Visit Classrooms
Our Knowledge Matters School Tour has had the honor of visiting top districts to see inspiring work with knowledge-building curriculum.
These classroom stories highlight the many benefits of this powerful approach to teaching and learning.
Benefits
Curricula
Video
LaTonya Goffney – Aldine Independent School District, Aldine, TX
“This was the first time that they had these novels. And the kids were so excited.”
12/08/2023
Video
Ana Aldrufeu – Aldine Independent School District, Aldine, TX
“For bilingual students, they are using the same rigor that any other student is using.”
12/07/2023
Video
Angela Cala Mendez – Aldine Independent School District, Aldine, TX
“It was a process, but it was worth it. The the actual change was that mindset when the teachers get to see the kids and the results.”
12/07/2023
Video
Delaney – Aldine Independent School District, Aldine, TX
“I like reading because we get to learn about the Middle Ages. So it’s like history and reading combined.”
12/07/2023
Video
Faviola Cantu – Aldine Independent School District, Aldine, TX
“Your preparation looks much different, because it’s not about trying to find things and trying to look for things that fit.”
12/07/2023
Video
Faviola Cantu – Aldine Independent School District, Aldine, TX
“It was tough at first because of the change in structured phonics and looking at knowledge-building versus what we had been doing before.”
12/07/2023
Video
Javier Villarreal – Aldine Independent School District, Aldine, TX
“We can’t change how students come to us, but we can control how they leave us.”
12/07/2023
Video
LaDon Ward – Aldine Independent School District, Aldine, TX
“Within the last five years, we’ve seen a tremendous jump in our students’ achievement levels with reading.”
12/07/2023
Video
LaToya Wynne – Aldine Independent School District, Aldine, TX
“We rolled it out across the entire district. And that’s a huge bold move. But it was also exciting.”
12/07/2023
Video
Olivia Quinteros – Aldine Independent School District, Aldine, TX
“It’s amazing to see how they open up and they’re able to discuss with their partners.”
12/07/2023
Video
Delilah St. Julian – Aldine Independent School District, Aldine, TX
“The kids are talking about it. You can stop them in the hallway and ask them about what they’re learning, and they will tell you.”
12/06/2023
Video
Delilah St. Julian – Aldine Independent School District, Aldine, TX
“Now that we are using a high-quality instructional material, we now see that it’s very content-rich, and every one is part of the conversation.”
12/06/2023
Video
Edna Cruz – Aldine Independent School District, Aldine, TX
“Now everybody gets to collaborate, and we’re all at the same level.”
12/06/2023
Video
Nathan – Aldine Independent School District, Aldine, TX
“My favorite unit in ELA was the Middle Ages. I learned a lot from it and it was a fun unit.”
12/06/2023
Video
Jacqueline Costales – Roswell Independent School District, Roswell, NM
“The grade level standard is not the ceiling for some, but it needs to be the floor for everybody. All students need to sit at that grade level.”
10/26/2023
Video
Karla Stinehart – Roswell Independent School District, Roswell, NM
“You had your high group, middle group, and low group. And there was not a common body of knowledge that the students had in their classroom.”
10/26/2023
Video
Karla Stinehart – Roswell Independent School District, Roswell, NM
“We had students who never saw grade level rigor ever in a day.”
10/26/2023
Video
Travis Ackerman – Roswell Independent School District, Roswell, NM
“My daughter was on the swing telling me to push her as high as Machu Picchu. She’s in second grade.”
10/26/2023
Video
Cynthia Sanchez – Roswell Independent School District, Roswell, NM
“I feel like it’s really allowing them to flourish within themselves equally.”
10/25/2023
Video
Heather Vigil – Roswell Independent School District, Roswell, NM
“I’m like, ‘These are huge words how are these kids going to understand?’ But they they rise to the occasion.”
10/25/2023
Video
Mary Geldert – Roswell Independent School District, Roswell, NM
“I asked the kids, ‘Did they know what an ancient civilization was?’ ‘Yes, we learned about Mesopotamia in first grade.’ I was blown away.”
10/25/2023
Video
Teachers – Roswell Independent School District, Roswell, NM
“I’m able to just build on what they already know, I’m not responsible for all of the background knowledge, because they already have it.”
10/25/2023
Video
Veronica Lara – Roswell Independent School District, Roswell, NM
“One of the students says ‘deciduous’ and uses the vocabulary word we had yesterday. I was just in shock and awe because he understood that word.”
10/25/2023
Video
Bianca Deliberto – Central Community School System, Central, LA
“When they take the assessment, they can make that cognitive lift and apply the science information that they’ve learned in a different setting.”
