[Reading-hall-of-fame] Fwd: Scientific Findings and Classroom Practice

Mon Aug 4 01:41:05 BST 2025

Every Natalie Wexler article illustrates her deep and abiding lack of
knowledge re: literacy, research, curriculum and instruction. Great that
she cites Emily Hanford tho…

On Sun, Aug 3, 2025 at 5:34 PM P David Pearson <ppearson at berkeley.edu>
wrote:

> So now we do basic research on how the mind works and draw deep inferences
> about practice from that work, ignoring (or more to the point, not
> investing in) any empirical work about curricular or pedagogical matters?
> Just the model we need for evidence-free society.  Oh, and while we are at
> it, let's do the same for medicine, pharmacology, public health,
> agriculture, economics, engineering, climate, and meteorology.
>
> Vexedly,
> David
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ---------
> From: Natalie Wexler from Minding the Gap <nataliewexler at substack.com>
> Date: Sun, Aug 3, 2025 at 4:35 PM
> Subject: Scientific Findings and Classroom Practice
> To: <ppearson at berkeley.edu>
>
>
> How much difference will it make if federal support for education research
> disappears?
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> ͏     ͏     ͏     ͏     ͏     ͏     ͏     ͏     
> Forwarded this email? Subscribe here
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> for more
>
> Education, cognitive science, and fairness.
> ------------------------------
> Scientific Findings and Classroom Practice
> <https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=443300&post_id=170040055&utm_source=post-email-title&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=a4iy5&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxNzAwNzM0MSwicG9zdF9pZCI6MTcwMDQwMDU1LCJpYXQiOjE3NTQyNjQxMjMsImV4cCI6MTc1Njg1NjEyMywiaXNzIjoicHViLTQ0MzMwMCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.52Oet2O18oPdkSlc1JWTsO75UD_WPhSV1T1qqtA0_Jo>How
> much difference will it make if federal support for education research
> disappears?
>
> Natalie Wexler <https://substack.com/@natwexler>
> Aug 3
> <https://substack.com/@natwexler>
>
>
> <https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=443300&post_id=170040055&utm_source=substack&isFreemail=true&submitLike=true&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxNzAwNzM0MSwicG9zdF9pZCI6MTcwMDQwMDU1LCJyZWFjdGlvbiI6IuKdpCIsImlhdCI6MTc1NDI2NDEyMywiZXhwIjoxNzU2ODU2MTIzLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItNDQzMzAwIiwic3ViIjoicmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.6bVEMJqgbU07mPslUsPHgsMqeptkgv1p2JRXqu6p5KE&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-reaction&r=a4iy5>
>
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>
> <https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=443300&post_id=170040055&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&action=share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=a4iy5&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxNzAwNzM0MSwicG9zdF9pZCI6MTcwMDQwMDU1LCJpYXQiOjE3NTQyNjQxMjMsImV4cCI6MTc1Njg1NjEyMywiaXNzIjoicHViLTQ0MzMwMCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.52Oet2O18oPdkSlc1JWTsO75UD_WPhSV1T1qqtA0_Jo>
>
> <https://substack.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.J7dQZiplQU6olCzWD6a3xffE2f8_nwYruvlbCDpQ5f4?&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email>
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> <https://substack.com/redirect/12bd3d46-9063-42f5-9bf7-00fe42eed4b9?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> ------------------------------
>
> Recent drastic cuts to the US Department of Education are worrying for a
> number of reasons. While federal funding makes up only about 10 percent of
> what K-12 schools spend, it’s almost entirely directed at students who are
> the most vulnerable—those from low-income families, for example, and those
> diagnosed with learning difficulties. The government did just release
> <https://substack.com/redirect/9f158afa-ede5-4404-a1ad-0d4a00eb7d30?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> nearly $7 billion in funding it had previously frozen, but the future
> remains uncertain.
>
> The DOE’s education research arm has also been the target of drastic cuts,
> and many consultants have had their contracts terminated. “It just feels
> like we’re going back into the dark ages,” one told The 74
> <https://substack.com/redirect/9d2ceb19-c203-494d-be6f-86da42a97ed6?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> .
