used and loved by 6th, 7th, and 8th grade teachers and students since 2014. And we know STARI works! That’s why we decided to expand STARI to specifically serve high school

students, too. Many schools already use Series 3 in 9th and 10th grades.

Now, SERP is introducing STARI Series 4, designed to meet the needs of high school struggling readers. Series 4 will be rolled out over the course of

this school year.

Like all STARI materials, the Unit 4.1 curriculum materials are free to download or may be purchased pre-printed.

Download Free Unit 4.1 Curriculum Materials

Order 4.1 Printed Curriculum Materials

Order 4.1 Literature

Request a Quote for Unit 4.1 Curriculum Materials and Literature

Unit 4.1, "Strength and Struggle," focuses on themes of courage and identity, featuring texts that depict characters overcoming adversity to stay true to their beliefs. The unit’s nonfiction text, Mario and the Hole in the Sky , sheds light on environmental challenges, while the novel Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass explores personal resilience in the face of bullying.

STARI Series 4 has all the same features as Series 1-3:

Student workbook
Leveled fluency passages
Detailed teacher lesson plans
Assessment guide
Slides
Do nows and exit tickets

STARI Series 4 accelerates students’ progress toward meeting high school skills and standards, while shoring up their foundational skills. Series 4 addresses similar reading skills to the earlier STARI series, but with increasingly sophisticated texts and topics that are appropriate for high school.

Unit 4.2 and Unit 4.3 coming soon!

Thank you for your continued dedication to student success with

STARI. We look forward to supporting your efforts in fostering literacy

and critical thinking skills among middle school and high school

students.

Interested in bringing STARI to your school for free?

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 22:51:37 GMT

BE PART OF OUR RESEARCH STUDY!

Your school is invited to participate in a study of the Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention (STARI), a program loved by both teachers and students. All participating schools will receive the intervention either immediately (2025-26 school year), or after a two-year delay (2027-28).

Participating schools will receive all STARI materials and professional learning opportunities and resources. Schools will also have access to the ETS ReadBasix assessment, free of charge during assigned implementation years.

Interested in participating?

Fill out this form and someone from the STARI team will be in touch with you.

Flip through slides to find out more.

Why should my school(s) participate in this study?

All STARI curriculum materials, professional learning and access to the ReadBasix assessment will be provided free of charge.

Schools will receive a generous stipend in spring 2026 and spring 2027.

Teachers will be compensated for completing professional learning.

SERP will directly support adoption and implementation, helping you figure out how to make STARI work in your setting.

You will make a contribution to education research, helping us to learn under what conditions STARI is most effective.

You can also view a webinar with more detail about STARI, and about this research project:

STARI Program to Expand with a New $15 Million EIR Grant

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 15:12:36 GMT

We have evidence that STARI works , and this award will allow the program to expand and be evaluated for its effectiveness with students, teachers, schools, and districts in more varied contexts and locations around the country.

The national need for reading intervention in the middle grades is enormous: in 2022, 69% of eighth grade students did not score proficient in reading, and 30% of students scored below basic. This is precisely the target population for the Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention (STARI) , which has a Tier 1 ESSA rating for evidence of effectiveness.

SERP was awarded an EIR Expansion Grant to support the program’s adoption in four states in different regions of the country, and to study its effectiveness with these different populations.

First up: A cohort of schools in Mississippi will begin STARI implementation in fall 2023! This follows on the heels of a Mississippi district’s participation in a study in which STARI showed sizable and statistically significant effects on state test scores, equivalent to a full year of growth beyond that of the control group.

Interested in being part of this phase of work? Or know someone who might be interested? If you are a state-level literacy leader with interest in participating in this study, you may read more about study participation here .

Other STARI News!

SERP and Capti have entered into a partnership to bundle the purchase of materials and the related ReadBasix assessment . SERP and Capti are also partnering on the development of STARI Boost for students who still struggle with phonics. Stay tuned!

SERP is working on developing a STARI Series 4, a year of new STARI materials specifically intended for high school students reading below grade level. If you are interested in piloting these materials as they are developed and providing feedback, please email info@serpinstitute.org .

The flexible STARI online professional learning series provides a

comprehensive overview of the STARI curriculum, plus a deeper exploration of each component through a series of sessions that can be completed at any time independently or with colleagues. It has been highly rated by literacy leaders across the country!

I must say this is the best organization of professional learning I have ever seen … A truly brilliant curriculum, and a brilliant PLS.

- Linda Diamond, Founder, Consortium on Reading Excellence in Education

Know someone who might be interested in STARI?

Share this link about how and why STARI Works .

ByExample: A Different Approach to Math Learning

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 21:44:56 GMT

Grades 4 and 5

125+ assignments available!

Fractions • Decimals • Place Value • Multi-Digit Numbers • Measurement • Geometry • Volume • Ordered Pairs • and more!

Algebra I

40+ assignments available!

Pre-algebra • Inequalities • Linear Equations • Systems of Equations • Polynomials and Factoring • Quadratic Formula • and more!

MathByExample and AlgebraByExample are collections of strategically-designed problem sets developed to help students dislodge misconceptions–both small errors and fundamental misunderstandings.

But instead of providing only problems for students to solve, ByExample assignments incorporate correct and incorrect “worked examples” for students to analyze and explain. After each worked example, students are given a similar problem to solve themselves.

The format:

(sample from AlgebraByExample)

Students analyze a worked example that has been marked as correct ✓ or incorrect ✗ .

Questions on the right direct students’ attention to key mathematical steps or ideas.

And finally, students solve a similar problem on their own:

These innovative and effective materials do much more than just give students practice—they force students to think critically about mathematics concepts and procedures and confront common mistakes. They also provide easy opportunities for math teachers to launch mathematically-rich discussion in their classrooms and promote mathematics mistakes as a vehicle for learning!

