you can make bad writing better, but you can't fix something that doesn't exist!

What’s the best book/article/essay people have read about teaching writing? Am working on something and I’m curious what others have read that have shaped the way they think about their work—can be practical, theoretical, even only tangentially related to pedagogy.

Today, President Barack Obama and I read to a group of toddlers at Learning Through Play Pre-K Center in the South Bronx.  In between singing wheels on the bus, we discussed our administration’s vision for this City — one where New York’s Cutest have the strongest start possible.

#ProudTeacherMoment today: A student had a monstrous (but grammatically correct) sentence and with a few tips expertly broke it into 2 manageable sentences (and one with a semicolon). He then reworked a second one.

Dear Microsoft Word Copilot: No, In do not want you to rewrite for me. You don’t know what I meant and your suggestions would confuse my reader.

Come join @civicsoftech.bsky.social's May book club on Wed, May 20, at 7pm ET. I'll be leading a discussion of @fractalecho.bsky.social's Disabling Intelligences: Legacies of Eugenics and How We Are Wrong About AI - and Dr. Williams is joining too! Register at: www.civicsoftechnology.org/book-clubs

In today’s adventures as a PhD student, I’m finally formatting tables into APA formatting!

There is still time to register for Saturday’s 3-hour symposium where we’ll explore texts and ideas together, in conversation. All literacy leaders are welcome! @ncte.org #NCTE26 #CEL26 #OnLeadership

He still needs to be removed from office. A war powers resolution will not suffice. He circumvented Congress to start the war. He circumvented them on tariffs and appropriations. Why anyone thinks he'd adhere to a Congressional war powers resolution is beyond me.

Regardless of whether it’s all talk, when the leader of our country expresses plainly genocidal intent, everyone has to do something. For citizens of all political stripes, it means rejecting this madness. For Congress, it means taking action to rein him in. Now.

“A whole civilization will die tonight” is the most vile thing a US president has ever said, certainly during the post-1945 era when they’ve had the power to kill civilizations with the dropping of a bomb. I’m staring into the darkness. May this not be one of the most fateful days in human history.

Armageddon is terrible, but our only other option was diversity trainings at work.

The president of the United States should not be threatening to end “civilizations.” This message is crass and heartless and cowardly. I hope any work I do in schools inspires and teaches students to be better than this.

We hope to see literacy leaders, ELA department chairs & supervisors, curriculum coaches, and more at our annual #OnLeadership symposium on 4/11/26 from 9am-12pm ET. If you’re a member @ncte.org , join #CEL for $25/year to gain access to this members-only event!

On 4/11/26, #CEL is hosting our virtual, 3-hour #OnLeadership symposium. Talk about texts and literacy with other leaders (dept chairs, coaches, supervisors, etc.). Join for relaxed and conversational professional learning. Free for members (join today!). ncte.org/cel-symposiu...

📖 Next weekend we'll start our slow-read of Bleak House by Charles Dickens (one "installment" of chapters a week, all the way through August) For those interested, feel free to message @thevogelman.bsky.social or me and we'll send you more details! docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Updated 3/31/26: "College Board may use artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other computational methods (collectively, 'AI'), including in the development and scoring of tests and for test security purposes." Got it.

On 4/11/26, #CEL is hosting our virtual, 3-hour #OnLeadership symposium. Talk about texts and literacy with other leaders (dept chairs, coaches, supervisors, etc.). Join for relaxed and conversational professional learning. Free for members (join today!). ncte.org/cel-symposiu...

It’s one of those Victorian behemoths I’ve wanted to read for a long time! First published in 19 installments, @marcusluther.bsky.social and I are going to read Bleak House together in 19 weeks. Care to join us? DM one of us for more info if you haven’t already! #dickens #novels #reading

What are you up to Tuesday, March 31 at 7pm ET? Join @ncte.org's Secondary Section (7-12 ELA teachers!) for Zoom space to chat, connect, and explore NCTE. How can NCTE support you? What has worked? Come meet other secondary ELA teachers who are members of NCTE. ncte.org/secondary-of... #NCTEChat

✍️ Improving feedback on student writing ✍️ Encouraging academic integrity ✍️ Supporting reluctant writers ^ These are just some of the topics our community is exploring in our March Jam Session, Teaching Writing in the Age of AI! Check out the conversation: #EduSky #EduSkyAI #EduAI

Join teachers & leaders for the 2026 #NCTE–@nctm.org#NCTEJoint Conference for Elementary Literacy & Mathematics! Get support to advance teaching practices that are responsive, equitable, and grounded in student strengths—practices you can use right away. Register for #LitMath26: https://bit.ly/3PakQz6

This year we’re opening registration for the NCTE Annual Convention earlier, during budget seasons, to allow teachers and administrators to work together to find funding for the premier annual event for English language arts and literacy educators. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4dylWP7 #NCTE26

What are you up to Tuesday, March 31 at 7pm ET? Join @ncte.org's Secondary Section (7-12 ELA teachers!) for Zoom space to chat, connect, and explore NCTE. How can NCTE support you? What has worked? Come meet other secondary ELA teachers who are members of NCTE. ncte.org/secondary-of... #NCTEChat

Today was our first rehearsal for Ellen McLaughlin’s THE TROJAN WOMEN. We’ll be playing in masks, working with student translators, and adding some music. I’m excited for this challenging, heavy, ever-relevant piece.

