S5E13: Mike Schmoker on How Schools Can Get Results Now

Mike Schmoker is one of the most influential voices in school improvement, urging schools to recommit to the fundamentals: coherent curriculum, strong lesson design, and authentic literacy—reading, discussion, and writing—throughout the school day. Across books like Focus and Results Now 2.0, and decades of essays and commentary, his through-line is the same: schools don’t usually need more initiatives—they need fewer priorities, executed with far greater clarity and consistency.

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About Mike Schmoker

Mike Schmoker is the author of Focus, Results Now 2.0, and other widely read books on school improvement, and he’s published extensively in outlets including ASCD and Education Week (and beyond). His work consistently presses schools to simplify: prioritize the practices with the strongest payoff, and eliminate the “initiative clutter” that dilutes time, attention, and instructional quality.

🔎 Learn more:

Start here: Schmoker’s books

Articles to read

🧠 “Focusing on the Essentials” (ASCD)— a concise overview of the “three essentials” frame.
📚 “Radical Reset: The Case for Minimalist Literacy Standards” (ASCD)— argues for simpler, higher-volume literacy expectations.
✏️ “Reading, Writing, and Thinking for All” (Educational Leadership PDF) — a classic piece on literacy-rich curriculum and intellectually serious student work.
🧯 “The ‘Crayola Curriculum’” (Education Week reprint PDF)— the early essay that made his critique famous.
🧰 “It’s Time to Do the ‘Right Things’” (ASCD)— a recent statement of the overall argument for prioritization and execution.

Looking for great education books

The podcast you’re listening to is sponsored by John Catt from Hachette Learning and hosted by Dr. Zach Groshell. John Catt publishes some of the best books in education, including my book, Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching.