Lori Bryant Raper

ALT “As educators, the more we know about who we teach, the more effective we will be with what we teach. Taking time to get to know our students isn’t fluff time, it’s academic time.” —Dr. Justin Tarte

ALT "Most of my work as a math teacher isn’t even math. It’s helping students believe that they can also do math. We don’t talk about that enough." —José Vilson, Teacher

ALT Did You Know? Simple words of greetings and encouragement can dramatically improve classroom dynamics. A 2018 study found that welcoming students at the door increased academic engagement by 20 percentage points and reduced classroom disruptions by 9 percentage points. Likewise, a 2017 study concluded that prosocial activities like morning meetings can reduce disruptions by up to 75 percent. Source: Cook et al., 2018; Cook et al., 2019

ALT "It's tempting to respond to student frustration by decreasing rigor. But instead, maintain the highest expectations and allow students the time and space to reach them. They will respond." —Kareem Farah, Educator

ALT Did You Know?: When 9th grade students wrestled with math problems to find their own solutions before receiving instruction, their comprehension nearly doubled, compared to students learning via direct instruction only. In middle and high school, asking students to struggle with key concepts before teaching the correct solutions is highly effective. But use the tactic surgically to avoid too much frustration. Kapur and Bielaczyc, 2012