>
> How concerned should we be? Some of that research is undoubtedly
> worthwhile, including the data that enables officials to choose
> representative samples of students for the reading and math tests the
> department is required to give every two years. But some may be useless—or
> even misleading
> <https://substack.com/redirect/d496c448-a1b7-42f2-8042-65900209dbd3?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>.
> The fact that one kind of intervention has been studied more than another
> might not mean it’s better; it might just mean it’s easier to study
> <https://substack.com/redirect/0245f605-1a65-4a97-b797-ff7f9ab70d47?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>.
> Research has been good at tracking students’ lack of progress. It hasn’t
> been so good at enabling us to do something about that.
>
> Even when research is illuminating, it often has little impact on what
> happens in classrooms. For decades, the DOE’s Institute of Education
> Sciences has operated the What Works Clearinghouse
> <https://substack.com/redirect/42829a0b-4448-4da5-8c67-00fdad9421b6?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>,
> or WWC, intended to help connect educators to education research. It
> publishes “Practice Guides” that synthesize research and distill it into
> recommendations. That sounds useful, but a lot of the research doesn’t show
> significant benefits. In addition, some conclusions in the Practice Guides have
> been criticized
> <https://substack.com/redirect/e5b6168a-8335-44cf-8258-470bc8ba08b2?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> as misleading, erroneous, or politically motivated
> <https://substack.com/redirect/a9a0ade9-b122-4f9f-86c1-e963cb2a35b5?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> .
>
> In any event, the guides can be dense, and a lot of the recommendations
> are too vague
> <https://substack.com/redirect/e516874c-491e-45f5-8d13-962883168aad?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> to be useful for practicing teachers. A guide
> <https://substack.com/redirect/9ca89098-4151-4369-9862-6781965893d3?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> to teaching secondary students to write, for example, recommends that
> students be advised to “use different kinds of sentences” but doesn’t
> provide much information on how to *teach *them to do that. Commentators
> and academics may cite the guides as a gold standard, but it’s far from
> clear teachers read them.
> Subscribed
> <https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9uYXRhbGlld2V4bGVyLnN1YnN0YWNrLmNvbS9hY2NvdW50IiwicCI6MTcwMDQwMDU1LCJzIjo0NDMzMDAsImYiOnRydWUsInUiOjE3MDA3MzQxLCJpYXQiOjE3NTQyNjQxMjMsImV4cCI6MjA2OTg0MDEyMywiaXNzIjoicHViLTAiLCJzdWIiOiJsaW5rLXJlZGlyZWN0In0.4N6zN1k54tRCnjr7jE8CIMdoy9HCD-8CABtOWoe5Xzk?>
>
> Some have predicted
> <https://substack.com/redirect/9d2ceb19-c203-494d-be6f-86da42a97ed6?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> that reduced support for the WWC will “leave district leaders unequipped to
> navigate the billion-dollar world of school-based products and services.”
> But even *with *the WWC, district leaders haven’t been well equipped for
> that challenge.
>
> Studies usually look at specific “interventions” in isolation set up
> against some unspecified approach labeled “business as usual.” It would be
> far more useful to compare the specific curricula or programs that district
> leaders are trying to evaluate. Instead, that task has been left to
> organizations like EdReports, whose evaluations are uneven
> <https://substack.com/redirect/90c60a3c-020b-4dbd-87fa-743410f70c05?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> and don’t even consider evidence of how well the curricula work.
>
> I understand the theory behind the typical approach to research. Programs
> combine a bunch of different practices, making it hard to determine which
> ones are actually causing whatever effects are observed. But in real life,
> teachers don’t just do one thing at a time. And the people who are choosing
> curricula need to know how different options stack up against each other.
>
> Because it can take years
> <https://substack.com/redirect/6e2bbc5e-1dfd-4902-bb9a-107a39df72e9?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> to see the results of a curriculum, these comparative studies should
> ideally last for three years or more. That, however, would be enormously
> expensive, and the federal government is unlikely to be pouring money into
> such studies anytime soon.
