The NIFDI Board of Directors is pleased to announce their selections for the 2025 Excellence in Education Awards. Each year, we recognize individuals and schools that have made a significant difference in the educational performance of children through the Carnine/McRoberts Student Improvement Award, the Siegfried Engelmann Excellence in Education Award, and the Wesley Becker Excellent School Award.

There are two recipients of the Becker Excellent School Award.

Athena Learning Trust Cluster, located in the United Kingdom. Their nomination notes the significant positive impact the Direct Instruction mathematics curriculum has had on their students, staff, and the wider educational community.

Mastery School Australia Coolangatta. Their implementation of Connecting Math Concepts, Spelling Mastery, Reading Mastery, and Corrective Reading as their instructional core has received national notice for the results they are achieving.

The Engelmann Excellence in Education Award is shared by three outstanding educators, all of whom teach at Mastery Schools Australia’s Southport campus.

Bryce Kennedy is a year 9-10 teacher. In his letter of support, Principal Matt Cavanaugh notes, “Bryce has made a profound and lasting impact on our school community through his exceptional teaching ability, unwavering professionalism, and outstanding mentorship.”

Brooke Schembri works with neuro-diverse students as well as those who have significant emotional challenges. She is noted for her effective, dedicated, and compassionate work to make sure each student succeeds.

Jamie Phillips works with students in years 7-8. The letters of support from her students note how they have gained confidence in themselves through her continuous support and encouragement. Master Teacher Melissa Pilcher reports that, “Jaime is not only an exceptional classroom teacher but also a generous and skilled mentor to her colleagues.”

There will be a reception at the National DI conference on July 24 to recognize these outstanding schools and individuals. Please look for the call for nominations, which will be released in February, and consider nominating your school, colleague, or student for an award.

Educational Achievement Publishing (EAP) has begun email distribution of Achievement Matters. Marketing Director Randi Saulter refers to it as "your go-to source for news, insights, and resources from Educational Achievement Publishing, the publisher of Direct Instruction Spoken English (DISE)."

Future issues will include helpful tips for classroom implementation, highlights from schools using DISE, answers to frequently asked questions, and much more.

Click here to subscribe to this valuable resource.

In a recent webinar sponsored by McGraw-Hill Education, Dr. Carl Hendrick expressed strong support for Direct Instruction (DI) programs as examples of distributed/spaced practice and other techniques that ensure students master the content they encounter. Dr. Hendrick, who works at the Academica University of Applied Sciences in Amsterdam with a focus on bridging the gap between research and practice, is a leading expert on the Science of Learning. His books include:

Click here to access the webinar, The Science of Learning meets Direct Instruction with Dr Carl Hendrick.

The latest Direct Instruction Podcast features veteran behavior management consultant and researcher Geoff Colvin. In this 36-minute conversation with Zach Groshell, Geoff describes how Direct Instruction interfaces with behavior management. He traces the history of Positive Behavior Intervention Supports and his work at the University of Oregon. Geoff also talks about trends in behavior management and the pitfalls of some current practices.

Click here to listen to this engaging interview.