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What's working in schools?
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Hey Reader, I've been thinking a lot recently about the incredible work we're seeing in schools all around the country. It's truly inspiring. Last week, I shared a celebration of Erwin Elementary in North Carolina and how their amazing team of educators worked to move their school from an F to a C on their state report card. So I wanted to share another story of an awesome school. But this time, I also wanted to share what we can learn from their success, so you can take it into your classroom, school, or district. Waggoner Road Junior High, in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, showed some really impressive growth on their MAP assessments. In fact, students exceeded projected growth in every single subject and grade-level comparison in their Fall 2025 to Winter 2026 result. Some of the highlights are:
That's pretty awesome, isn't it? So first off, I want to celebrate the teachers and leadership team for putting in the work to make this type of progress possible. But I also want to talk about what we can learn from this. Because what we find is that every school wants better results, obviously. But actually achieving those better results comes from what happens in classrooms, in those planning sessions, in the conversations and collaborations between teachers, and in the decisions leaders make about how to support their teams. At Waggoner, the team has been working to implement mastery learning, using The Grid Method to create more opportunities for students to learn at their own pace, receive the support they need when they need it, and take ownership of their learning. I think there are 3 key things to take away from their work and success. 1. PD is just the beginning.Learning a new instructional approach, framework, method, or strategy is one thing. Finding success implementing it is a whole other thing. Waggoner's journey has included initial training, strategic planning with leadership, ongoing coaching and support, and opportunities for teachers to collaborate and refine their approach. Well-planned, well-delivered, and well-received professional develop is great. But the follow through after that PD is what really matters. 2. Student progress should drive instructional decisions.When we know where students are struggling, we can adjust how we respond. When we know they're ready to move forward, we can challenge them and help them grow further. And when we create learning environments that make that progress visible, we give teachers more opportunities to meet students where they are at and give them the support they need when they need it. 3. Teachers need room to grow, too.We talk a lot about providing students with opportunities to learn, make mistakes, receive feedback, and improve. Shouldn't we be doing the same for teachers? Successful implementation rarely looks pretty on day one...or even day 33. Good, effective implementation that leads to long-term impact, takes time. It takes adjustments. It takes patience. We need to create conditions that allow teachers to learn and grow and continue getting better. I think that's why stories like Waggoner's get me so pumped. Because it's not just about the numbers. Don't get me wrong, the numbers are definitely worth celebrating, and they help us track the work and make future decisions. But the real awesomeness is in the work that leads to those numbers. It's a group of educators taking on the challenge of doing something differently. It's school leaders investing in their people. It's a school community committing to being better for students. So a HUGE shoutout to the awesome teachers at Waggoner Road Junior High. And if you or your team want to dig into how you can take what they did and bring it to your classroom, your school, or your district, I'd love to offer you a free, no strings attached, strategic planning session. Just click here to book it. Stay awesome!
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Teach Better Team
Join thousands of educators learning together to increase student success in their classroom, their schools, or their district. Innovated ideas, resources, and support, delivered straight to your inbox every week.
Hey Reader, Can I brag for a minute? Don't worry, I don't want to brag about me, or even about our team. I want to brag about some really amazing educators. One of the coolest parts of my job is that I get to meet and work with so many truly amazing teachers and leaders from all around the country. So when we get the opportunity to celebrate their hard work paying off, I want to do it! Our friends at Erwin Elementary in North Carolina recently received their state report card results, and...
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