The Science of Reading has become a central part of how we think about teaching children to read. But knowing what a child needs to learn is not necessarily the same as understanding how that learning actually happens. In this episode of Education Talk Radio, David Cicero talks with Dr. Carolyn Brown about the intersection of the Science of Reading and the Science of Learning. They explore what happens between decoding a word and becoming a fluent, proficient reader—and why accuracy alone may not be enough.

The Tech Budget - Planning Today for a Smooth Tomorrow Is your school's technology budget a thoughtful plan or just a way to pay for things when they break? In this episode, Thomas and Becky Wong explore how Catholic school leaders can take a proactive approach to  technology spending that saves money,  reduces classroom disruptions,  and makes the most of limited resources.  They break down the essential components of a technology budget, including student and teacher devices, replacement cycles, software subscriptions, network infrastructure, technical support, and professional development. Along the way, they share practical strategies for stretching technology dollars, avoiding unnecessary purchases, and creating predictable costs instead of surprise expenses.  Whether your school has a dedicated technology budget or is just getting started, this conversation will help you build a sustainable plan that keeps technology running smoothly so teachers can focus on teaching and students can focus on learning. If you need help with working on your budget, please schedule a time to talk with us today. https://techteam.fun/Build-IT-Better-Together To receive a copy of the Catholic School Excellence Toolkit - A Reflective Workbook for Visionary Catholic School Leaders,  click here. It is the companion to the podcast: In Search of Catholic School Excellence. Becky Wong has been a teacher, admin, tech coordinator and innovator in Catholic Schools for over 25 years.  She not only assists schools as part of the Tech Team but has been instrumental in guiding the Archdiocese of San Francisco as it navigates the edtech decisions and ever-changing landscape of classroom technology.  The In Search of Catholic School Excellence Podcast is brought to you by I Love My Tech Team.  When technology doesn’t work, Catholic school leaders lose time, trust, and momentum. We partner with schools to restore reliable systems, empower teachers, and create the foundation for innovative learning centered on students. Lead Your School Into What’s Possible with I Love My Tech Team. Restoring What’s Broken. Advancing What’s Possible. Find out more at https://ilovemytechteam.com

Lindsey and Tasha talk with Lainie Rowell, bestselling author, award-winning educator, and gratitude researcher and practitioner, about moving gratitude beyond a surface-level practice and making it part of how we lead, teach, and live. The conversation explores the science behind gratitude, how leaders can create cultures where people feel genuinely seen, and why gratitude is not about ignoring what is hard but refusing to overlook what is good. Lainie Rowell is a bestselling author, award-winning educator, and TEDx speaker whose work has reached audiences across 41 states and dozens of countries on four continents. Her clients include Apple and Google, and she works with school systems worldwide. She is the author of Evolving with Gratitude, a lead author of Evolving Learner, and the creator of Bold Gratitude: The Journal Designed for You and by You, a flexible resource that helps people develop a gratitude practice that feels personal rather than prescribed. In this episode, we discuss: How Lainie’s relationship with gratitude changed during the early days of the COVID-19 shutdown and the unexpected moment that caused her to look at gratitude differently Why gratitude is not about overlooking what is hard, but intentionally refusing to overlook what is good The brain’s natural negativity bias and why intentionally noticing what is going well matters How school leaders can use specific, authentic praise to strengthen relationships and create healthier learning environments The praise-to-correction ratio and why leaders should pay attention to how often people hear what they are doing well compared with what they need to fix Lainie’s “notice, think, feel, and do” framework for developing a deeper gratitude practice Counterfactual thinking, or “mental subtraction,” and how imagining life without an important person can deepen our appreciation for the relationships we already have Why gratitude practices do not have to be elaborate — and why a thoughtful text message can sometimes be more meaningful than waiting to write the perfect thank-you note How gratitude can support emotional regulation, stress reduction, well-being, relationships, sleep, and even physical health Why gratitude should be invitational rather than mandated, particularly when leaders bring gratitude practices into schools and organizations What educators can do when they are burned out and feel like they have nothing left to give Temptation bundling — pairing something you want to do with something you want to make a habit — and how leaders can remove barriers that make positive habits harder to sustain How school leaders can build reflection and gratitude into existing routines such as staff meetings instead of creating another large initiative Why leaders should celebrate what is going well both internally with their teams and publicly with their communities How to make a thank-you more meaningful by acknowledging the intention, cost, and value behind someone’s actions The difference between simply feeling grateful and developing gratitude as a disposition that shapes how we approach happiness, relationships, and performance Learn more about Lainie Rowell and access her free resources: LainieRowell.com Find Bold Gratitude: The Journal Designed for You and by You and Evolving with Gratitude wherever books are sold online. About today’s guest Lainie Rowell is a bestselling author, award-winning educator, and TEDx speaker whose work centers on learning, leadership, well-being, and the science and practice of gratitude. She has presented in 41 states, and her work has reached audiences in dozens of countries across four continents. Her clients have included Apple and Google, and she partners with school systems worldwide. Lainie is the author of Evolving with Gratitude and served as a lead author of Evolving Learner. Her latest work, Bold Gratitude: The Journal Designed for You and by You, invites people to develop gratitude practices that fit who they are rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach. Through research, reflection, and practical strategies, Lainie helps educators, leaders, and communities move gratitude from something they occasionally feel to something they intentionally practice. Learn more about Lainie, her books, and her free resources at https://www.lainierowell.com/books Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lainierowell/