> Promoting Evidence from Cognitive Science
>
> Rather than funding new research, a slimmed-down federal education
> research agency could devote more time just to publicizing the significant
> body of *existing* research in cognitive science that few teachers ever
> hear about.
>
> That would include findings like the importance of building knowledge
> <https://substack.com/redirect/1c50d110-82a9-43d4-a7fc-1564f5ec8dca?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> for reading comprehension and learning in general; the value of having
> students retrieve information
> <https://substack.com/redirect/63db178a-d336-490d-b0d5-d1ac9eee0a4c?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> stored in long-term memory that has been slightly forgotten; the usefulness
> of deliberate practice
> <https://substack.com/redirect/ab09cc9a-f692-4f4a-beee-c3f7b7af5967?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>in
> mastering complex skills; and the value of explicit, interactive
> instruction
> <https://substack.com/redirect/df455fc0-a843-47e0-9c98-c4eac5ab8c20?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> over inquiry or discovery approaches when students are new to a topic. Most
> teachers not only never learn about these principles, they’re often
> inculcated with beliefs that contradict them.
>
> But the WWC has issued only one Practice Guide
> <https://substack.com/redirect/d38806d2-c33b-4c10-a17c-f13698d30c9c?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> that focused on these findings, back in 2007. And it limited the relevance
> of its recommendations to “subjects that demand a great deal of content
> learning, including social studies, science, and mathematics”—as though the
> findings have nothing to do with reading comprehension, when in fact, they
> do. In any event, like the other Practice Guides, this one has had little
> or no discernible effect on teacher practice or on the content of
> teacher-prep programs.
>
> Thanks for reading Minding the Gap! This post is public so feel free to
> share it.
>
> Share
> <https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=443300&post_id=170040055&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&action=share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=a4iy5&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxNzAwNzM0MSwicG9zdF9pZCI6MTcwMDQwMDU1LCJpYXQiOjE3NTQyNjQxMjMsImV4cCI6MTc1Njg1NjEyMywiaXNzIjoicHViLTQ0MzMwMCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.52Oet2O18oPdkSlc1JWTsO75UD_WPhSV1T1qqtA0_Jo>
>
> Knowledge of cognitive science has spread more widely in some other
> countries, in part because of government support—specifically in England,
> Australia, and New Zealand
> <https://substack.com/redirect/fb6f2a4d-e7ce-4ef6-8f68-f12f0a2bbd39?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>,
> all of which share with the US a history of education orthodoxy that
> conflicts with many scientific findings. Some of the support has come from
> independent but government-funded organizations like AERO
> <https://substack.com/redirect/dc97657f-c4c0-4c56-8ff3-3a082eb2c827?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> in Australia and the Education Endowment Fund
> <https://substack.com/redirect/a1ff4322-1ed1-4202-bd6c-f1e5daeb506e?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> in England.
>
> A recent story
> <https://substack.com/redirect/d55a4519-5262-406b-8106-d61c0b2cfeff?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> by Greg Toppo in The 74 described the enthusiasm for cognitive science
> among educators in England, noting that some American authors and speakers
> who focus on the topic are in far more demand there than in the US. (That
> hasn’t been my experience, although I’m not sure why. I have a busy
> speaking schedule in the US, and I’m about to head to New Zealand to speak
> at a conference—followed, a couple months later, by a packed three-week
> speaking tour of Australia. But I have yet to be asked to speak in England.)
> The Risks of Government Support
>
> In the US, where local control of education is deeply ingrained, it could
> be tricky for the federal government to embark on the kind of support for
> cognitive science that governments in other countries have provided. The
> federal government can only influence education indirectly, by dangling or
> withholding funds, and when they’ve done that in the past it’s sometimes
> resulted in unintended consequences. The federal No Child Left Behind
> legislation, for example, along with the federally supported Common Core
> standards, led to high-stakes reading tests that exacerbated an emphasis on
> supposed reading comprehension skills as opposed to building content
> knowledge—a practice that actually does leave many children behind
> <https://substack.com/redirect/6d87ffb9-dbd1-4ed0-a4ac-39d73db5f015?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> .
