This week, Kaity and Adriane chat with Natalie Wexler, an education writer and the author of "The Knowledge Gap," about the root causes of the pervasive knowledge gap, the unintended consequences of modern education, and actionable solutions for closing the achievement gap and igniting a love of learning in students. Episode 43 also explores:  🔥 the significance of explicit instruction, guided practice, and frequent retrieval practice 🔥 the link between screen time, family dynamics, and academic success 🔥 the importance of having a good curriculum 🔥 the systemic challenges that teachers face  🔥 and so much more! So, don't miss out on this insightful conversation and learn how to improve student outcomes in education! KEY TAKEAWAYS: 🔑 Building knowledge is crucial for student success, particularly in reading comprehension. 🔑 Writing instruction can reinforce knowledge and develop analytical abilities. 👤 ABOUT THE GUEST 👤 Natalie Wexler is an education writer and the author of The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America's Broken Education System—and How to Fix It (Avery 2019). She is also the co-author, with Judith C. Hochman, of The Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and Grades (Jossey-Bass 2017) and the host of "Reading Comprehension Revisited," a six-episode series for the Knowledge Matters Podcast. Her articles and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The American Scholar, and other publications. She is a senior contributor to Forbes.com, and she has a free Substack newsletter called Minding the Gap.  About the podcast: The KindlED Podcast explores the science of nurturing children's potential and creating empowering learning environments. Powered by Prenda, each episode offers actionable insights to help you ignite your child's love of learning today. We'll dive into evidence-based tools and techniques that kindle young learners' curiosity, motivation, and well-being. Got a burning question? We're all ears! If you have a question or topic you'd love our hosts to tackle, please send it to [email protected]. Let's dive into the conversation together! Important links: • Want more KindlED content? • Connect with us • Subscribe to The Sunday Spark Interested in starting a microschool? Prenda provides all the tools and support you need to start and run an amazing microschool. Create a free Prenda World account to start designing your future microschool today ➡️ Start My Microschool