Have you ever had a student spend 45 minutes avoiding an assignment that would have taken them five minutes to finish? They argue about why they shouldn’t have to do it, negotiate over how much they need to complete, ask to go to the bathroom, or decide they need a drink before they can get started. Meanwhile, you’re looking at the assignment thinking: If you would just DO IT, this would have been over half an hour ago. I had a student who did this exact thing during study hall. Writing assignments could turn into an entire period of avoidance. He would find every possible way to delay getting started, and when we did get him to write, an adult often had to sit beside him and prompt him through the process. From our perspective, his choices didn’t make sense. He was spending far more time and energy avoiding the assignment than it would have taken to complete it. We see the arguing, negotiating, shutting down, or escaping and call it defiance, work refusal, lack of motivation, or “demand avoidance.” Those labels describe the behavior we can see. They don’t explain why avoiding five minutes of discomfort feels preferable to spending five minutes getting it done. And that’s the question we need to answer before we decide how to intervene. If we misunderstand what’s driving the avoidance, we can choose interventions that feel good in the moment but reinforce the pattern we’re trying to change. That’s why students described as having pathological demand avoidance and work refusal at school can get worse when we continually lower expectations. Here’s why reducing demands may reinforce avoidance, and what students may need instead. When a student argues, negotiates, asks to leave, or refuses a difficult task, reducing the demand can feel like the supportive thing to do. But temporary relief doesn’t necessarily help that student build the skills needed to handle challenge independently. In episode 270 of De Facto Leaders, I explain why demand avoidance and work refusal can be signs that a student needs more support with executive functioning, not simply fewer expectations. You’ll see how planning, predicting, estimating time, visualizing an end goal, and talking yourself through discomfort all contribute to a student’s ability to persist with challenging work. We’ll also look at how excessive prompting and repeatedly removing difficult tasks can unintentionally make a student more dependent on adults, and what we need to build instead. In this episode, I mentioned the Task Execution and Planning Protocol that helps clinicians and educators support students who present with demand avoidance and require constant prompting during functional or academic tasks. You can learn more about the Task Execution and Planning Protocol here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/taskexecution I also mentioned my free training, “How to Be Evidence-Based and Neurodiversity-Affirming By Support Executive Functioning”. You can register for that training here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/efleadership To learn more about my YouTube channel called “Dr. Karen Executive Functioning Systems”, where you can learn how to build scalable executive functioning strategies you can use in your therapy sessions and classrooms. You can subscribe to the channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@drkaren-efsystems

Summary What are executive functions, and how can teachers support them without adding another program to the school day? Mitch Weathers returns to Better Teaching to discuss the cognitive skills behind organization, task initiation, self-regulation, planning, and follow-through. Mitch explains why clarity, modeling, predictable routines, and a well-designed classroom environment protect students' cognitive capacity. He also makes the case for analog tools in a digital world and shares how the Organized Binder approach helps students—and teachers—build practical organizational habits. Chapters 0:00 — Welcome and meeting Mitch Weathers 2:15 — What executive functions are and why they matter in classrooms 8:30 — Core executive functions: working memory, inhibition, and flexibility 15:30 — Higher-order executive functions and age-appropriate expectations 24:00 — Clarity, modeling, and predictable classroom routines 33:00 — The Organized Binder approach and building student independence 42:00 — Analog tools, technology, and protecting students' cognitive work 50:00 — Connecting executive-function supports with effective lesson structure 53:20 — Closing thoughts and practical next steps Show Notes Mitch Weathers is the author of Executive Functions for Every Classroom and co-author of Executive Functions for Every K–3 Classroom. Connect with Mitch on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Mitch and Gene discuss the Organized Binder approach, which supports organization, task initiation, self-regulation, and follow-through. The conversation explores how teachers can make expectations clear, model routines, reduce unnecessary cognitive load, and create predictable environments that help students develop executive-function skills. Mitch explains why analog tools can complement technology by giving students opportunities to practice the skills they will need in other settings. Better Teaching: Only Stuff That Works is hosted by Gene Tavernetti. Find more about Gene's work at tesscg.com.