Happy Holidays!

As we close out another calendar year and educators across the country settle into a well-deserved holiday break, we’d like to share some highlights of the best blogs, webinars, and podcasts for 2019—in case you’d like to work on your professional development during the time away from your school or district. If so, here are some links to our most popular presentations and blogs for 2019. (However, if baking cookies, napping in front of the fire, or reading a good book is more in line with your plans for the perfect holiday break, you can always save these links for later).

It’s Clear: We All Want to Hear from Dr. Louisa Moats

Looking back on the year, it’s clear our top blog and webinar of 2019 were those by respected literacy expert Dr. Louisa Moats, author of LETRS^® professional development. Dr. Moats, who is known for her research and the proven success of the products she is associated with, drew thousands of viewers and readers to her blog and webinar. You can see what made 2019’s No. 1 blog, “Hard Words: A Webinar to Discuss What Teachers Need to Know About Teaching Reading...and How to Acquire that Knowledge,” so compelling. Take a look! Also, you can watch the webinar of the same name (and presented by Dr. Moats) at your convenience.

Another Popular Author: Dr. Marilyn Sprick

In March, we published a blog by educator Marilyn Sprick, the author of Read Well^®, which resonated with thousands of readers. “The Diagnostic-Prescriptive Reading Teacher and Foundational Reading Skills” examines how children with low achievement in literacy can endure a lifelong struggle, with most earning less than $16,000 annually as adults. In her popular blog and webinar, Sprick outlined how educators can help students who lack foundational reading skills now, to avoid that lifelong struggle. Learn what you can do to address the issue in your school by reading the blog and watching the accompanying webinar, “Building Confidence: Strategies for Transforming Struggling Readers into Competent Readers,” also presented by Dr. Sprick.

Back to School Can Be Stressful

Another top blog, based on the number of folks who opened and read the post, was the one that kicked off our 2019 Fall Blog Series. “Your First Assignment: Back-to-School Readiness” was read by thousands of teachers and administrators, lending credence to what we already knew: it’s always a stressful time when summer comes to a close and a new school year begins. Now’s a good time to take another look at this helpful blog, which gives tips and strategies you can put to good use when January classes begin and the to-do list seems miles long.

Great Webinars Await: Listen on Demand

In addition to the webinars already mentioned by Drs. Moats and Sprick, two other webinars attracted hundreds of viewers and delivered rich and useful content you may want to review. The recordings are available on our EDVIEW 360 page, with a host of others. Don’t miss:

• Dr. Wendy Farone’s “Dyslexia: The Myths and Mysteries” is an eye-opening look at the truths and falsehoods surrounding dyslexia and ways to help every student overcome reading challenges and find the success they deserve.
• For early childhood educators, our “Purposeful Play and Playful Learning” webinar, presented by respected educators Dr. Lucy Hart Paulson and Dr. Pamela Kastner, drew large numbers, as well. As the author of LETRS^® for Early Childhood Educators, Dr. Paulson knows the importance of play for students of this age, and along with Dr. Kastner, the team shared ideas and strategies about how to make play an important learning opportunity.

Our New Podcast Series

In 2019, we launched our EDVIEW 360 podcast series, and we’re pretty proud of how well received the series has been! Hosted by Pam Austin, these discussions feature dialogues with experienced educators, inspiring thought leaders, social media influencers, and leading education innovators. Our first podcast, “American Schools Are Failing Students with Dyslexia: What Can We Do About It?”, was an interview with noted journalist Emily Hanford, who shared how American schools continue to shy away from the word “dyslexia” and teach students with reading approaches not backed by scientific evidence. Take a listen to the inspiring discussion about how we can help these students and what kinds of instruction are the most helpful. Other podcasts included interviews with education expert Andrea Samadi, as well as Dr. Roland Good III, one of the creators of DIBELS^® and a revolutionary in his research about the importance of regular assessment of young students to keep them on the road to success.

Be sure to check out the podcasts we have planned for 2020, including January’s with author John Hattie, who so eloquently said, “Every student deserves a great teacher, not by chance, but by design.” Be sure to tune in on January 21, 2020!

Tell Us What You'd Like to Read—and Watch—in 2020

As we plan our fall 2020 calendar of blogs and webinars, we can assume from data collected during the past few months that literacy teaching and professional development are key topics of interest, and we will continue to share the expertise of the most respected thought leaders when summer comes to a close. However, we’d like to hear from you about topics and issues you’d find useful. Please give us your input here and help us offer even more useful content—at no charge—to help you be the best educator possible. There are a few short questions when you visit this link. It will take less than five minutes to participate. Thank you for watching and reading during the last few months, and for helping us create an even better 2020. Enjoy the holiday break—you deserve it!

And, most importantly, our best wishes to our valued educational partners for a wonderful holiday season with family and friends. May the season bring blessings and peace to all.