Visit MathByExample Website and Download Free Assignments

Visit AlgebraByExample Website and Download Free Assignments

Order Printed Workbooks at the SERP Store .

TRU+Lesson Study: Professional learning series for high school mathematics departments

Mon, 03 May 2021 18:54:27 GMT

As the nature of work in the 21st century continues to evolve, students will need access to high quality mathematics teaching and learning that prepares them for college and career. Schools and districts are being tasked to provide professional development opportunities for teachers to support changes in instructional practice.

Visit TRU+LessonStudy Site

Decades of research on professional development has shown that it is most effective when it provides opportunities for sustained attention and reflection of teacher teams on their own instructional content and practice. These opportunities for teachers to learn together are even more critical in the current environment. As students who have experienced learning loss in mathematics return to the classroom, teachers confront an unprecedented challenge to “accelerate learning.” The demands of the time are more likely to be met by teachers working together than by teachers left to struggle alone.

In the years just prior to the pandemic, the Oakland Unified School District partnered with the SERP Institute, Alan Schoenfeld at UC Berkeley (developer of the TRU Framework ) and Catherine Lewis at Mills College (expert in Lesson Study ) to develop TRU+LessonStudy , a model for sustained and productive collaboration among teachers in high school mathematics departments (also applicable to middle schools). TRU+LessonStudy brings together the TRU framework, which provides a lens for looking at the mathematics classroom and Lesson Study, which provides the structure for an intense and focused experience for professional learning communities into which the TRU dimensions are infused.

TRU+LessonStudy provides sessions for teacher teams to learn together over a two year period. The first year is centered around inquiry into the five dimensions of the TRU Framework: 1) the mathematics, 2) cognitive demand, 3) equitable access to content, 4) agency, ownership and identity, and 5) formative assessment. Teacher communities have an opportunity to investigate how these dimensions show-up in their own classrooms and what can be done to strengthen practice with respect to these essential dimensions. For example, in session 2 , teachers orient themselves to the TRU framework by seeing the math classroom through a student’s eyes. Activities in this session include analyzing video of an Algebra II class, looking through the TRU lens at how students in a small group solve a depreciation problem.

In Year 2, departments engage in cycles of Lesson Study framed by the five TRU Dimensions focusing in depth on their own instructional practice.

These sessions can be led by a member of the school mathematics department or an external instructional coach. Materials are designed to be facilitator friendly, and do not require extensive preparation ahead of time or extensive experience with facilitation. Each session includes an agenda, slides, facilitator notes, handouts, and classroom video (when applicable) to support collaborative learning over the course of two years (or more).

Teaching for Robust Understanding Framework (UC Berkeley)

The Lesson Study Group at Mills College

Fremont High School in Oakland, CA used TRU+Lesson Study. The district’s math coordinator and a math coach presented on the work at a conference and their presentation can be viewed here ( video • handout ). In it, they refer to feedback, such as the following:

from teachers:

I would say, the biggest value is being able to grow as a team. Consistency and common language to discuss with the TRUMath framework makes it easier to go into conversation in inquiry cycles or practicing a particular instructional strategy together. We are communicating in a common way and built that foundation. Having space and time to do that consistently year over year means that the team grows. We continue to retain teachers that are growing every year and learning together every year. The consistency has been really important.

from instructional coaches:

We built strong collective efficacy by using TRU. TRU helped us create a shared vision of instruction with enough flexibility for the team to explore what really matters to them.

from administrators:

TRU-Math meetings means we are talking about instruction; other department meetings are often taken up by other things like finals schedule, etc

Accelerate Progress in Reading with STARI

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 22:09:31 GMT

The evidence is clear.

The Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention (STARI) accelerates the development of reading skills among adolescents who struggle with reading in Grades 6-9.

Educators know that many students continue to need help with foundational reading skills beyond elementary school, and for the last decade STARI has been proven effective in providing that support. But now, with the unprecedented situation of students experiencing an extended period of remote instruction, there will be a massive need for the accelerated reading development STARI provides.

STARI is uniquely designed to thoroughly engage students in building their reading and comprehension skills. The themes are complex and age-appropriate for older students, even though STARI builds foundational literacy skills together with grade-level reading skills.

STARI is ready to go!

For districts and schools that need to plan now for what lies ahead, STARI is ready to go! The student workbooks and teacher lesson plans can be downloaded for free , or purchased from the SERP Store . The novels and other books and supplies can be ordered through the SERP Store , where districts can make purchases and have the books delivered to individual schools or even individual teachers.

Teachers and students love the program.

Teachers love the program because the thorough lesson plans allow them to be successful, even when they have limited training in how to teach reading.

Students love the program because they work with partners, engage in discussion and debate of interesting topics, and read accessible books that genuinely interest them.

You can hear from students and teachers in this video.

Flexible professional learning opportunities are moving online.

STARI will offer a flexible online professional learning series to teachers. Local facilitators can be supported to lead an institute prior to the start of school and lead pre-planned PLC sessions during the school year, or teachers can complete the online course individually. Flexibility is the name of the game!

With federal and state funding requirements that specify the use of evidence-based programs, STARI has got you covered. In fact, STARI has met What Works Clearinghouse Standards Without Reservations , demonstrating strong evidence of effectiveness (ESSA TIER 1).

If you’re ready to accelerate middle grades reading in your school or district, please visit serpinstitute.org/stari . Your students will be glad you did.

Chula Vista’s Early Childhood Resources for Parents

Fri, 19 Feb 2021 00:26:00 GMT

California School District Provides Early Support to Preschool Parents

In this post, we are spotlighting the work of the Early Education team at the Chula Vista Elementary School District—a district in the southern-most region of California that extends to the US boarder with Mexico. CVESD is noteworthy for a variety of reasons, including an unusual arrangement between the district and San Diego State University initiated by Superintendent Francisco Escobedo that has supported (a dozen) district administrators to complete doctorates related to their work in the district at SDU. Working with CVESD leaders, the effect is palpable in the regard administrators have for ideas and for each other.

