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White Papers

Collaborative Classroom is pleased to offer complimentary white papers to support and deepen your teaching practices.

Effective Decodable Text: When, What, and Where It Takes the Reader

Decodable text isn’t just another tool; it’s the bridge between learning skills in isolation and applying them to reading. In this white paper, Dr. Katherine Newman breaks down what we know about decodable text, explaining what it is, what it is not, and why it is a pivotal tool in aiding emerging readers.


Small-Group Reading Instruction and Mastery Learning: The Missing Practices for Effective and Equitable Foundational Skills Instruction

To ensure success, educators must implement two research-supported practices: small-group instruction and mastery learning. This white paper unpacks the research behind each of these practices and explores how small-group, mastery-based instruction is a crucial missing ingredient in many core reading curricula.


What’s Settled About the Science of Reading?

In this white paper, we engage meaningfully with what the research says about the science of reading. The paper explores instructional considerations including the importance of explicit and systematic decoding instruction, the most effective format for phonics instruction, the role of comprehension and the ways in which students build a body of knowledge, and the connection between research and classroom practice.


What Are the Features of High-Quality Professional Learning?

Today providing effective, robust systems of support for professional learning is more important than ever. This white paper, “Surrounding Teachers with a System of Support,” summarizes the latest research on how teachers learn best and what professional learning structures are most effective.


Writing for Life: The Evidence Base for Powerful Writing Instruction

The ability to write proficiently is a critical skill in school, work, and life, and yet it has been consistently sidelined in schools. Today there is a renewed focus on K–6 writing instruction, but too often assessment is treated as central, and instruction prioritizes writing for standardized tests, rather than the development of robust, comprehensive written communication skills. This white paper, co-authored by the National Writing Project and Collaborative Classroom, explores the key characteristics of high-quality, research-based writing instruction.


High-Quality Interventions to Ensure Literacy for All Students

Intervention is an essential tool for ensuring that all students receive the targeted instruction they need to overcome reading difficulties. This white paper explores and describes the best practices of high-quality reading interventions, with the goal of supporting educators in evaluating their RTI implementations.


Aligning a System of Support to Reach All Readers

Response to Intervention/ Multi-Tiered System of Support (RTI/MTSS) is a widely accepted approach to ensure that all students become successful readers. But what makes a truly effective and powerful RTI/MTSS implementation? This white paper explores the crucial but frequently overlooked role of alignment across all tiers of instruction and investigates how an aligned scope and sequence increases instructional efficiency.


Principles and Practices for Integrating Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning in Daily Instruction

An extensive body of research demonstrates what many educators have long known: building a safe and caring school community and attending to social and emotional learning (SEL) are essential to students’ success. The challenge for educators lies in how to meaningfully implement and integrate SEL in daily instruction. This white paper discusses the key principles behind an effective pedagogical stance to integrate SEL and the practices that build and sustain a safe, caring classroom community.