>
> In any event, I’m not sure it’s a good idea for any presidential
> administration, and especially a conservative one, to throw its weight
> behind cognitive science. In an ideal world, endorsing a body of solid
> evidence relating to education wouldn’t be seen as political, but we don’t
> live in that world. Education issues have almost always been politicized,
> and that’s particularly true in the current polarized environment. To some
> educators, just advocating for knowledge-building marks you as a
> Republican
> <https://substack.com/redirect/a1f4f2d1-a92d-4a26-9ac2-c92e7e969d33?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>,
> never mind your politics.
>
> Thanks for reading Minding the Gap! Subscribe for free to receive new
> posts.
> Subscribed
> <https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9uYXRhbGlld2V4bGVyLnN1YnN0YWNrLmNvbS9hY2NvdW50IiwicCI6MTcwMDQwMDU1LCJzIjo0NDMzMDAsImYiOnRydWUsInUiOjE3MDA3MzQxLCJpYXQiOjE3NTQyNjQxMjMsImV4cCI6MjA2OTg0MDEyMywiaXNzIjoicHViLTAiLCJzdWIiOiJsaW5rLXJlZGlyZWN0In0.4N6zN1k54tRCnjr7jE8CIMdoy9HCD-8CABtOWoe5Xzk?>
>
> If Education Secretary Linda McMahon were to come out tomorrow in favor
> of, say, retrieval practice, I imagine that many American teachers—a group
> that skews to the left of the general public—would only see it as
> confirmation of their suspicions that teaching approaches designed to
> enable students to retain information are inherently right-wing. Even
> systematic instruction in phonics has long been identified with the right.
>
> Politicization has already happened in other countries. There’s been
> politically tinged pushback
> <https://substack.com/redirect/c9ff7ec5-45ee-43c3-a6f9-8d22cf9bf04d?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> to government efforts to promote science-informed teaching in Australia and
> in England, where those initiatives were enthusiastically undertaken by the
> Conservative government. Now that Labour is back in power, it remains to be
> seen how long the changes will last.
> How to Get the Message to Teachers
>
> If the federal government shouldn’t get involved, what’s the best way to
> acquaint millions of American teachers with instructional practices that
> have solid evidence behind them?
>
> One possibility is for state governments to take the lead. I’m not aware
> of any that have promoted cognitive science per se, but by now most have
> championed the kind of phonics instruction that’s supported by evidence
> from that field. State officials would just need to expand their focus from
> early reading instruction to learning in general.
>
> But that’s a big “just.” Many teachers are already feeling overwhelmed by
> the “science of reading,” trying to absorb a bunch of complex concepts that
> contradict their training and then figure out how to implement them in the
> classroom. Telling them they now need to do the same thing with the
> “science of learning” may not go over well. Besides, as Jim Hewitt and
> Nichi Sachdeva have observed on their Substack, The Science of Learning
> <https://substack.com/redirect/2b0b9d11-1fca-4783-8f49-032c76a1b4ec?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>,
> education “functions more as a belief-based profession than a science-based
> one.”
>
> What could work is this:
>
> *First, accessible, engaging introductions to the basics of cognitive
> science from a reliable source.* Teachers don’t need a graduate-level
> course, but they do need to have some sense of why what they’re doing
> conflicts with the evidence. That’s what Emily Hanford’s Sold a Story
> podcast
> <https://substack.com/redirect/4bc49378-a0f8-45bd-8bb6-50531c3c2a38?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> provided for phonics instruction. It would be great to have on-ramps like
> that for cognitive science as well. And now for a shameless plug: The
> recently released podcast series that I co-hosted with Dylan Wiliam and
> Doug Lemov—season three of the Knowledge Matters Podcast, “Literacy and
> the Science of Learning
> <https://substack.com/redirect/1905fd54-2149-4829-aabe-12e4ffaf6763?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>”—might
> be a good place to start.
