Shaped

A community-driven blog supporting educators, building lifelong learners,
and shaping the future of education.* 

Latest Posts

Technology and personalized learning hero

Technology and Personalized Learning

Discover the benefits of technology and personalized learning in the classroom—and digital tools that can automate the personalized learning process.

Aoife Dempsey
Senior Vice President Product Management, HMH

Teaching foundational reading skills hero

Teaching Foundational Reading Skills

Teaching foundational reading skills is one of the most important goals of early grade and reading intervention teachers. Learn more about the key foundational reading skills and other literacy skills students need to become proficient.

Renee Behring
Education Research Director, Core ELA

Dr. Amy Endo
Education Research Director, Supplemental & Intervention Language & Literacy

WF1548307 school turnaround kids together

School Turnaround Through a Thriving Culture and Building Relationships

Creating schools with a thriving culture of positive relationships is truly the foundation of success.

Dr. Lucretia Prince
Principal, Crestmont Elementary School

Podcast cover with Samuel Gonzalez

Podcast: Serving Students, Country & Self with Samuel Gonzalez

Pennsylvania educator Samuel Gonzalez has been teaching for just two years, and all while studying for his doctorate and serving in the National Guard.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

CASEL SEL competencies

Teach the 5 Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Competencies

The 5 social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies developed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) are crucial to students’ learning and growth. Explore the competencies and strategies for helping students achieve them.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

WF1510577 Shaped 2022 NTL Talk First Write Later Hero

Talk First, Write Later: Oral Communication in the Classroom

Hear from Erik Palmer why speaking is just as important as reading and writing as a form of communication.

Erik Palmer
Program Consultant, Into Reading and Into Literature

Formative reading assessment usable data hero

Formative Reading Assessment & Usable Data

Formative reading assessments measure what students have learned so far—and the data help inform teachers’ instruction.

Francie Alexander
Senior Vice President, Efficacy & Consulting Research

Dr. Amy Endo
Education Research Director, Supplemental & Intervention Language & Literacy

Renee Behring
Education Research Director, Core ELA

Dr. Terry Salinger
Institute Fellow and Chief Scientist for Literacy Research, American Institutes for Research

Education Trends 2022 Hero

11 Education Trends to Watch in 2022

We asked ed leaders from across the country to weigh in on education trends for 2022. Here's what they had to say.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

Differenciated Reading Strategies Hero

5 Strategies for Differentiated Reading Instruction

Check out the latest differentiated reading strategies to help you meet your students' diverse needs.

Ellen Ullman
Shaped Contributor

Timeline Hero

Q&A: Teaching the Holocaust to Middle School and High School Students

Learn how to teach the Holocaust in schools and overcome the challenges of teaching this subject with these insights and guidelines from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

HMH Staff

8 elements of reading literacy instruction hero

8 Elements of Reading & Literacy Instruction

These eight elements of reading and literacy instruction can serve as the foundation of an effective literacy program.

Francie Alexander
Senior Vice President, Efficacy & Consulting Research

Dr. Amy Endo
Education Research Director, Supplemental & Intervention Language & Literacy

Renee Behring
Education Research Director, Core ELA

Dr. Terry Salinger
Institute Fellow and Chief Scientist for Literacy Research, American Institutes for Research

Most read shaped blogs of 2021 hero

Our Top 10 Ed Blogs of 2021: The Best of Shaped

Before we say goodbye to 2021, let’s highlight our most-read and favorite Shaped blogs.

Christine Condon
Shaped Editor-in-Chief

Science of Reading hero

What Is the Science of Reading? Top 5 Questions

HMH's research team answers commonly asked questions about the science of reading to help educators apply its principles in their classrooms.

Renee Behring
Education Research Director, Core ELA

Dr. Amy Endo
Education Research Director, Supplemental & Intervention Language & Literacy

Plcs reimagined a fresh approach to teacher collaboration hero

PLCs in Education Reimagined: A Fresh Approach to Teacher Collaboration

What is PLC in education, and what makes professional learning communities effective? Discover best practices for ensuring success with PLCs.

Dr. Lisa Corbin
Instruction & Leadership Coach

Albert Morton
Professional Learning Consultant, HMH

Structured Literacy small group reading

What Is Structured Literacy?

Get the answers to commonly asked questions like, "What is structured literacy and how can I implement the approach?"

Renee Behring
Education Research Director, Core ELA

Dr. Amy Endo
Education Research Director, Supplemental & Intervention Language & Literacy

Hannah French Outdoor Teaching Hero

7 Outdoor Teaching Strategies

Thinking of teaching outside of the classroom? Make the most of your school's location with these outdoor teaching strategies.

Hannah French
Teacher, Rowe Elementary School, MA

Maximizing instructional time in the classroom hero

Maximizing Instructional Time in the Classroom

Get strategies for maximizing instructional time in the classroom to meet your teaching goals and each student’s needs.

Jennifer Prescott
Shaped Contributor

Respect Teachers hero

Building Respect for Teachers: What Can Be Done?

Our latest Educator Confidence Report shows many teachers don't feel that respect for the profession has increased in the last year, after feeling an initial surge of appreciation at the start of the pandemic. Here’s what can be done.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

*The views expressed in our blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of HMH.