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What to Do When Students Are Not Motivated!

August 3, 2011

Motivation! Ah…if I had the magic pill that would light a fire under students and children, I would certainly bottle it instead of writing these articles in the wee hours of the morning and night. This is a hot topic and the root of several questions I have received since announcing this project a couple…

“The Cue to Reading” Series (Article 9): Strategies for the Three Cueing Systems – Part II

August 29, 2011

As promised last week, I will share effective strategies for the remaining two cueing systems today. However, I’d like to begin with a story about a powerful way to support struggling readers…that I discovered by accident. Several years ago, I had a third-grade student, Emilia (name changed) who had very few reading skills. She could…

The “New Initiative” Bandwagon:
The One Fatal Flaw of Every Education Initiative

May 26, 2025

Why Do You Have to Work So Hard to Make Students Learn? You work harder and harder, but clearly feel a drag. You are tasked with more things to do, document, and correlate every day. Your extended efforts never seem to be enough. Students become more apathetic. Many people are quick to blame technology. But,…

Stress-Free Test-Taking Tips!

October 19, 2015

The following test-taking tips will help you relax, feel “in control,” think more clearly, and ultimately… raise your test grades. Its test day! For many students that means: clammy hands, sweating, the non-stop bouncing leg, brain-fog, “I knew this stuff last night, why can’t I remember it now!” and even full-on P-A-N-I-C! Preparing for a test is essential. But, there…

Motivation & Engagement: How Working with Partners Gets Better Results

August 24, 2015

We’re continuing our series on motivation and engagement.  Today, the focus is on doing “more with less.” We’ve talked about how paired collaboration works in our business.  It can also work great in the classroom! (See our article “Working in Pairs; the Most Powerful Productivity Tool Ever!”) More examples about the power of pairing are…

Educators: “We Are All from Detroit”

March 16, 2014

I was born and raised in Detroit. I’ve long been used to the negative impressions about my hometown when I travel. But last summer, the reaction went visceral. Two weeks after Detroit filed for bankruptcy, I was at a conference on the East Coast. Naturally, I was asked the standard opening question, “Where are you…

How to Solve Our National Motivation Crisis

February 18, 2026

The United States’ Motivation Crisis is so pervasive; we look right through it. A fish is the last one to know he swims in water. Likewise, the solution is so simple, you might miss its full power. How to Solve the Motivation Crisis We simply need to “change the conversation!” We need to stop focusing on deficiencies…

The Challenge of Executive Function:
What’s the Antidote?

September 2, 2024

“Students Greatest Need Is Executive Function!” This year, in the SOAR® Learning Laboratories, we challenged ourselves to discover “What do students in special education need the most?” We interviewed special education educators from across the country, expecting to make a “top ten” list we could narrow down to the “top three things” students need. However, we were stunned when one response came…

Common Core: Why It’s the Worst and BEST Thing to Happen to Education!

June 18, 2017

Very few things stir more controversy than the mention of Common Core.  There are numerous complains, but most seem to center on a few common themes: “Common Core doesn’t make sense.” “The math is killing our kids.” “Common Core doesn’t teach American History, Civics, or Government; our children will not have an understanding or appreciation…

Detroit: A Vision for the Worst-Performing School System in the World

May 29, 2017

Today is the beginning of the largest policy conference in the country, the Mackinac Policy Conference (MPC). Right now, Brian and I are on our way up to Michigan’s magnificent Mackinac Island to participate. The MPC gets it’s name from the conference location, but the focus is primarily on the city of Detroit. The #1 topic…

Six Steps
Conquer the Chaos


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