While there are many CVESD practices that are worthy of attention, in this post it is the support the early education team has provided for parents that we are highlighting. We are spotlighting the site in part because other districts, and parents of preschoolers everywhere, may find the CVESD Early Childhood Education website on Social and Emotional Behavior Resources valuable. But we also highlight the site because it is a remarkable example of a district effort to partner with parents in the interest of children. The blogs and the videos are friendly and empathetic, while also offering helpful and very practical suggestions rooted in research knowledge and best practices. The site also offers visual resources and videos that help parents to implement recommended practices.

Blog posts on the Chula Vista site tackle questions such as What to do when your child wants un-needed help, What to do when your child is breaking down, Helping your child cope with grief, and Using Visual Supports at Home. The visual supports, such as the “How do you feel thermometer” can be downloaded and hung at eye level for your child to help with emotional regulation, and sensory support visuals are offered, such as the set of Animal Walks Movement Cards that can be kept on hand for times when your child needs to get the wiggles out before engaging in a concentrated activity. In our own work with a district partner focused on middle schools, SERP designed a set of breathing exercises to use in the classroom to help calm students and support focus. The CVESD site helps parents to get deep breathing practice going with preschoolers to help with emotional regulation.

If you are a member of a district early education team, a preschool or kindergarten teacher, or the parent of a young child, we think you’ll appreciate what the CVESD Early Education team has to offer.

i2 Innovation and Induction Clusters

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 23:56:04 GMT

Biden’s Plan to Expand Title I Funding Could Dramatically Improve K-12 Education

K-12 education in the United States faces three major challenges that persist despite decades of policy initiatives designed to address them: lagging student performance that has fallen behind most other developed nations, growing shortages of qualified teachers , and deep inequities in outcomes associated with family income, race, and ethnicity. President-elect Biden’s proposal to expand Title I funding could support a comprehensive, bold solution to all three problems: Innovation and Induction (i2) Clusters. An i2 Cluster is a group of elementary and secondary schools located in a significantly underserved area of a school district—the schools in greatest need of additional Title I funding. Like teaching hospitals in medicine, i2 Cluster schools would be designated as places where: (a) trained master teachers mentor new teachers, and (b) practitioners collaborate with researchers to develop and test innovative teaching practices. And as in teaching hospitals, i2 Clusters would be places where excellent practice and mentoring both stimulate and respond to research.

BENEFITS

More stable teaching workforce: Research indicates that intensive support for new teachers, including a year working alongside a trained mentor and a second year with weekly mentoring sessions, would reduce the number of teachers leaving the profession in their early years by more than half.

Increased equity: Locating the sites in the lowest-performing schools would reduce inequities in access to effective and experienced educators and would place two adults in classrooms whose students stand to benefit most from additional teacher attention.

Achievement: Designating these schools as sites for researchers to work alongside practitioners would provide our nation’s outstanding education researchers with contexts for identifying and developing solutions to the instructional, social and emotional barriers to higher academic performance. Working with i2 Cluster schools will allow these challenges to be addressed in ways that respond to the complexity of the classroom and the community, and to receive the sustained attention required to create solutions that work for students, teachers and communities.

Each district-based i2 Cluster would be locally operated. Networks would be established among sites to facilitate and accelerate continuous improvement as work on a particular problem in one location is informed by work to address that same problem elsewhere. To this end, a national network hub would be charged with supporting capacity building, knowledge accumulation, and the spread of innovations across sites. But, very importantly, a local governance structure for each i2 Partnership would limit the national role to one of enhancing local efforts

FUNDING

While some of the funding for an i2 Cluster initiative may be reallocated from existing sources (e.g., induction and professional development budgets, Title I set aside funds, etc.), significant new funding will be required. Because schools with the highest concentrations of students from low-income families would be prioritized, an enhanced Title I program would serve as the natural mechanism for expanded funding—a strategy that President-elect Biden has already proposed. Though Title I is the primary source of federal funds to reduce the disparities in educational opportunity for students from low-income families, critics charge that these funds are often used ineffectively. Tying new Title I funds to an i2 Cluster initiative would ensure that these federal dollars are effectively invested because i2 Clusters would generate and use scientifically based evidence on what best increases learning for these students. They would also support allocation of the highest-quality teachers to Title I-eligible schools. The well- established relationships between researchers and practitioners in the i2 Partnership would make them an efficient and effective location for expanding federally-funded research on problems of practice that are a high priority both locally and nationally.

While its individual elements may be entirely familiar, the i2 Cluster concept is new . Some familiar elements are the effort to provide greater support to new teachers through teacher residency programs, to allow for innovation in practice in Charter Schools, and to bridge the divide between universities and school districts through research- practice partnerships. But this proposal is much more than the sum of these parts in that:

it integrates induction of new teachers, evidence-based innovation in practice, and attention to equity into a coherent whole;

it calls for a structure that would build capacity and an infrastructure for improvement nationally while prioritizing local decision-making, and

it is designed to allow sustainable funding through existing mechanisms

The teaching hospitals that serve a similar function in medicine receive upwards of $16 billion annually in federal and state dollars. Medicare and Medicaid are the stable funding mechanisms that support teaching hospitals to train new doctors and to care for low-income patients. And additional research funding allows many of the teaching hospitals to serve as locations for transformative research to improve medical practice. But while the parallel in function is striking, the funding levels are starkly different. Federal support through the Higher Education Act for partnerships between universities and school districts to train new teachers is a mere $43 million. And annual funding for teacher quality initiatives through the Every Student Succeeds Act has never reached even $100 million. Total federal support for training new teachers is therefore less than 1% of the support for training new doctors—a mirror image of the disparity in funding between education research and medical research.

