“But more pointed toward the curriculum products their schools had purchased from major publishers. “Those programs often revolve around students reading short stories, articles, and excerpts from novels, then answering short-form questions and writing brief essays.” www.nytimes.com/2025/12/12/u...

By focusing directly on foundational skills and dedicating scheduled time for support, middle and high schools can empower teens to become a confident, successful readers.

I wrote an op-ed for The 51st arguing that DCPS middle-schoolers need to be reading full-length novels to build concentration, empathy, and strong foundational reading skills 51st.news/opinion-dcps...

Staff at Alice Deal Middle School made the decision this year to remove all full-length novels from the 8th grade curriculum. It's a mistake, current parent @aaronweso.bsky.social writes, arguing that "reading full novels has real and important benefits for middle school-age children and in life."

“Placement, not ability, seems to be the driver.” www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

DOGE cuts, furloughs, and the toll of working without pay during the shutdown have devastated local families. One buffer that keeps neighborhoods from unraveling: Investing in community schools, Eboni-Rose Thompson argues in this opinion piece.