Blog Posts

A must-read blog by Barbara Crook, an ELA editor at Victory Productions, that clearly articulates the flaws in balanced literacy. An uneasy peace has settled over the land regarding phonics instruction and its critical contribution to reading competency. Since the heyday of whole language, phonics has returned to classrooms as part of a “balanced literacy” […]

By Dean Ballard, Director of Mathematics, CORE Remote instruction has moved to the top of almost everyone’s list of concerns. We are asking ourselves how to do it, will students be there, what will actually be learned, and what will this mean when we return to face-to-face instruction? I cannot tackle all of this in […]

by Linda Diamond, founder & former president, CORE and author of Teaching Reading Sourcebook and Assessing Reading: Multiple Measures I just finished listening to Emily Hanford’s last podcast on APM, What the Words Say. My husband wanted to know why I was crying.  I answered, “because I am so angry and so frustrated.” We have known for […]

Under the Colorado Reading to Ensure Academic Development Act (READ Act), passed by the Colorado legislature in 2012, all kindergarten through 3rd grade teachers must complete evidence-based training in teaching reading by the 2021-22 school year. The Colorado Department of Education recently approved CORE’s in-person and Online Elementary Reading Academies along with the Language Conventions […]

California once again has pending legislation (SB 614 (S. Rubio)) that would eliminate knowledge of evidence-based reading as a basic teaching requirement. Reading outcomes for all students will suffer by not having qualified teachers trained in teaching students how to read based on the science of reading. Students in less-resourced schools, African-American students, students of […]

By Ann Leon, M. A., Educational Services Consultant, and Linda Diamond, President, CORE Because the current coronavirus pandemic has necessitated increased use of remote learning, thinking about the needs of our young students with dyslexia and other word-reading difficulties is of vital importance. How can we best teach these students in order to mitigate learning […]

During the 2018–19 school year CORE provided professional development and technical assistance to elementary teachers and administrators in Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) implementing, in addition to their broader English Language Arts instruction, the Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Sight words (SIPPS) reading foundational skills program. SEG Measurement, a third-party research firm, […]

by Linda Diamond, founder and former president, CORE and author of Teaching Reading Sourcebook and Assessing Reading: Multiple Measures I discovered Jasmine Lane while listening to an Amplify podcast interview. After listening to her speak about equity and education and the power of literacy, I started reading her blogs and her pieces on Project Forever Free. Ms. […]

In 2015, Oregon passed legislation that requires that at least one teacher in each K–5 school complete dyslexia-related training. The legislation requires that the training must (a) comply with the knowledge and practice standards of an international organization on dyslexia; (b) enable the teacher to understand and recognize dyslexia; and (c) enable the teacher to […]

By Nancy McGivney, Senior Educational Services Specialist, CORE In one of my favorite movies, The Gods Must Be Crazy, there were two side characters who drove the jeep in their guerrilla warfare army. Whenever there was a stop in the movement forward, they’d pull out a deck of cards and get back into whatever game they […]

As we all continue to navigate COVID-19 school closures, we are aware that many of you are faced with an increased challenge to provide equitable access to learning for all of your students. We wanted to share a few free resources we’ve curated from our trusted partners that can support your own professional learning around […]

An important Conversation from the Center for the Collaborative Classroom with Zaretta Hammond on Instructional Equity. Reprinted with permission. Collaborative Classroom is dedicated to transforming the school experience, developing students, and empowering educators by deepening their teaching practices. Zaretta Hammond is one of Collaborative Classroom’s best thought partners in this work, consistently pushing their thinking […]

The National Council on Teacher Quality will be releasing a detailed guide that outlines the four actions states must take in order to support reading success for all students. The guide also includes a list of 13 essential aspects of reading every elementary teacher should know about reading instruction. You can get a sneak peek […]

by Linda Diamond, founder and former president, CORE and author of Teaching Reading Sourcebook and Assessing Reading: Multiple Measures I write to you, colleagues in education, with a deep sense of sadness and unease as I continue to watch the events that are unfolding in our communities and in our nation. At no time that I can […]

CORE, Pivot learning, and Center for the Collaborative Classroom have been examining our own practices with a critical eye, looking for ways to better equip educators with the tools and support they need to connect with a diverse student population that has been adversely affected by school closures. When we look ahead, we understand school […]