Medical doctors in the U.S. are arguably the best in the world because the nation has invested in health-care excellence. We have not achieved a similar degree of excellence in our K-12 education system because we have not made such an investment. With the Title I expansion President-elect Biden has proposed, the U.S. could raise the achievement of its students, attract and retain excellent teachers, disrupt persistent inequities, and once again make education the path to upward mobility for all U.S. students.

Read the full proposal:

serpinstitute.app.box.com/v/i2-April2020

Education fuels the health of our economy.

New Remote Learning Resources for WordGen Weekly and WordGen Elementary

Thu, 03 Sep 2020 23:21:55 GMT

For teachers and students who are looking for device-friendly materials to use for remote learning, the SERP WordGen team has added new options.

For WordGen Weekly (middle school):

We added an open website ( serp.link ) with no registration necessary so teachers can point students directly to assignments.
We created “ mini-websites ” for each WordGen Weekly unit so teachers can share links to specific units, or even to pages within units, directly with students. Teachers can also add links easily into their learning management systems.
We created editable Google Doc versions of the student materials. The link to the Google Doc for each unit is in the footer of each unit’s mini-website.
We have provided guidance about how to adapt each component for remote learning environments, including suggestions about what can be done synchronously vs. asynchronously.

For WordGen Elementary (4th and 5th grades):

We added an open website ( serp.link ) with no registration necessary so teachers can point students directly to assignments.
We created editable Google Doc versions of the student materials.
We have provided guidance about how to adapt each component for remote learning environments, including suggestions about what can be done synchronously vs. asynchronously.

New STARI Unit; New Remote Learning Resources

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 18:16:34 GMT

STARI is a comprehensive reading intervention for struggling readers in grades 6 through 9.

It brings together complex social issues, riveting literature, and engaging discussion while at the same time building foundational reading skills not gained in the earlier grades. SERP is very pleased to announce that a timely, new unit has been added to the program. In addition, we are developing device-friendly versions of the materials to help with remote learning. STARI curriculum materials are accessible online free of charge.

Past and Present Examined in "Bearing Witness"

In Unit 2.1 (STARI’s new unit, Bearing Witness), students read nonfiction material about the murder of Emmett Till in the 50s, plus a fiction piece in which a victim of modern police violence meets the ghost of Emmett Till. Like all STARI units, Bearing Witness includes a student workbook to guide students through reading assignments and to introduce crucial comprehension and decoding skills. Teacher resources include slides, lesson plans, progress monitoring assessments, do nows/exit tickets, and more. The development of reading fluency is also a major component of STARI. In this unit, the four levels of reading passages are all connected to the overarching theme of social justice.

Efforts to Set Up STARI for Remote Learning

The Bearing Witness materials are available in the same format as all the other units: free PDF downloads or pre-printed materials available to purchase. However, we are also trying something new. The STARI team has taken the following steps in order to support teachers and students who may be looking for device-friendly materials to use for remote learning, since working with printed documents may be more difficult right now.

For the Unit 2.1 Bearing Witness materials:

We divided the student workbook into lesson-by-lesson downloads.
We made “fillable PDFs” that can be completed on devices instead of with pen or pencil.
We posted student-friendly lesson overviews with links to materials (some teachers may choose to cut/paste these into their own learning management systems).
We produced brief instructional videos that cover the content of each mini-lesson.
We added an open website with no registration necessary, so teachers can point students directly to assignments, if that is helpful.
We have included recommendations about how to adapt each component for distance learning, including suggestions about what can be done synchronously vs. asynchronously.

This special adaptation of Unit 2.1 is ready now. Similar adaptations of Unit 1.1 and Unit 3.1 are on the way.

STARI Website

Information about Remote Learning with STARI

Direct Access to STARI Student Materials

STARI Is Reorganized, Updated, and Expanded.

Fri, 14 Aug 2020 18:32:15 GMT

SERP’s Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention (STARI) curriculum is now organized into three series, with Series 1 intended for 6th grade, Series 2 for 7th, and Series 3 for 8th and 9th.

All three series address similar reading needs, but the Series 2 and 3 topics and reading materials are increasingly sophisticated.

Each updated series now includes three units, with each unit’s lesson plans written for approximately 40 instructional days.

New versions of Unit 1.1, Unit 1.2, Unit 2.1, and Unit 3.1 are ready now. More new versions coming very soon.

Bearing Witness (Unit 2.1) recently added!

In this unit, students consider the meaning of justice, the importance of bearing witness to acts of injustice, and whether bearing witness can be a form of justice. They read the accessible but sophisticated novel Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes, as well as the compelling nonfiction text The Murder of Emmett Till by Henrietta Toth.

In all the STARI units, students work with partners to develop reading fluency and skills, expand vocabulary, write about literature, and engage in meaningful discussions and debates about what they read and connections to issues facing us today.

How to get materials:

STARI curriculum materials consist of Student Workbooks, Fluency Passages, Teacher Lesson Plans, Presentation Slides, Do Nows and Exit Tickets, and Assessment Guides. All materials are free to download . You may also order pre-printed materials through the SERP Store .

The literature that connects to STARI materials is widely available. It can be purchased through SERP’s Amazon STARI Materials page or through whatever process is most convenient for your educational institution.

Edweek Publishes Op-Ed by SERP Leaders About i2 Clusters

Tue, 14 Jul 2020 18:47:14 GMT

Edweek publishes opinion piece written by SERP's founding executive director Suzanne Donovan and SERP's board chair and president emeritus of the National Academy of Sciences Bruce Alberts.