I’m excited to be part of this Jam Session from @edutopia.org on such an important topic. Hope you can join the conversation and spread the word! @naemmanuele.bsky.social @mraleosays.bsky.social @angelastockman.bsky.social @joelrgarza.bsky.social @susangbarber.bsky.social @ncte.org

The more universal design for learning we put into place in our classrooms, the fewer special accommodation and modifications we need to add later. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #Teachers #UDL

It’s not too late to join #CEL for our social hour on 3/25/26 at 7pm ET. Bring a current problem of practice and/or join us for troubleshooting in the world of literacy leadership. Add CEL ($25 annually) to your NCTE membership to join us. ncte.org/cel-problems...

Reading Creon’s lines in #Antigone in 2026 is wild. Why are so many in leadership relatable to a character from almost 2500 years ago?

⓵ share contradictions with students ⓶ ask them for feedback of what they'd do ⓷ listen to them

“We have better problems.” The evolution from the revolution of the feedback cycle. Better problems. How I try to frame the messy magic of making mistakes for my kids as we learn forward with feedback. #Project180

The submission portal for #CEL26 closes at 9am ET on Tuesday, March 17. You still have time to draft and share your learning with other literacy leaders in November after #NCTE26. We look forward to reviewing! #literacies #NCTEChat #ITeachEnglish #LiteracyLeadership ncte.org/groups/cel/2...

The submission portal for #CEL26 closes at 9am ET on Tuesday, March 17. You still have time to draft and share your learning with other literacy leaders in November after #NCTE26. We look forward to reviewing! #literacies #NCTEChat #ITeachEnglish #LiteracyLeadership ncte.org/groups/cel/2...

Does anyone have good differentiation of definitions between main idea, central idea, and central message in nonfiction texts? Our grades 5-12 ELA department chairs worked on these today, and although our state has definitions, the 3 phrases seem to be synonymous on standardized tests. #NCTEchat

You have until March 17 to submit a proposal to #CEL26. Share your literacy leadership work, question, processes, and knowledge with fellow leaders. Extend your #NCTE26 stay or come to #Philadelphia just for CEL! ncte.org/groups/cel/c...

“In our experience, coaching works best when it is normalized as part of everyday professional life, not positioned as a corrective measure.” Here’s how schools can reframe instructional coaching as collaborative problem-solving. 🤝 #InstructionalCoach #EduSky

Still time to register. Hope to see you on Monday. I’ll be sharing a lot of resources - many free - that I use in my own classroom to spark conversations about civics and the constitution.

Are you a teacher who thinks a lot about your room layout? We’ve got diagrams! @mrrablin.bsky.social shows you how he moves easily between whole class, small group, and individual work. 🪑 #ClassroomDesign #EduSky

As always, here's @marcusluther.bsky.social with a truly excellent piece on @edutopia.org! In education, we talk about the time about teachers modeling learning and behavioral habits for kids. Marcus applies that same idea here to our AI use. www.edutopia.org/article/teac...

Under no circumstances should we allow OpenAI to become the self-authorized educational research evidenve source that it is trying to be. Vendors must not be research authorities. openai.com/index/unders...

Shouldn't let OpenAI puff about education get to me, but its claim students need AI skills for future jobs and "agency", then letting slip it really means making students into GPT "power users", and making that an educational imperative, *and* planning to measure it ... 😦 openai.com/index/ai-edu...

If you never get started on building infrastructure, the change you desire will never happen. And infrastructure building is a collective enterprise, not an individual one. —Barry Fishman growbeyondgrades.org/blog/additio...

On a very hot day in June, I took a risk. I made a beeline to the front of the room at ISTE so I could shake hands w/ Jason Reynolds. Nervously, I blurted out, "I know you have to leave, but my editor would never forgive me if I didn't ask to interview you." My latest for @edutopia.org:

They are clearly trying to whip up a moral panic about disability accommodations but this article doesn't include any data on accommodations.

If you are having someone else do your lit review--and I mean LLM but also research assistants, honestly--you didn't review the lit, you don't know the field, you know someone else's view of the field. That seems like a problem, like a constructing a strawman problem. With LLMs, it's worse.

Gratitude to five wonderful years of Heartdrum! Together, we're making the world of books better for young readers. Mvto/thank you for your ongoing enthusiasm and support! www.harpercollins.com/pages/childr... #KidLit #YALit @harperkids.bsky.social @weneeddiversebooks.bsky.social

Whether it’s educational research from 1958 or 2026, researchers conclude again and again that regular education teachers report the need for more training to feel successful in inclusive classrooms (for students with disabilities). We matter progress, and… #inclusion #disability

I went into the year wanting to lean into in-class writing more than ever, especially for assessments—but @thevogelman.bsky.social had some thoughtful pushbacks on this emphasis. (Full conversation comes out tomorrow morning! 👀)

As part of an AI committee at my university, I spent this weekend trying out Claude (Opus 4.6) for writing, and I have to say, far beyond its hallucinations and the usual complaints, it is a baffling experience cognitively. I want to be more precise in my evaluation here than I usually am about AI.