Nancy Frey
- Professor of Literacy, San Diego State University
San Diego
Author and Professor @ SDSU
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Nancy Frey
Rehearsing Lessons Together Helps Teachers Build Good Habits
It’s long documented that teachers improve rapidly during their first years of their careers and considerably more slowly thereafter. A 2021 review of evidence attributed this deceleration in part to habit formation. Teaching is almost perfectly designed to build habits: same room, same bells, same sequence, same challenges. We go on autopilot, making decisions and solving problems how we’ve solved them before. Habits aren’t the enemy, though.
3 Key Solutions to Building AI Literacy for a Future-Ready Workforce
Training leaders must prepare today’s employees—and tomorrow’s talent pipeline—for ethical, transparent, and effective use of AI. Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer on the horizon. It’s here, embedded in nearly every industry and job function. Yet many employees and leaders still struggle to understand how AI works, when to trust it, and how to use it responsibly.
Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey
Home Authors Posts by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey Training Manager Online Course – Starts April 8 Register now for a 4-session course designed for training managers (with or without staff) who need to learn the fundamentals of establishing and running a training department. You’ll get the tools you need to lead teams and manage every aspect of the training function. Learn more.
Making Instructional Coaching Standard for Every Teacher
Elite athletes rely on coaches to refine their practice, adjust from season to season, and see what they cannot see themselves. Even the greatest performers would never think they have outgrown the need for coaching. Yet the perception of coaching is far different for teachers. As educators, researchers, and professional learning partners, we’ve seen how instructional coaching is often misunderstood in schools.
A new PLC model that builds collective efficacy and fights teacher burnout
Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email Click to print (Opens in new window) Print Key points: PLC+ helps educators stay engaged, effective, and resilient How AI can fix PD for teachers Tips, tools, and truths: Making PD meaningful in today’s classrooms For more on teacher PD, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership...
How Teachers and Administrators Can Contribute to AI Transparency
To help students understand and use AI tools, teachers need professional development that supports them in redesigning tried-and-true assignments with an eye to teaching critical thinking. Whether personalizing playlists or serving as 24/7 writing assistants, artificial intelligence tools have become woven into many facets of students' everyday lives. In the face of this rapid change, educators face a critical responsibility. It's no longer sufficient to simply allow or restrict AI in schools.
Rigor Isn't A Mystery. It's A Mindset (and A Practice)
“I know rigor when I see it.” We’ve all heard that line. Maybe we’ve even said it. But here’s the problem: If we can’t describe what rigor looks like, how can we plan for it, support it, or replicate it? Rigor isn’t a vibe. It’s not how long a homework assignment takes, or how many kids fail the test. Rigor is about challenge, but it’s also about support. It’s about giving students meaningful opportunities to think deeply, to struggle productively, and to succeed.
A "Must-Read" Illustrated Welcome to Beginning Teachers
Welcome to Teaching! An Illustrated Guide to the Best Profession in the World By Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey (Corwin, 2024 – Learn more) Reviewed by Alison Prochaska Welcome to Teaching! An Illustrated Guide to the Best Profession in the World is an engaging text that highlights the most essential parts of teaching and learning.
Learning Together as a Team Boosts Both Teachers’ Practice & Student Achievement
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter A professional learning community (PLC) is a structured, collaborative group of educators who come together regularly to discuss their teaching practices. They take collective responsibility for student learning by working toward shared goals and relentlessly focusing on the evidence they collect and analyze from students.
Opinion: Learning Together as a Team Boosts Both Teachers’ Practice & Student Achievement
A professional learning community (PLC) is a structured, collaborative group of educators who come together regularly to discuss their teaching practices. They take collective responsibility for student learning by working toward shared goals and relentlessly focusing on the evidence they collect and analyze from students. Research strongly suggests that PLCs can positively impact both teacher practice and student achievement.
Key questions that unleash powerful PLCs
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Email Print Key points: Successful educator collaboration requires more structured support GenAI and cultural competency: New priorities in teacher preparation Advancing digital equity through teacher leadership For more news on PLCs, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership hub What is the next generation of professional learning community (PLC) that will increase the power of collaboration to inspire more effective teaching?
Rigor: How to reclaim the concept to support teachers
Opinion By: Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey Date: February 20, 2025 Share post: Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp When we learned that “rigor” was rated the least popular buzzword among teachers in a recent poll, we weren’t surprised. Throughout our years working with educators, we’ve seen how this term can create anxiety rather than inspiration. But what if administrators and teachers could collaborate to transform this dreaded word into something that energizes and empowers?
Student Assessment
From math, literacy, equity, multilingual learners, and SEL, to assessment, school counseling, and education leadership, our books are research-based and authored by experts on topics most relevant to what educators are facing today.
Why toxic positivity doesn’t work in the chronic illness community
“Everything will be fine. You just have to stay positive.” Ever heard this idea while dealing with a chronic health condition? If so, you’re not alone. Born with cystic fibrosis (CF), I’ve had a life filled with difficult health challenges. Contrary to popular belief, my symptoms don’t just magically disappear if I think positively. If anything, I’ve been sicker when I don’t allow myself to feel my feelings and be honest about physical symptoms.
The 5 steps of a collective efficacy cycle
Working with the right team is a very rewarding experience. And working on an ineffective team is frustrating and time-wasting. When teams hum along and have a powerful impact, collective efficacy grows. This knowledge is not new. BUT, building collective efficacy has been surprisingly elusive. Collective teacher efficacy doesn’t just happen. Rather, it occurs when particular conditions are established by teams who set, collaborate towards, and attain shared goals related to teaching and learning.