Public Schools Need the Equivalent of Teaching Hospitals

New teachers in high-poverty schools don't have enough support

By Suzanne Donovan & Bruce Alberts

We are in the midst of a national outcry for reform of a policing and criminal justice system that has had devastating consequences for many Black Americans. Though outrage has been sparked by current events, a broader reckoning with the deep roots of racism is also being demanded from many quarters. One of those roots is a sharp inequity in K-12 education.

Evidence amassed by the Learning Policy Institute makes the case that schools in low-income neighborhoods, particularly those with majority Black and Latinx families, are disproportionately staffed by teachers who are new to the profession, many of whom are underprepared for the challenges they face. Research shows that teachers are least effective when they are new to teaching and that several ineffective teachers in a row make it nearly impossible for a student to catch up to peers who have had more effective teachers. While not the only inequity in schooling, it is one with profound implications.

Engaging Students with Civics Units on Social Justice

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 19:02:37 GMT

Free instructional materials integrate social justice content and standards-based practices

We at the SERP Institute add our voices to the many millions demanding an end to systemic racism. In line with our mission, we are committed to redoubling our efforts to provide teachers with educational resources that encourage students to think deeply about justice, equality, and democracy, and to engage in informed discussion and debate about the issues that will be theirs to shape in the decades to come. The linked units below, designed for middle school but used by high school teachers as well, may be useful to those who seek to provide meaningful, student-centered instructional opportunities that are relevant to the discussions of racial bias happening today. The units were developed in 2015 and therefore do not mention specific current events. Teachers may wish to assign news articles to explore the connection between unit content and current developments.

When is a crime not a crime? focuses on variation in laws across states and the tensions between federal and state laws. It includes the story of Trayvon Martin, as well as the case of Loving v. Virginia, which challenged the Virginia law prohibiting interracial marriage. Students write an essay in response to President Obama’s speech after the Trayvon Martin verdict.

Download:

Student Booklet

Teacher Edition

Where is the justice in our justice system? explores the elements of our justice system that are intended to provide safeguards for those accused and the racial and income disparities in who is accused, taken into custody, and incarcerated. It also compares incarceration rates in the U.S. with other countries.

Download:

Student Booklet

Teacher Edition

How do we right the wrongs of the past? explores the history of voting rights in the U.S. and compares representation of women and minorities in Congress over time. It treats Jim Crow segregation, redlining, and racial disparities in wealth over a 50-year period. Students debate the case for reparations.

Download:

Student Booklet

Teacher Edition

Each week-long unit is comprised of 40-50 minute lessons each day and highlights 5–10 academic words. There are also supplementary activities for multiple content areas. Many of the activities are appropriate for at-home use, to build background knowledge and vocabulary in preparation for discussion and debate done synchronously. By bringing the controversies closer to students' lives and providing them with opportunities to identify the claims, reasons, and evidence associated with positions, students are equipped with both the background and the tools to engage in oral and written argumentation.

We will share additional SERP resources that address social justice in the near future. We welcome your feedback, including specific ways that we might improve our content.

Keep 4th and 5th Grade Students Engaged in Distance Learning

Thu, 28 May 2020 19:27:38 GMT

"Get out of the pond, immediately! The pond is closed because bacteria levels are too high."

Getting students to engage with school work while at home can be a challenge. So it’s more important than ever to provide materials that are interesting enough to command their attention. WordGen Elementary is designed to do just that! Plus, it supports the development of academic vocabulary, close reading, reading comprehension, perspective-taking, critical thinking, and writing.

All WordGen Elementary units are free to teachers and families.

Whether you’re planning for the fall or looking for lively literacy activities to finish up this school year, check out Unit 4.07. This unit is on a topic that is especially relevant today!

Unit 4.07: Who gets to decide what's safe?

Student Pages: PDF • Google Doc (will launch as copy)
Teacher Edition: PDF

Vocabulary cards, newsletters for families, and other resources for WordGen Elementary are available online at the WordGen Elementary website .

We need your feedback.

In response to requests from teachers, we are considering making more of our materials available in this convenient editable Google Doc format, but we need to hear from you to determine if there is enough demand. If you would, please email us at info@serpinstitute.org to let us know what you think about the Google Doc format for the student pages.

Thanks to all the teachers and administrators who are charting a new course for students in these unprecedented times!

Supporting WordGen Debates During Distance Learning with Kialo

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 18:14:00 GMT

The challenges of distance learning can lead to greater reliance on worksheets at the very same time that students are being asked to motivate their own learning.

WordGen units that focus on deeper thinking about topics that engage students continue to be freely downloadable from our website , but the aspect that students find most engaging—the weekly debates—are difficult to replicate outside the classroom. We are very pleased to have discovered a platform that can serve as a companion to Word Generation by supporting interactive, written debates.

Kialo EDU is a free, user-friendly, online platform designed to support students to think critically, strengthen arguments, and engage in discussion and debate. It allows you, the teacher, to post a debate question (such as a WordGen unit question) and different theses (such as the WordGen debate positions) and invite your students to participate in the debate. Under each position or thesis, students can enter evidence or reasoning as a pro or con, add links to articles or evidence they find online, “like” or comment on the value of different entries, and rate entries on a five point scale. You will be able to see which students are participating and what they are contributing.

You can control access so that only your students can participate, or you can invite others to view the debate entries. You also have the option of creating teams to make it easy to assign students to participate in each debate. You can then choose whether to allow teams to view each other’s debates without having writing privileges.

We hope you might find this platform helpful in supporting students to continue building their academic language, argumentation, and reasoning skills from a distance. We would love to hear any feedback on how Kialo works for your classroom!

We suggest you watch the brief introduction video and review the Kialo tour to get a sense of how Kialo works.