09/28/2023
Media Type
Curricula
Press Release
National Campaign to Visit Maryland Schools to Highlight Exemplary Literacy Instruction
Three-district tour will focus on knowledge-building ELA curriculum
04/03/2024
Articles
Aldine Independent School District, Aldine, TX
How One Texas School District Is Repurposing Staff Development Time to Embrace the Science of Reading
03/05/2024
Articles
Roswell Independent School District, Roswell, NM
Building Oral Language Skills and Equity Through High-Quality Reading Curriculum
02/07/2024
Press Release
National Campaign Celebrates Rigorous, Knowledge-Rich Literacy Instruction in Aldine ISD
Knowledge Matters School Tour Visits with Dr. LaTonya Goffney, Superintendent at Aldine ISD
12/07/2023
Articles
Central Community School System, Central, LA
Hands-On Learning: At One Louisiana School, ‘Phenomenon-Driven’ Curriculum Is Boosting Students’ Confidence & Learning Skills
12/06/2023
Articles
ASCD Blog: A Common Math Curriculum Adds Up to Better Learning
Adopting the same curriculum across a district makes training, teaching, and learning easier for all.
11/08/2023
Articles
Chalkbeat: We changed how our NYC school districts teach reading. It’s working.
Schools across the cities are adopting new reading curriculums. The transition won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.
11/07/2023
Articles
Albuquerque Journal: Finding right math teaching technique shows results for NM schools
Two school districts are showing what’s possible when teachers and students are working with innovative, research-based mathematics curriculum.
10/30/2023
Press Release
National Campaign Celebrates Rigorous, Knowledge-Rich Literacy Instruction in New Mexico
Knowledge Matters School Tour Makes Third Visit to State to Celebrate Use of High-Quality Curricula
10/26/2023
Press Release
Knowledge Matters Campaign Endorses Two ELA Curricula for Building Content Knowledge
Reading Reconsidered and Louisiana ELA Guidebooks (Grades 3-5) were recognized.
10/03/2023
Press Release
National Campaign Celebrates Science Instruction in Central Community School System, Outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Central Community School System, in Central, Louisiana, uses PhD Science, a knowledge-building curriculum from GreatMinds.
09/28/2023
Articles
Farmington Municipal Schools, Farmington, NM
New Mexico Teacher, Once a Lab Scientist, Applies Real Science to Lessons
06/21/2023
Articles
West Feliciana Parish Schools, St. Francisville, LA
Louisiana Grad Returns to Old Middle School: ‘I Wish I Had Been Taught This Way’
05/31/2023
Press Release
National Campaign to Celebrate High-Quality Curriculum Selection by NYC Schools as District Embarks on Historic Improvements
The Knowledge Matters Campaign will visit two districts: Bronx 11 and Brooklyn 19.
05/30/2023
Articles
Saratoga Today Newspaper: Knowledge Matters Campaign Visits SSCSD
"Members of the Knowledge Matters campaign sat in on classes, and held roundtable discussions with both teachers and students about the impacts of the district’s new ELA curriculum, ARC Core."
05/25/2023
Social Media
OpenSciEd lessons in Graves County infuse literacy into science instruction
High-quality science instructional materials help students develop critical scientific literacy skills and communicate ideas more effectively.
05/15/2023
Social Media
Graves County teachers and leaders unpack how OpenSciEd transformed classrooms
Phenomena-based science instruction encourages students to collaborate, think critically, and develop skills that go beyond the science classroom.
05/15/2023
Articles
Graves County Schools, Mayfield, KY
Kentucky District Devastated by Tornado Is a National Model for Science Teaching
05/12/2023
Articles
Rio Rancho Observer: New Math Materials All Add Up At Vista Grande Elementary
"I am blown away by the quality of instruction here.”
04/29/2023
Social Media
A glimpse of Eureka Math lesson in a third grade class in Rio Rancho
In Eureka Math, teachers facilitate learning of new concepts and these third graders respond masterfully.
04/25/2023
Social Media
A phenomenal fifth grade introduction to number bonds using Zearn Math lessons
See students engaged in high-quality math instruction in New Mexico.
04/19/2023
Articles
Lafourche Parish School District, Thibodaux, LA
Louisiana District Ravaged by Hurricane & COVID is Bouncing Back with Science
04/18/2023
Social Media
See a kindergarten lesson number bonds using high-quality math instructional materials
Watch this Mesa Vista teacher foster strong student engagement.
04/18/2023
Articles
San Marcos Unified School District, San Marcos, CA
In California, ‘Slow and Steady’ Is Winning With a Tougher Science Curriculum
04/11/2023