Posts by Compass PD, LLC
Reading Fiction: 5 Tips to Engage Readers
By Dr. Natalie Fallert As a retired high school Language Arts teacher, I am too familiar with fake reading, skimming, spark notes, or refusing to read. I often attributed this to laziness, but after spending a year following reluctant readers while working on my dissertation, my perspective on the typical teen’s refusal to read the…
Read MoreTeaching Students with Dyslexia 101: A Guide to Language Systems and Support
By Dr. Stephanie Brenner Welcome to Dyslexia Awareness Month! This October, we’re shining a light on dyslexia—a learning difference that’s more common than you might think. If you’re a teacher, most likely you have already worked with several students who have dyslexia. The most common questions I receive are: What exactly is dyslexia? How do…
Read MoreWhy Ongoing Professional Learning Matters: The Pitfalls of One-Day Workshops
By Dr. Carrie Hepburn As the new school year begins, school districts nationwide often kick off professional development with a familiar ritual: the one-day workshop. Teachers gather, listen to presentations, engage in activities, and leave, hoping that this brief encounter will lead to meaningful change in their classrooms. However, the results are often disappointing. The…
Read MoreBreaking Words Apart: Five-Step Strategy for Reading Big Words
By Dr. Stephanie Brenner Do you have sesquipedalophobia? Do your students have sesquipedalophobia? Just now, how did you approach reading the final word in each of the previous sentences? Did you totally skip it, thinking its meaning and importance would be revealed later? Did you start at the beginning and try each part but did…
Read MoreTeach Don’t Assign: Creating Independent Learners
By Dr. Natalie Fallert Teaching is similar to the famous Proverb: Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. It is a simple phrase, to teach, but many educators spend too much time giving students the information or…
Read MoreRefocusing for Results: Simplifying Our Approach Transformed Student Learning
Discover how simplifying your approach to education can lead to improved student outcomes. Learn how focusing on key goals transformed our district’s test scores and teacher confidence, with actionable steps for success.
Read MoreWinning the School Year: Insights from Dr. Niedringhaus
As the new academic year approaches, administrators often navigate a sea of complexities. These challenges, however, can be managed effectively with the right guidance and strategies. This was the focus of our latest podcast episode with the esteemed Dr. Bridgett Niedringhaus. Dr. Niedringhaus is an education expert and has developed a roadmap for administrators to…
Read MoreThe Critical Attributes for Successful Professional Development in Action: Charles City Middle School Case Study
By Carrie Hepburn, Ed.D Extensive research shows that professional learning is crucial for educators, but its implementation in school districts and learning organizations remains challenging. Instead of investing in impactful learning experiences that directly improve teaching and student achievement, many districts rely on one-day workshops at the beginning of the school year. As a result,…
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Mastering the Art of Professional Learning: Unlocking the Five
Critical Attributes for Success
By Carrie Hepburn, Ed.D. Research regarding professional learning is vast, yet school districts and learning organizations struggle to get it right. Typically, school districts kick off the school year with a one-day workshop and cross their fingers, hoping for the best rather than investing in the type of learning that impacts practice and overall student…
Read MoreOur Recent Work
Welcome to January 2022. This time of year is full of hope—the excitement of new beginnings, resolutions, and goals. In our personal lives, we attack these resolutions with a plan. Typically, we have researched multiple sources, triangulated our data (using qualitative data, quantitative data), and developed a solid plan based on the current reality. There…
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