Getting Started with Kialo:
Go to https://www.kialo-edu.com
Click ‘Sign Up’ and enter your information.
You’ll be brought to your ‘My Kialo” dashboard. Here, you are able to start creating discussions for your classrooms by clicking on ‘Create Discussion’ in the top right hand corner of the screen.
You can then follow the steps to create your discussion. Choosing “Single Thesis” allows you to create a pro/con debate around a particular claim. Choosing “Multiple Theses” allows you to enter a discussion topic (the WordGen debate question) and multiple positions (multiple WordGen debate positions).
Once you have entered your discussion details, you can click the ‘Share’ button in the top right hand corner to invite students to your discussion. You may choose to also enable the Discussion Access link (giving anyone with the link viewing access to the discussion without logging in) or the Participant Invite link (allowing students to join the discussion via the link once they create an account).
If you would like to create separate teams, click the “Teams” option in the menu on the My Kialo page and follow the instructions to create a new team. Note that it is possible to invite other teams as “viewers” of another team’s debate.

STARI Resources for Distance Learning in Middle Grades Literacy

Tue, 14 Apr 2020 19:41:51 GMT

In our work with partner schools and teachers, we have received several requests for recommendations regarding how to adapt STARI for use at home during this challenging period of distance learning.

In response to these requests, we have adapted several resources that we are making available to our broader STARI community. Please feel free to pass these resources along to others who may find them useful! While these resources were created with current STARI students and classrooms in mind, those who are new to STARI may find them useful as well.

These resources include:

Independent/Partner Reading Packets:

The Skin I'm In by Sharon Flake (Unit 1.1)

This compilation is designed to guide your students through the work of reading and comprehending the Unit 1.1 novel, The Skin I'm In, by Sharon Flake. This packet integrates the sections of the novel usually led by the teacher with guided reading. Students may use the packet independently, working at home.

Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson (Unit 1.2)

This packet integrates the sections of the novel usually led by the teacher with guided reading with the partner reading activities. This compilation is designed to guide your students through the work of reading and comprehending the Unit 1.2 novel, Locomotion, by Jacqueline Woodson. Students may use the packet independently, working at home.

The Big Nothing by Jacqueline Woodson (Unit 2.2)

This compilation is designed to guide your students through the work of reading and comprehending the Unit 2.2 novel, The Big Nothing, by Adrian Fogelin. This packet integrates the sections of the novel usually led by the teacher with guided reading. Students may use the packet independently, working at home.

Additional units coming soon!

Fluency Passages

STARI fluency passages are designed strategically to build decoding skills and background knowledge as well as developing fluency. STARI students can continue to build these skills at home using the fluency passages on their assigned level. This remote work can be enhanced if a student has a sibling or family member to work with as a partner or if the student can pair up with a classmate over the phone or computer.

Additional suggestions regarding these resources and others are available via the link below.

Free educational materials for teachers and families

Wed, 18 Mar 2020 21:44:25 GMT

Dear SERP Community,

While schools across the country have been forced to close their doors, teachers and families have been tasked with creating new ways to educate and support students. If SERP resources can be of help during this difficult period, please remember that they are available as free downloads to all—teachers, families, and anyone else who is interested. We have highlighted a few below that we think may be particularly suitable for online platforms and for families working together at home.

Please pass this message along to families in your community as well as any others you think might find the resources helpful. You may share any of these resources with students and families by email, LMS, etc. as well.

Thank you for all you do to support our next generation every day, especially during this challenging time.

The SERP Team

MATH

AlgebraByExample (usually Grades 8 or 9)

9 algebra topics, 42 individual assignments

Students analyze and explain correctly and incorrectly worked examples targeting common errors in algebra and then work on similar problems on their own.

More information | Sign up for free downloads

MathByExample (Grades 4 & 5)

13 math topics, 125+ individual assignments

Students analyze and explain correctly and incorrectly worked examples targeting common errors in math and then work on similar problems on their own.

More information | Sign up for free downloads

Poster Problems (Grades 6 & 7)

6 sixth grade problems, 6 seventh grade problems

These are more complex, open-ended problems that encourage creating and comparing multiple representations.

More information | Sign up for free downloads

SCIENCE

Science Generation (Grades 6-8)

18 five part units plus a large bank of additional activities within a digital dashboard

SciGen covers a variety of science topics, including cells, energy, environment, matter, and more. The “dashboard” is full of interactive media.

More information | Sign up for free downloads and access to the dashboard

SOCIAL STUDIES

Social Studies Generation (Grades 6-8)

18 five part units

Asking students to consider multiple points of view, these units include topics such as ancient civilizations, the experiences of two children of Sudan, and complex questions related to American democracy.

More information | Sign up for free downloads

LITERACY

WordGen Weekly (Grades 6-8)

72 five-part units available

Uses a societal dilemma to frame brief activities to promote academic language development, argumentation, perspective-taking, and discussion.

More information | Sign up for free downloads

WordGen Elementary (Grades 4 & 5)

24 ten-part units available

Develops academic language, argumentation, and perspective-taking skills through activities, reading, writing, discussion, and more. Each unit focuses on a discussable question and even includes a video newscast and a script for a reader’s theater!

More information | Sign up for free downloads

GENERAL

Focus 5 (all grades)

A selection of deep breathing activities for calming and centering. Includes downloadable cards and audio recording of students leading the activities.

More information and free access

Internal Coherence Framework and Tools Now Accessible in a New Book

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 22:45:12 GMT

The research team of the Internal Coherence Project has developed a set of processes and protocols to build the collective capability of the adults in a school/school system to carry out an instructional improvement strategy.

With the release of the new publication, The Internal Coherence Framework: Creating the Conditions for Continuous Improvement in Schools (2017, Harvard Education Press), the team shares its clinical tools and the research base that has shaped their design or selection.The book addresses topics that, when left unaddressed, routinely undermine the success of reform efforts.