>
> *Second, curriculum materials that are grounded in scientific evidence*,
> so teachers don’t have to figure out how to translate evidence into
> classroom practice themselves. Instead, they can devote their limited time
> and energy to figuring out how best to deliver an evidence-based curriculum
> to their students.
>
> That, of course, would require curricula to be developed by people who
> have a pretty deep understanding of cognitive science. I’m not a curriculum
> expert, but I know of a few curricula out there that seem to align well
> with the evidence, including Doug Lemov’s middle-grades ELA curriculum, Reading
> Reconsidered
> <https://substack.com/redirect/c208ac88-78df-4dd5-b598-ebb768dbc409?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>.
> On the social studies side, the guys behind the Four Question Method
> <https://substack.com/redirect/b0f3701d-7e6d-4273-8d39-9ac4b04e526f?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> are working on an excellent and science-informed eighth grade U.S.
> history curriculum
> <https://substack.com/redirect/31eaf028-a2b6-4f80-ac91-3b573a969e20?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> .
>
> Share
> <https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=443300&post_id=170040055&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&action=share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=a4iy5&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxNzAwNzM0MSwicG9zdF9pZCI6MTcwMDQwMDU1LCJpYXQiOjE3NTQyNjQxMjMsImV4cCI6MTc1Njg1NjEyMywiaXNzIjoicHViLTQ0MzMwMCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.52Oet2O18oPdkSlc1JWTsO75UD_WPhSV1T1qqtA0_Jo>
>
> At the very least, a curriculum should have rich content rather than a
> focus on abstract comprehension or critical thinking skills*. *All 10 of
> the ELA curricula listed on the website of the Knowledge Matters Campaign
> <https://substack.com/redirect/8efd7bfc-e0a2-401f-b094-d449e918e452?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> meet that criterion. (I serve on the board of the nonprofit that is the
> Campaign’s parent organization.) Instructional principles grounded in
> cognitive science implicitly assume that you’re teaching either a
> transferable skill (in which case you can use deliberate practice) or
> substantive content like history or science (in which case you can use
> approaches like retrieval practice and elaboration). They don’t work as
> applied to essentially non-transferable skills like “making inferences.”
>
> Last, I suspect that *a focus on writing instruction—embedded in a
> content-rich curriculum*—is the most effective way to enable teachers to
> align their pedagogy with cognitive science, across subject areas. Teachers
> in the US may not be clamoring to learn cognitive science, but they are
> desperate for a way to help their students become better writers.
>
> For my book *Beyond the Science of Reading* and for the last episode
> <https://substack.com/redirect/9fdf1255-c7bc-4b92-a727-b8997ccbd4e6?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> of the recent podcast series I co-hosted, I focused on a high-poverty
> district in Louisiana called Monroe City. Like most teachers, those in
> Monroe weren’t familiar with concepts like deliberate practice, retrieval
> practice, and elaboration
> <https://substack.com/redirect/96f12953-a3ea-4501-9359-bfbde44b5952?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>.
> They just wanted to enable their students to express themselves coherently
> in writing.
>
> But they discovered that when taught in a manageable way and embedded in
> curriculum content, writing can provide all the benefits
> <https://substack.com/redirect/0d4ab4c4-51a4-4095-8ab1-c4bd727cb4f0?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> of science-informed instruction while also familiarizing students with the
> complex syntax of written language, boosting their reading comprehension.
> That’s likely why, as one teacher told me, “We realized that teaching
> students to write clearly was actually teaching them to *think *clearly.”
>
> Seeing that happen has led some teachers in Monroe to investigate
> cognitive science for an explanation. But they didn’t *need* to know
> about the science in order for their students to benefit from it. (The
> freely available ELA curriculum used in Monroe, Louisiana Guidebooks
> <https://substack.com/redirect/92eeae6c-fc8c-411b-b65c-133c4ab04001?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>,
> pairs rich content with writing activities created by some of the Monroe
> teachers, based on The Writing Revolution method
> <https://substack.com/redirect/3e7eb00d-fdc1-464f-b175-6f84851e4b3c?j=eyJ1IjoiYTRpeTUifQ.7bTNKkfpB20NSxy3EM167yHq0cZEXWJ_gpscuL1vOD4>
> .)