Leader Credibility with Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Cathy Lassiter on Apple Podcasts
When we see a great leader in action, it can seem like magic. But thankfully it’s not. In fact, there is a science behind the people we trust and want to follow. It is the science of credibility. In this session you will hear about the five essential traits of leaders who inspire and influence others. You can begin to reflect on your own practice and discover intentional moves that transform schools into vibrant spaces of learning and innovation.
Restoring Relationships Increases Learning Time
It happened pretty fast. Almost without warning, two students were at a breaking point. In this case, it started when Samantha and Ariel traded mean comments on social media late in the evening. The next day, their hostility seeped into the classroom. They stared each other down in class, “accidentally” bumped into one another in the hall, and talked about the other person loudly to friends.
How Gulf Shores City Schools leveraged their aging facilities into a state-of-the-art campus
When Gulf Shores City Schools opened their doors in 2019, they were ready to make waves as the most innovative, state-of-the-art district in the southern Alabama region. They had their sights set on best-in-class facilities, from classrooms to athletics to campus-wide environment. However, the new district faced an age-old challenge as it inherited thirty-year-old facilities that needed significant repairs and upgrades.
Envisioning the new normal: A story of optimism in education
The COVID-19 pandemic altered almost every aspect of life as we know it. Common habits like seeing family and friends, and going to work and school in person became luxuries that we could no longer afford. People across the globe began to feel a variety of different emotions ranging from frustration to anxiety, doubt and even fear. This became particularly evident in PreK-12 education, as teachers, students and their families entered uncharted territory.
Research in Translation - Educational Leadership
May 2021 | Volume 78 | Number 8 From Research to Practice Pages 76-77 The world has been watching the development of vaccines that can curb the devastating impact of COVID-19. Basic science research moves forward so it can positively impact human health through translational research. The path from lab bench to patient bedside is accomplished through the tireless work of translational researchers.
Veteran Teachers’ Understanding of “Balanced Literacy”
Adams, M. J. (1990). Beginning to read: Thinking and learning about print. MIT Press. Google Scholar Asselin, M. (1999). Balanced literacy. Teacher Librarian, 27(1), 69–70. Google Scholar Au, K. H., Caroll, J. H., Scheu, J. A. (1997). Balanced literacy instruction: A teacher’s resource book. Christopher-Gordon. Google Scholar Balu, R., Zhu, P., Doolittle, F., Schiller, E., Jenkins, J., Gersten, R. (2015). Evaluation of response to intervention practices for elementary school reading (NCEE 2016-4000).
The US has pledged $12B for back-to-school COVID testing. What comes next?
On March 17th, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced an investment of over $12 billion to expand COVID-19 testing in our nation's schools. The investment came as part of the Biden Administration's National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness, designed to help schools safely reopen by regularly screening students for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The US has pledged $12 billion for back-to-school COVID testing. What comes next?
On March 17th, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced an investment of over $12 billion to expand COVID-19 testing in our nation's schools. The investment came as part of the Biden Administration's National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness, designed to help schools safely reopen by regularly screening students for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
A Distance Learning Instructional Framework for Early Literacy
Email or Customer ID Please check your email for instructions on resetting your password. If you do not receive an email within 10 minutes, your email address may not be registered, and you may need to create a new Wiley Online Library account.
Five Recommendations for Increasing the Impact of Summer Learning Time
Why do meta-analyses of summer school suggest that it’s not very useful in ensuring students’ learning? If you follow John Hattie’s work, you know that he collects studies of studies that allow him to scale a wide range of interventions for their overall impact on student learning. Of the over 300 influences, based on over 350 million students and 1800 meta-analyses, summer school is pretty low. The average impact of all of the things we can do to improve students’ learning is .40.
Direct Instruction in Early Reading
November 2020 | Volume 78 | Number 3 The Early Grades Pages 76-77 Teachers of young children never lose the thrill of witnessing a child's wonderment that he can read. If you have ever had the pleasure of seeing this, you know what we mean. Unlike spoken language, which is hard-wired into the brain and in almost all cases evolves naturally through quality interactions with caregivers, reading must be taught.
9 Tips for Making Virtual Professional Learning Meaningful | Corwin Connect
Your professional learning plan for this school year is like no other before it. With requirements for physical distancing in place for the foreseeable future, school organizations have had to pivot in order to deliver the professional learning experiences teachers need to support their efforts, whether in face-to-face, hybrid, simultaneous, or fulltime distance learning schedules.
Lessons From Pandemic Teaching for Content Area Learning
Literacy instruction does not just happen during the language arts block, as students can learn more about reading and writing during science, social studies, and mathematics. This department features examples of how teachers can teach literacy across various content areas.
BookBites: True Crime, Historical Fact and Fiction, Learning Tips for Parents
(NewsUSA) - "No Angels" by Steve Jackson Fourteen-year-old Brandy DuVall waits for a ride home at a bus stop, wearing a bright-red Chicago Bulls jersey bearing the number of Michael Jordan. The shirt attracts five young gang members in a circling car. Why would Brandy get in the car? Was it voluntary? Was she abducted? The consequence was an unimaginable nightmare. The crime, the betrayals and deals, and the subsequent murder trials and death penalty hearings, tore apart families.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Nancy
Contact Nancy, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack