Heinemann Community,
Every year as we enter a new back-to-school season, I find myself feeling a renewed sense of possibility alongside growing excitement for what the new year may bring. At the same time, I recognize that this year in particular brings with it some unique new challenges that make it increasingly difficult for teachers to do what they do best. Many districts are facing new funding challenges, continued declining test scores and a record number of new teachers entering the profession. While many of these issues are complex and cannot be addressed by simple solutions, Heinemann remains committed to providing resources that support teachers and students by tackling specific classroom needs in practical and meaningful ways.
This year, I'm particularly excited about some of our new literacy and math offerings, as well as unique opportunities for professional learning.
Research-based Supplemental Literacy Resources to Drive Student Outcomes
We know that students need strong foundational skill instruction to become successful readers and writers. This year, we've launched a new edition of foundational reading program, Saxon Reading Foundations. The program has been redesigned to feature engaging and kid-friendly illustrations alongside a new digital experience and new and updated content aligned to the latest science of reading research. We've also created an updated digital experience to increase ease-of-use for teachers. Over the course of its nearly 40-year history, this resource has been incredibly popular amongst classroom teachers and extremely effective at helping children master the foundational skills they need to become confident and joyful readers.
We're also delighted to roll out the Moonlit Mountain Readers, a brand-new line of fantasy and science fiction-themed decodable readers for students in grades K-2! This series, co-published by Mossflower Press, features a unique cast of vibrant, relatable characters and combines captivating storytelling with intentional phonics practice. Moonlit Mountain Readers also function as a companion to our Jump Rope Readers decodable book series, which was recently included in the UFLI Foundations Decodable Text Guide, affirming their alignment with one of the most trusted phonics-based instructional frameworks in education.
Finally, we're offering a new resource to help students build and sharpen their background knowledge and vocabulary. The Content Area Reading Sets feature packs of engaging books on science and social studies topics for students in K-5, allowing teachers to supplement their existing classroom instruction with standards-aligned content designed to captivate students and ignite their natural curiosity.
Inquiry-Based Math Instruction to Support Student-Centered Teaching and Learning
In the past year, we’ve really focused on continuing to build out our portfolio of inquiry-based math solutions to support teachers and students in building strong math skills.
We recently launched a brand-new edition of our student-powered math curriculum, Math Expressions. The program has an amazing track record of helping students to enhance their numerical reasoning skills and continually function as conceptual thinkers, with schools seeing an average 12-15% gain on state tests. The new edition of Math Expressions will offer the same research-proven, inquiry-based approach to math instruction, with a vibrant new look and increased focus on new digital tools and integrated assessment opportunities.
We're also delighted to provide access to game-based app Matific via Math Expressions, our supplemental math program Do the Math or as a standalone solution. Matific provides interactive math practice, with NWEA MAP Growth-aligned activities and personalized learning paths based on student progress that make instruction effective and engaging.
Thought Leadership and Professional Learning for Teachers
One of the things that sets Heinemann apart is our amazing stable of professional book authors, who share their expertise via multiple channels including video, podcast, blog, traditional books as well as through op-eds and social content.
This past year, we published a timely book from high school English teachers Dennis Magliozzi and Kristina Peterson called AI in the Writing Workshop about how to ethically use AI tools in the high school English classroom. This book has felt incredibly timely as districts grapple with the best way to incorporate emerging AI technology into their instruction. The authors have written numerous pieces for the Heinemann blog as well as done a 3-part podcast around how they've used AI in their own writing workshop. Dennis and Kristina also wrote an interesting piece for EdWeek about how they use AI to help their students deepen their critical thinking when writing and shared a recent article in eSchool News with suggested guardrails for grading and AI.
We also just released The New Teacher Handbook by Berit Gordon. With a record number of new teachers entering the profession this year, this book could not be more needed. Berit has written extensively for the Heinemann blog with tips for admins and coaches when working with new teachers, as well as time management recommendations and ideas for increasing teacher emotional regulation in challenging classroom situations. Recently, Berit wrote a piece for EdWeek with her top back-to-school tips to help inspire new teachers.
I'm also delighted to share that this fall, we'll be bringing together classroom changemakers, thought leaders and innovators for a free virtual professional learning opportunity. The Heinemann Educator Summitwill take place September 29 - October 3 and will feature sessions grounded in literacy, math, educator well-being and AI in education. Please visit our site for more info and to sign up for individual sessions. I hope you'll be able to join us!
Finally, in an effort to make all of this content more accessible, we launched an updated website this year, designed to make it easier for educators to quickly find resources, author content and the information they need to feel supported on their teaching journey.
Thank you, as always, for your commitment to teaching and learning and to facing new challenges head on. I wish you a wonderful new school year!
Maggie DeMont
