PISA Archives - Laura Maniglia

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...

Covid Fallout Continues

by Laura Maniglia | Dec 5, 2024 | instruction, learning, math, NAEP, parents, PISA, public schools, SAT, student engagement, students, teacher effectiveness

The remote learning that occurred during the pandemic continues to have significant negative impacts on education. According to the NIH, “Overall, academic performance was negatively affected with lower scores in standardized tests in the main domains compared to...

PISA Update

by Laura Maniglia | Aug 9, 2023 | academic standing, active learning, instruction, intrinsic motivation, learning, PISA, public schools, reading, testing

Since 2000, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) administers the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) to test 15-year-old students’ reading, mathematics, and science literacy. The major domain of study rotates...

Dumbing Down?

by Laura Maniglia | Apr 1, 2023 | academic standing, attention & focus, brain development, Child development, cognitive skills, homeschooling, homework, instruction, intelligence, language, learning, math, NAEP, parents, PISA, public schools, reading, students, teacher effectiveness, teacher training, teachers, testing

A previous blog presented the theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence: “Fluid intelligence involves the ability to reason and think flexibly, whereas crystallized intelligence refers to the accumulation of knowledge, facts, and skills that are acquired...

Teaching English as a Second Language

by Laura Maniglia | Sep 27, 2022 | academic standing, Child development, instruction, language, learning, NAEP, PISA, public schools, student engagement

Since the inception of the Bilingual Education Act (BEA)) in 1968, the Federal government has provided grants to states for English language instruction for immigrant students. Methodology for teaching children with “limited English proficiency” (LEP) may...

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Unintended Consequences

Math Problems

Covid Fallout Continues

PISA Update

Dumbing Down?

Teaching English as a Second Language

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