Yearly Archives: 2025

By Dr. Matthew Lynch, Ed.D. Balanced literacy represents an instructional approach to reading and writing development that integrates multiple components of effective literacy instruction while avoiding rigid adherence to any single methodology. Emerging as a response to the polarizing “reading wars” between phonics and whole language approaches, balanced literacy seeks to incorporate research-supported elements from…

What is an Emergent Reader? As an educator with over two decades of experience in the field, I’ve observed that literacy development begins long before a child can actually read words on a page. This foundational stage is what we call “emergent reading,” and understanding it is crucial for both educators and parents. An emergent…

By Dr. Matthew Lynch, Ed.D. Balanced assessment represents a comprehensive approach to educational evaluation that integrates multiple assessment types, methods, and purposes to create a more complete and accurate picture of student learning. Moving beyond the limitations of single-measure approaches, balanced assessment systems draw from diverse evidence sources to support instructional decision-making, document student growth,…

As an educational researcher who has devoted much of my career to studying innovative pedagogical approaches, I've observed that few educational philosophies honor children's natural curiosity and capacity for directing their own learning as effectively as emergent curriculum. This dynamic approach to education, particularly prevalent in early childhood settings, represents a significant departure from traditional…