Librarians do more than read with elementary kids, check out books to middle schoolers, or gather books for reshelving in high schools. The modern school librarian is an advocate for joyful reading and a provider of meaningful learning opportunities, writes Jennifer Sniadecki.
Two books from Jason McIntosh – one centering on PBL quests and the other on paleontology investigations – offer advanced students learning challenges not often found in middle grades books, writes Kim Rensch. The books include lesson plans – and a short novel by McIntosh!
For our students to be well educated, activist citizens who lead fulfilling lives, they need schools where fostering a culture of belonging becomes the character of the school, writes Regie Routman. It’s a place where every student feels safe, cared for, seen, heard and empowered.
Administrators and gifted and talented coordinators can include Creating Equity and Access for Gifted Learners with its introduction of the ExCEL Model as one part of a larger body of resources to support the implementation of problem-based learning, writes Kim Rensch.
Project-based learning’s mischievous sibling, problem-based learning, is once again gaining traction in the educational sphere. Kim Rensch, a district gifted services leader, likes that Todd Stanley’s book goes deep into assessment after a thorough look at inquiry learning.
New Teacher Tips / Stealth Learning
by Curtis Chandler · Published 02/23/2025 · Last modified 07/19/2025
Stealth learning and assessment blur the boundaries between learning, assessment, and fun. Teacher educator Curtis Chandler shows how simulations and practical projects help students across subjects gain knowledge while enjoying the process. Included: some lesson design tips.
Travel abroad is a chance for students to step out of their comfort zones, build connections, and develop a global perspective – to engage authentically with people and places beyond their cultural affiliations or national borders, writes middle school head Michael McLaughlin.
Tamra Stambaugh and Paula Olszewski-Kubilius provide a guidebook to move forward with gifted programs that meet the needs of students living in poverty. “This will be a resource that shapes our gifted education program a long time into the future,” writes district coordinator Kim Rensch.
Coaching in Gifted Education by Emily Mofield and Vicki Phelps is a rich resource for educators looking for ways to meet the needs of exceptional learners. The authors are the partners GT coaches need to be the partners that classroom teachers need, writes NBCT Kim Rensch.
All students can learn how to pick up the pieces after they face adversity, disappointment, loss, or trauma and go on. They need our guidance to find healthy ways to move forward. Debbie Silver offers six strategies educators can use to create classrooms that foster resiliency.
