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About

I started this blog to make the collaboration and support work I do with educators more accessible and transparent. The posts reflect resources used in professional learning sessions, materials developed in collaboration with colleagues, and other information that might be helpful for educators seeking equitable instructional practices and materials.  Collaboration and feedback is essential to this work; if you have resources you think might be helpful or if you use resources posted on this blog please let me know (k.v.crist@gmail.com).

As an educator, I focus my work on supporting instruction, resources, and programs centered on instructional equity. Starting in 2005, I worked as a classroom teacher, program coordinator, and an instructional coach first in California and later in Nevada public middle and high schools. Much of this work was concentrated on supporting reform efforts, providing professional learning to teachers and administrators, conducting classroom observations with feedback, and ensuring educators have access to and practice with aligned instructional resources. I have also work with various education consultant and support organizations, including EdReports, OCTAE (Federal Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education), TNTP, University of California Berkeley History-Social Studies Project, Achieve, and StandardsWork. This work provides resources, professional learning, curricular materials review, and instructional coaching focused on literacy instruction to various schools, districts, and states around the nation. Currently, I am a Designer at Student Achievement Partners, where my work focuses on the intersection of secondary literacy and culturally relevant pedagogies. 




Popular posts from this blog

'Focusing on the Core for All' - Session 1 for Science

Options Area science educators gathered this morning for their first session of   'Focusing on the Core for All' , the Options NVACS professional learning cycle for the 2015-2016 school year. This group includes teachers from Options Area schools, Implementation Specialists from MTSS and Student Support Services departments, Student Support Services area administrators, and Options Area school site principals, each of whom has chosen a content focus for the year (English Language Arts, History-Social Studies, Science, or Mathematics). The professional learning cycle for this year builds on that of past years (namely, the   High School Core Task Project   and   Shifting Instruction to the Core ) and is focused on  supporting teachers, implementation specialists, and administrators in the Options Area to expand and deepen alignment of instruction, materials, and programs  Common Core Standards  and  Instructional Shifts  so that all students are prepared for college and career.
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Shifting Instruction to the Core, ELA Session II: Writing to Sources

English Language Arts teachers and their administrators gathered this morning for the second session of Shifting Instruction to the Core. Participants continued their focus   Instructional Shift 2  and  Core Action 2  from their  previous session , this time with an emphasis on writing to sources. The session included a reflection on teacher's classroom use of Keep It or Junk It , a review of Core Action Two and Argumentative Writing, a careful annotation of "The Writing Revolution" , engagement in a lesson model for ranking evidence, and time to apply the lesson to their future lessons. Materials for the session are linked below. Presentation deck in  PDF Reflection Note Taker College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing ELA Writing Standards Grades 9-10 Instructional Practice Guides for ELA/Literacy   ELA/Literacy  Instructional Shifts Excerpted copy of "The Writing Revolution"  Annotation Guide : Annotating for Claim-Reasoning-Evidence
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The Importance of Curriculum, Part One

I have curriculum on the brain this summer. Most of my current work is focused on curriculum; reviewing it, curating it, or exploring it in some way. Simultaneously, there is an increasing amount of scholarship in the field on the importance of curriculum. Much of this work answers the questions; does curriculum really matter? And if it does, what can we do about it? Educators in the field, academics, publishers and supportive organizations are recognizing that quality curricular materials can support equity in our schools, be a significant force for reform, and act as a key ingredient in high performing classrooms. Of recent note is the Aspen Institute's report, "Practice What You Teach" , which provides relevant research, profiles of curricular implementation, and key recommendations. EducationNext has a great post by Chester Finn titled " Education Becomes a Reform Strategy ". The latest research report by StandardWork, " Curriculum Research: What We K
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