These include the creation of psychological safety, a vision anchored in the instructional core, a strategy focused on adult learning, and the explicit cultivation of collective efficacy for instructional improvement. The internal coherence approach and clinical tools were developed in SERP partnerships with school districts in Massachusetts, Texas, and California, as well as institutes for professional development in New York. SERP partners from the Central Valley Educational Leadership Institute and the Clovis Unified School District have begun to lead the coherence work in over 50 schools in the Central Valley.IC researchers Michelle Forman (SERP), Elizabeth Leisy Stosich (Fordham University), and Candice Bocala (WestEd), are developing ways for individual schools, school systems, and professional development institutions to connect to the project. If you are interested in using the foundational learning experiences, essential practices, or internal coherence survey (available for free download at ic.serpmedia.org), send inquiries to info@serpinsitute.org.

Science Generation now has a digital cousin!

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 22:34:44 GMT

The SciGen Teacher Dashboard is a large online collection of resources for middle school science teachers drawing from selected content in the classic SciGen, but with lots of great new assets added as well.

Inside the dashboard you'll find digital interactives, videos, animations, comics, teaching slides, and so much more! It's organized into handy lesson plans offered in sequences, but teachers can select assets à la carte to augment any program of instruction. By carefully listening to teachers, SERP found that they desired readily available, highly engaging, and easy-to-manage materials focused on thinking, real-world events, evidence, and the literacy demands of science. With this in mind, we were careful to merge hands-on and language intensive activities.

This new open educational resource from SERP was developed in partnership with the Middle School Quality Initiative of the New York City Department of Education, the San Francisco Unified School District, and many scientists and content experts. (Including our own Dr. Bruce Alberts!)

Not only is this platform new, there’s also a lot of new content to be explored. There are three new cell units, plus new material on waves, density, and matter. This brings the total number of units to 24. The 18 units in the previous version's format will also remain available.

Also included are Teacher Tune-ups : just-in-time overviews, right next to the relevant student materials. These are quick content refreshers for busy professionals.

Using Word Generation with English Learners

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 22:18:50 GMT

Additional resources and tips for teaching English learners have been updated for the new Word Generation website.

Word Generation was not originally developed as an English Language Development curriculum for English learners (ELs), but the program is replete with features that can enhance language and literacy development for ELs. The focus on academic language and discussion allows ELs to participate in a number of beneficial ways. For those who have recently immigrated to the U.S., discussions can provide an introduction to relevant topics that they may not have encountered previously. Teachers have reported that Word Generation activities can provide important footholds for English learners; however, additional scaffolds may be necessary for use with students just starting with English.

Check out some additional resources and tips from teachers:

Advancing Academic Language for All! (AALA) for WordGen Weekly Series 3
Multilingual newsletters and Spanish language supplements to WordGen Elementary

Tips for Supporting English Learners in WordGen Classrooms

General Tips for Maximizing Access and Participation in WordGen Classrooms

ByExample...for High School Geometry!

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 22:15:28 GMT

IES has funded a new project that will support iterative development and testing of worked example assignments for high school geometry.

Since the release of AlgebraByExample several years ago, SERP has received numerous requests to apply the ByExample approach to high school geometry. However, translating the worked example approach to mathematics content that is focused less on computation or equation-solving and more on proofs, logical reasoning, and spatial visualization poses new challenges. Just recently, the Institute of Education Sciences funded the ByExample partnership team led by Dr. Julie Booth (Temple University) to develop and test GeometryByExample.

Like the other ByExample projects, GeometryByExample will address student misconceptions and common errors, and it will be designed for flexible use as a supplement to a wide-range of curricula without requiring costly professional development.

At this time, the project is just getting underway. During the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years, the drafted assignments will go through an iterative development process and be tested in a diverse set of classrooms in partner districts. Should you be interested in becoming involved in the development work or testing the assignments in your classrooms, please email info@serpinstitute.org .

Significant Impacts from MathByExample

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 22:08:40 GMT

Preliminary results are in, and analyses demonstrate statistically significant results for students using the MathByExample Grade 5 materials over the course of a year.

In an IES-funded project conducted as a collaboration between Jullie Booth (Temple University), SERP, and several school districts, students using MathByExample scored higher on a range of assessments than their peers, including released standardized test items, procedural and conceptual understanding, algebra readiness, and PARCC spring scaled scores.

The MathByExample materials are free for anyone to download and print for non-commercial educational purposes on the MathByExample website. Please share these resources with your colleagues!

STARI Updates and New Resources Now Available

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 22:05:10 GMT

Based on feedback from STARI teachers and coaches, SERP has developed an assessment guide and other classroom-ready resources to supplement the STARI curriculum .

Because STARI students read well below grade level, teachers have asked for assessments that will allow them to closely track student progress. A new STARI assessment guide provides regular opportunities for progress monitoring. New do nows and exit tickets provide content-aligned activities for students during transition periods, while also offering teachers a quick look at student engagement and comprehension of text. The new STARI resources are incorporated into the “2019 Beta Versions” section of the STARI Download Center . At this time, revised materials for units 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, and 2.2 have also been posted. The remaining units will be revised and posted as they become available.

Here is a summary of the changes you’ll see in the beta versions:

Optional “do nows” and “exit tickets” for each lesson (student-facing materials available as a separate download)
Optional opportunities to assess students’ progress on skills such as comprehension strategies, decoding, discussion, and fluency (assessment guide for each unit available as a separate download)
Objectives language now aligned with standards and levels of rigor
Timestamps added with estimated length of each activity
Adjusted activities in some of the “overstuffed” lessons so that each lesson is between 40 and 50 minutes (not including do now and exit ticket)
Thumbnails of the slides and student workbook pages added in the teacher lesson plans to make it easier for teachers to see all lesson materials at a glance

Clarifying revisions to the fluency routine:

Split out the “silent read” and the “first timed read” into steps 1 and 2 on day 1
Changed the name of the “word study” section to the more accurate descriptor “decoding”

In addition, content changes were made to a few units:

In Unit 1.2, we replaced the text Who Are These People? (Fallon) with Foster Families (Poole).
In Unit 2.1, we eliminated the focus on the decoding skill consonant blends in order to make space to focus on the more complex decoding skill adjective suffixes.
We made minor content changes/updates in some fluency passages.

