Classroom Instruction That Works®
Help all your students learn more, and more deeply, with teacher-specific strategies that can be used to elevate everyday classroom instruction.
Drawn from recent, rigorous research and evidence, Classroom Instruction That Works (CITW) focuses on 14 strategies for best first instruction, which have demonstrated a positive impact on students’ academic achievement—including diverse groups of students and those experiencing achievement gaps.
Contact us today to learn more about these transformational classroom management strategies and how McREL’s CITW resources and services can help teachers know how and when to use each strategy for maximum effect on student learning.
The New Classroom Instruction That Works!
Unlock the power of effective instruction with The New Classroom Instruction That Works! Drawing on findings from the latest research and evidence that meets What Works Clearinghouse standards, The New CITW combines the latest evidence-based practices with our highly effective, brain-based Learning That Sticks 6-phase model. Elevate your teaching and increase student engagement with 14 game-changing strategies for best first instruction. Get your copy today!
“This book is good! Schools often have great intervention systems, but don’t address Tier 1. Here is the science of impactful instruction.”
Rob Meyer
Director of Teaching and Learning for Beaver Dam USD
CITW Consulting & Professional Learning
Ready to transform your school or district? McREL specializes in collaborative improvement that examines current instructional practices and identifies areas of strength and opportunities for growth. Let’s work together to create a sustainable professional development (PD) plan that makes a lasting difference where it matters most—in students’ learning environment, experiences, and outcomes.
With on-site, online, and hybrid services, we can provide instructional leadership teams with frequent check-ins, visits, coaching, and resources to ensure quality implementation and sustain momentum for continuous improvement and growth.
Free Reader’s Guide
Improving instruction for better student learning requires a thoughtful blending of the science of teaching—using proven instructional strategies and techniques—with the science of learning—knowing how students absorb and process new information and form long-lasting, applicable memory and knowledge.
Download this free study guide to reflect on your professional practice as you read The New Classroom Instruction That Works. Use the guide on your own or with colleagues in a book study to enrich your thinking and conversations about instructional planning and classroom delivery.
The best instructional strategies for student learning!
Improving instruction for better student learning requires a thoughtful blending of the science of teaching—using proven instructional strategies and techniques—with the science of learning—knowing how students absorb and process new information and form long-lasting, applicable memory and knowledge.
McREL’s Classroom Instruction That Works books, resources, and professional development services show teachers across all grade levels and subject areas how to connect these sciences and develop stronger lesson plans and deliver more effective best first instruction for all students.
Improving Tier One Instruction
What CITW PD Participants Are Saying . . .
“Having highly effective instructional tools in the hands of our educators has paved a pathway for collaborative and engaging instruction in each classroom. Our educators wouldn’t have had exposure to these effective instructional tools if it were not for this incredible training opportunity.”
Anthonya Kahrs, Northeast Colorado BOCES
Director of Instruction, Accountability, and Learning
Aligned with Learning That Sticks
The New Classroom Instruction That Works is aligned with the six-phase model for student learning from our Learning That Sticks book and services. The learning model shows teachers how and why to sequence instruction and learning activities in a way that aligns with brain science on how students process new information and create long-lasting, applicable knowledge. CITW provides specific instructional strategies teachers can use at every stage of the learning model.
Promoting Authentic Student Learning
Books & Resources
The New Classroom Instruction That Works
Built on a more rigorous research base and updated to emphasize student diversity, equity, and inclusion, The New Classroom Instruction That Works offers a streamlined focus on 14 instructional strategies proven to promote deep, meaningful, and lasting learning.
Research-Based Instructional Strategies That Work Quick Guide
In this reference guide based on The New CITW, you’ll learn the what, why, and how of 14 learning strategies that can dramatically improve student performance and close achievement gaps.
Tools for Classroom Instruction That Works: Ready-to-Use Techniques for Increasing Student Achievement
When McREL published Classroom Instruction That Works, we encouraged a generation of educators to focus instruction around nine categories of teaching strategies proven to raise student achievement. This book provides 51 tools that make it easy to implement the strategies across grade levels and content areas.
Unleashing the Power of Best First Instruction
This free paper explains the power of best first instruction and describes 14 high-impact Tier 1 instructional strategies that are directly linked to higher levels of student learning.
Learn More & Download
Shifting from Planning for Teaching to Planning for Learning
This brief 4-page overview offers a basic background on planning units and lessons centered on student learning and provides a few suggested next steps for school leaders and teachers interested in navigating this shift in practice.
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Shifting Learning Objectives into Personalized Student Goals
This free, 5-page brief gives insights and strategies for teachers on how to shift beyond posting teacher-written learning objectives and toward helping students define their own learning goals and success criteria.
Learn More & Download
Related Resources
Learning That Sticks: A Brain-Based Model for K-12 Instructional Design and Delivery
In Learning That Sticks, Bryan Goodwin and his coauthors unpack the cognitive science underlying research-supported learning strategies so you can sequence them into experiences that challenge, inspire, and engage your students. As a result, you’ll learn to teach with more intentionality—understanding not just what to do but also when and why to do it.
Using Brain Science to Make Learning Stick Quick Reference Guide
Using Brain Science to Make Learning Stick provides classroom activities that are based in scientific research to help K–12 teachers plan learning experiences that mirror how students turn new information into memory and to make the entire process of learning more effective, engaging, and rewarding for all.
