academic standing Archives

Unintended Consequences

by Laura Maniglia | Feb 26, 2026 | academic standing, active learning, attention & focus, brain development, classroom management, cognitive skills, instruction, learning, memory, PISA, reading, retrieval practice, student engagement, teacher effectiveness, teacher training

Educational technology (EdTech), such as tablets and computers, appears to impair rather than benefit learning. Although EdTech has the capacity to enhance critical thinking skills, it can also negatively affect attention spans and lower retention if misused....

Math Problems

by Laura Maniglia | Jan 12, 2025 | academic standing, cognitive skills, instruction, math, NAEP, PISA, public schools, student engagement, teacher effectiveness

Five years ago (April 2020), when most schools were closed during the height of the pandemic, I posed this question: “Why are US Schools still using the Everyday Math Program?” In the traditional approach to math instruction, the teacher provides instruction and...

Read the Evidence

by Laura Maniglia | Jul 20, 2024 | academic standing, brain development, cognitive skills, instruction, learning, reading, teachers, testing

The human brain is naturally adapted for spoken language. However,”reading and writing are acquired skills for which the human brain is not yet fully evolved.” For nearly 400 years, phonics has been the prevailing method of reading instruction. “However, in the mid...

Recess is Vital!

by Laura Maniglia | Jun 18, 2024 | academic standing, active learning, attention & focus, brain development, cognitive skills, exercise, instruction, kindergarten, learning, parents, public schools, recess, student engagement, students, teachers

A positive correlation exists between physical activity and cognitive development. Government health guidelines recommend sixty minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day. Yet most children do not meet that guideline. “Recess, a regularly...

Teach for America

by Laura Maniglia | Apr 19, 2024 | academic standing, Charter schools, instruction, math, NEA, parents, PTA, student engagement, teacher effectiveness, teacher training, teachers

The Teach for America (TFA) program launched in 1990 “to address a national teacher shortage and dire academic issues for low-income kids that had not improved in a century.” TFA is a competitive program that recruits high performing college graduates to teach...

Dyscalculia?

by Laura Maniglia | Feb 2, 2024 | academic standing, attention & focus, brain development, Child development, cognitive skills, instruction, math, parents, students, teachers

Many people know about dyslexia, the learning disorder that involves reading difficulty. However, less known is another learning disorder related to math: dyscalculia. This learning difficulty involves brain areas that handle math and number-related skills and...

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Unintended Consequences

Math Problems

Read the Evidence

Recess is Vital!

Teach for America

Dyscalculia?

If schools were permitted to have just one training, this is the one!