The Chemistry of Climate Change

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 22:00:47 GMT

SERP is working in collaboration with school districts and university chemistry faculty to create a high school chemistry course focused on the compelling issue of climate change that is now energizing so many young people.

High school science teachers are often frustrated by materials that cause their students’ eyes to glaze over, but nowhere has the frustration been greater than with high school chemistry. The course is often taught as a bloodless subject filled with technical models, abstract problem sets, and labs that are most interesting to students when they go awry. Yet chemistry has the potential to provide solutions to the largest science and engineering challenges students will confront as adults: how to make choices as citizens, consumers, producers, and investors that will allow humanity to prosper in the Earth’s fragile habitat.

San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) has developed a curriculum that integrates Earth Science and focuses the later half of the curriculum on climate change. SERP contributed peripherally to the SFUSD effort but is now developing a distinct curriculum that builds on some of the SFUSD components. With support from the Koshland Foundation, SERP is working in collaboration with Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) and in consultation with SFUSD on a curriculum that will integrate climate change right from the opening pages. Dr. Bruce Alberts, SERP board chairman and President Emeritus of the National Academy of Science, has recruited an outstanding advisory board of chemists to engage with the developers. David Dudley is leading the curriculum development project for SERP, working with a team of curriculum writers and activities developers.

New SERP Partnership with District of Columbia Public Schools Focuses on Early Literacy

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 21:58:42 GMT

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has awarded a partnership grant to a DCPS-SERP team to explore contributors to variation in student reading success across schools with similar demographic characteristics.

District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) has made significant investments over a decade in early literacy: The district was the first to extend enrollment to all three- and four-year-olds. It has introduced five essential literacy practices that are closely aligned with the research literature and has provided opportunities for teachers to learn about how to enact those practices and for administrators to learn how to observe, evaluate, and support the practices. DCPS has also adopted a phonics program (Fundations) and developed a district-wide core curriculum for literacy. While significant student gains have accompanied these changes, there are still schools in which the majority of students are not reaching proficiency in reading by third grade. District leaders proposed a partnership with SERP to dig deeper into the contributors to literacy outcomes both by integrating and analyzing data sets and by doing case studies of a set of schools that have similar characteristics but vary in literacy outcomes. The goal of the project is to identify strategies district instructional leaders might pursue to better support schools to achieve reading success for their students. Corinne Colgan (DCPS Chief of Teaching and Learning), Catherine Snow (Harvard University), and Suzanne Donovan (SERP) are co-PIs for the project.

Hear from STARI Teachers and Students in NYC Schools

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 19:01:31 GMT

The Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention (STARI) is a Tier II program for students in grades 6–9 who are reading below grade level.

The New York City Department of Education’s Middle School Quality Initiative (MSQI) has been using the program in many of its schools, and SERP was interested in capturing the experience to share with others. SERP partnered with video producer Jim Hoppin and MSQI network leaders, teachers, and students to produce this video.

News

Education News Update » 04-14-26

OTHER STORIES

Promising Teacher PD

Eroding Education Access

Curriculum Year Zero

Behind the Scenes @SERP

David Dudley

Illustrator and Content Developer

From Sketchbook to Curriculum

Content First, Always

More Than Decoration

Hits and Highlights

What's Next on the Drawing Board

Introducing SERP’s New Download Center

We’ve updated SERP’s Download Center to improve how materials are organized, previewed, and accessed across our site.

This update focuses on clarity and usability—making it easier to see what resources are available and in what formats—while continuing to offer free access to SERP materials.

What’s new?

Visual Previews

Clear Format Indicators

Links to the SERP Store

Communication Preferences

Accessing materials:

Frequently Asked Questions

STARI March Highlights

What's in this issue:

SERP a t SXSW EDU: What We Heard & What's Next

SERP a t SXSW EDU: What We Heard & What's Next

Summer Live Virtual Professional Learning

Connect with STARI

What We've Been Reading:

Education News Update » 03-31-26

OTHER STORIES

Social Media Companies Negligent

The AI Hivemind

Teacher Working Conditions

SERP at SXSW EDU: Reflections from the Field

What we heard, what we’re thinking, and where we’re heading next...

What We Heard

Christine Dahnke

Director of Organizational Development & Partnerships

Kala Jones

SERP Stories Host & Literacy Specialist

Margaret Troyer

Director of Literacy Research and Development

Emily Hayden

Literacy Specialist

What We’re Taking Forward

1.

Engagement Is the Missing Link

2.

Education R&D Is Having a Moment

3.

Leadership is Essential At Every Level

4.

Storytelling Shapes Understanding and Action

What We’re Taking Forward

How We Learned to Read: Stories from SXSW EDU

At SXSW EDU this year, we asked a simple question:

How did you learn to read?

"I used to read to my cats."

"I had to figure it out by listening."

"I used music to connect with reading."

"I connected the dots between Spanish and English."

What These Stories Remind Us

Education News Update » 03-17-26

OTHER STORIES

Changing Civics Lessons

Social Media Trial

The 90/10 Gap

STARI Spotlight: How One Wisconsin Teacher Is Using Series 4 to Engage High School Readers

Meeting Students Where They Are

When Reluctant Readers Take the Lead

Beyond Engagement: Measurable Growth

What Makes Series 4 Work for High Schoolers ﻿

Advice for Teachers Considering Series 4

Education News Update » 03-03-26

OTHER STORIES

Redesigning IES

STEM Workforce

What Makes Series 4 Work for High Schoolers