SERP Institute

10/20/2026

📚 I’m guessing you don’t read your favorite novel aloud to yourself at home. So why do we often ask students to take turns reading aloud in class?

For struggling readers, reading aloud in front of peers can shift the focus from understanding a story to worrying about how they sound. Silent reading gives students space to focus on meaning, find their own pace, and build confidence as readers.

Check out the SERP Blog where SERP Literacy Specialist Emily Hayden explores why silent reading matters—and how we can help students experience reading as more than a performance.

What might change if we gave students more opportunities to read for themselves?

10/15/2026

💬 What if great teaching is less about holding the room—and more about keeping the conversation going?

At the TFA 35th Anniversary Summit, SERP’s Margaret Troyer heard a memorable insight from Lin-Manuel Miranda about the power of student talk. In her latest blog post, she reflects on what it means for classrooms when teachers make space for students to think, share ideas, and learn from one another.

From STARI to SERP’s work on academically productive talk and our new K–2 professional learning, student discourse is at the heart of how we support learning.

📖 Read Margaret’s reflection: https://www.serpinstitute.org/news/keeping-the-ball-in-the-air-or-we-dont-talk-about-teacher-talk

Margaret Troyer describes her experience at the TFA Summit.

10/14/2026

📚 How can we close the disciplinary literacy gap in secondary teacher preparation?

On Wednesday, October 21, SERP Literacy Specialist Emily Hayden will present Lost in Translation: Closing the Disciplinary Literacy Gap in Secondary Preparation at the 2026 NYACTE Fall Conference.

Emily will explore how teacher preparation programs can better equip secondary educators to support reading and learning across content areas.

Are you attending NYACTE? Stop by and connect with Emily!

10/05/2026

What a great few days at the Teach For America 35th Anniversary Summit in Las Vegas! 🎉

We loved connecting with educators, TFA alumni, and friends of SERP and sharing more about our work to support educators and students.

A special thank-you to Margaret Troyer, Baltimore ’03, and Kala Jones, Miami-Dade ’15, for representing SERP and sharing their experiences with STARI and other SERP programs.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth to say hello, learn more, and connect with our team. We’re excited to keep the conversation going!

📸 A few highlights from the Summit:

10/05/2026

Cell phones in schools are back in the news.

A new bipartisan bill in Congress would provide grants to help states implement policies restricting student cellphone use in schools, adding to a growing national conversation about how and when students use their phones during the school day.

It’s also a question students can explore in WordGen Weekly.

Our WordGen unit on cell phones in schools invites students to consider the potential benefits and drawbacks of restricting cellphone use, examine different perspectives, and use academic vocabulary to discuss a question that directly affects their school experience.

With the issue making headlines again, it’s a timely opportunity to bring a real-world conversation into the classroom.

📱 Explore the WordGen Weekly unit on cell phones in schools: https://access.serpinstitute.org/

Learn more about the proposed bill: https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/bipartisan-bill-in-congress-would-help-schools-put-cellphone-bans-or-restrictions-in-place/2026/10

The bill would establish a federal grant program to support state efforts to restrict cellphones.

09/29/2026

We’re heading to Las Vegas for the Teach For America 35th Anniversary Summit, October 2–3! 🎉

If you’re attending, stop by Booth #627 to say hello, catch up with our team, and explore SERP’s research-based resources for educators.

You can also meet TFA alumni and longtime SERP staff members Margaret Troyer and Kala Jones, who will be sharing their experiences with STARI and other SERP programs.

We look forward to reconnecting with longtime friends and meeting fellow educators and alumni. See you in Las Vegas! 👋

09/23/2026

The STARI team recently joined Los Angeles Unified School District teachers for professional learning focused on discussion and debate in STARI, helping educators create more opportunities for students to talk, listen, explain their thinking, and engage with ideas.

One of the resources teachers used during the session was the Teacher Tip Deck, filled with practical strategies and ideas for supporting student discussion in the classroom.

Have you checked out the Teacher Tip Deck yet? Take a look and find a few tips to try in your next lesson! https://tipdeck.academically-productive-talk.org/

09/22/2026

What can the latest PISA results tell us about how students are learning in a digital world?

The OECD’s PISA 2025 results offer plenty to think about, from continued declines in reading performance to the complex relationship between students, screens, and learning.

A new article from K-12 Dive highlights four takeaways from the latest results, including what the data suggest about screen time, digital distraction, and student learning.

Amid reading declines that included a 14-point drop for the U.S., researchers are looking at the role digital learning and AI may have played.

09/08/2026

Some of the first Word Generation students are now college graduates. 🎓

And every once in a while, we hear from one of them.

Christine Wu recently reached out to share how Word Generation has stayed with her long after her elementary and middle school years. Christine was introduced to Word Generation in 4th grade in Massachusetts around 2011–12. Now a graduate of Smith College with a degree in chemistry, she told us that she still uses vocabulary from her Word Generation lessons in everyday conversation, words like jargon and crestfallen.

She also remembers the dialogues, activities, and debate structures from the program, and says Word Generation helped shape both her vocabulary and her confidence using it.

“It has become common where my friends or peers have commented on my usage of uncommon words…”

More than a decade later, it's incredibly meaningful to hear that the words students learned in Word Generation classrooms are still part of their lives.

To the Word Generation educators who taught Christine and the many students who came after her: thank you for helping make learning stick.

09/04/2026

Does the way students talk to one another matter for reading comprehension?

New research using data from Word Generation classrooms suggests it does.

Researchers found that students who built on or referenced their classmates’ ideas during discussion showed stronger reading comprehension outcomes, while minimal responses were negatively associated with comprehension.

It’s a useful reminder that productive classroom talk isn't just about getting students to participate. It’s about helping students listen to, respond to, and build on one another’s thinking.

📖 Read the new study:

Dialogic talk supports multiple student outcomes, including reading comprehension and persuasive writing. However, few studies examine how specific student talk moves contribute to these outcomes. ...