When we examine student performance data in education, we see drastic ranges that correlate to a variety of factors which include, but are not limited to, class sizes, average funding per student, percent of students with disabilities, and use of evidence-based practices (EBPs; Fowler & Walberg, 1991).  

Last week, as I was preparing for a session with teachers concerning strategies for vocabulary instruction, I had dual objectives. I wanted to share the latest in education research about how vocabulary instruction can change student achievement, but I also wanted to model the instructional strategies that would meet the teachers’ needs as learners and the needs of their students.