>
> If we want a fairer and more effective education system in the US, we
> might not want to lead with calls for the “science of learning”—especially
> if they come from the federal government. It’s likely to work better for
> some educators to say to others: *Hey, need help teaching your kids to
> write? I found something that works*. And then see where that leads.
>
> Like
> <https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=443300&post_id=170040055&utm_source=substack&isFreemail=true&submitLike=true&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxNzAwNzM0MSwicG9zdF9pZCI6MTcwMDQwMDU1LCJyZWFjdGlvbiI6IuKdpCIsImlhdCI6MTc1NDI2NDEyMywiZXhwIjoxNzU2ODU2MTIzLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItNDQzMzAwIiwic3ViIjoicmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.6bVEMJqgbU07mPslUsPHgsMqeptkgv1p2JRXqu6p5KE&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-reaction&r=a4iy5>
> Comment
> <https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=443300&post_id=170040055&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&isFreemail=true&comments=true&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxNzAwNzM0MSwicG9zdF9pZCI6MTcwMDQwMDU1LCJpYXQiOjE3NTQyNjQxMjMsImV4cCI6MTc1Njg1NjEyMywiaXNzIjoicHViLTQ0MzMwMCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.52Oet2O18oPdkSlc1JWTsO75UD_WPhSV1T1qqtA0_Jo&r=a4iy5&utm_campaign=email-half-magic-comments&action=post-comment&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email>
> Restack
> <https://substack.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.J7dQZiplQU6olCzWD6a3xffE2f8_nwYruvlbCDpQ5f4?&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email>
>
>
> © 2025 Natalie Wexler
> 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104
> Unsubscribe
> <https://substack.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.DJDwhwmFWwqmayKuwctaUD0BS6KD3uoLJsPz7qQ_yDA?>
>
> [image: Start writing]
> <https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vc2lnbnVwP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9c3Vic3RhY2smdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY29udGVudD1mb290ZXImdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPWF1dG9maWxsZWQtZm9vdGVyJmZyZWVTaWdudXBFbWFpbD1wcGVhcnNvbkBiZXJrZWxleS5lZHUmcj1hNGl5NSIsInAiOjE3MDA0MDA1NSwicyI6NDQzMzAwLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1IjoxNzAwNzM0MSwiaWF0IjoxNzU0MjY0MTIzLCJleHAiOjIwNjk4NDAxMjMsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0wIiwic3ViIjoibGluay1yZWRpcmVjdCJ9.99nVDIW6502ZGg3ODz7cLVdJcH0boP_3Quul_OxJKcY?>
>
>
> --
>
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
> *Were Irving Berlin alive today, he might have *
>
> *written a different anthem, maybe along these lines...*.
>
> *Let's Save America,*
>
> *May she be just.*
>
> *Stand beside her and guide her*
>
> *Through the dark, be a spark we can trust.*
>
> *Words of welcome, acts of kindness, *
>
> *Signs of reason we shall learn.*
>
> *Let's Save America, she will return.*
>
> *Let's Save America, she will return*.
>
> pdp
>
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> P. David Pearson
> Evelyn Lois Corey *Emeritus* Professor of Instructional Science
> Graduate School of Education
> University of California, Berkeley
> email:  ppearson at berkeley.edu
> other e-mail:  pdavidpearsondean at gmail.com
> website for publications:  www.pdavidpearson.org
> PDP's YouTube Channel
> <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxzlpPFD04yyV5_kzRZ1ofw>:
> *******************
> *HOME ADDRESS*
> 110 41st Street, Apt 401
> Oakland CA 94611-5237
> iPhone:  510 543 6508
> ****************************************
>
> _______________________________________________
> Reading-hall-of-fame mailing list
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>
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