A Third-Grade Teacher’s Guide to Supporting Family Involvement in Foundational Reading Skills

This Third Grade Teacher’s Guide provides information for third grade teachers on how to support families as they practice foundational reading skills at home. It serves as a companion to the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) practice guide, Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade. Both guides present four research-based recommendations and how-to steps: the WWC guide is for teaching children at school, and this guide is to help teachers support families in practicing foundational reading skills at home.

REL Report: Michigan Teachers Who Are Not Teaching: Who Are They, and What Would Motivate Them to Teach?

Statewide teacher shortages in Michigan are impeding efforts to ensure all students equitable access to qualified teachers. To alleviate shortages, education leaders have considered recruiting certified teachers who are not currently teaching (both those who have never taught and those who left teaching). This study analyzed teacher certification and employment data and data from a survey of certified teachers who were not teaching in a Michigan public school in 2017/18 to gather information on the viability of this recruitment option. The report describes the characteristics of these nonteaching certified teachers, the three most important reasons why they are not teaching, and the three most important incentives that would motivate them to teach in a public school in the state.

Video: What does the American Rescue Plan mean for you as a leader of educator learning?

Play the video above to see Learning Forward’s Chief Strategy Officer Melinda George and Chief Learning Officer Frederick Brown explain what the rescue plan means for education; how the funds can be used; and how Learning Forward Professional Services can support you to plan, implement, and assess the impact of your recovery and reinvention strategies.

Teacher Training for Quality P-3 STEM Education

Teachers are the most influential of in-school factors that affect student achievement. Thus, if states are looking to improve instruction in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), they can start by developing or enhancing teacher development and support. Currently, 10 states mention science in training and preparation requirements for elementary teachers. This new Policy Brief explores approaches in seven of those states and highlights key program components that other states may learn from.