INSIGHTS & IDEAS

The Education Table Blog

Practical strategies, research, and perspectives from the Novak Education team to help educators strengthen instruction, leadership, and inclusive systems.

Implementing UDL

Exemplars as Scaffolds: Building Student Independence

Over the summer, my son, who was about to enter sixth grade, was assigned a summer reading project. The assignment included completing a graphic organizer to reflect on passages from the ...

Katie Novak · November 10, 2026

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Universal Design for Learning

Formative and Summative Assessment: It's All About the Journey

Katie Novak · November 9, 2026

UDL Strategies make your classroom more inclusive and accessible

Universal Design for Learning

8 UDL Strategies to Make Your Classroom More Inclusive

Katie Novak · November 4, 2026

School improvement efforts require vision, efficacy, commitment, and coherence

Universal Design for Learning

Finding Your Flow: Creating Coherence in School Improvement

Katie Novak · October 29, 2026

Assessments

Beyond Turn & Talk: How to Teach Academic Discourse and Collaboration

I spend a lot of time in classrooms, and one of the things I love seeing is how many educators are creating opportunities for students to learn with and from one another. Teachers ...

Katie Novak · October 20, 2026

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Mathematics

Yes, Math Can be Made Accessible for All of Your Students

Key Takeaways for Implementing UDL in K-5 Mathematics Classrooms As someone who just wrote a book about teaching math in elementary school, I have a confession: math was tough for ...

Katie Novak · October 14, 2026

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Leadership

How UDL Professional Development Supports MTSS

When I work with schools and districts, I often hear leaders talk about MTSS and UDL as two separate initiatives. They have an MTSS team. They have UDL professional development. ...

Katie Novak · September 29, 2026

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Professional Learning

Why UDL Professional Development Fails to Stick

We ask a lot from professional development.

Katie Novak · September 14, 2026

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Professional Learning

Million Dollar Question: What Does UDL Look Like?

I really struggle when someone asks me, “What does UDL look like?” It is not because I don’t know the answer. It’s because I don’t know exactly what it will look like for you and ...

Katie Novak · September 1, 2026

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Teachers May Understand UDL Better than You Think

Leadership

Do You Really Need More Teacher Professional Development?

Your Teachers May Understand UDL Better Than You Think Our team has the incredible privilege to provide professional development for teachers all over the world. Introducing UDL, ...

Katie Novak · August 5, 2026

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Teaching learning in to work with students during a learning walk

Designing Learning Walks That Create Lasting Change

Educators and leaders spend significant time observing classrooms, conducting walkthroughs, and facilitating learning walks, but too often there is little return on the ...

Katie Novak · May 28, 2026

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When Student Needs Exceed System Capacity: What Leaders Can Do

If you’ve worked with me before, you’ve probably heard me say, “You can’t intervention your way out of a weak Tier 1 foundation.” I feel like I need it printed on a T-shirt. I say ...

Katie Novak · May 14, 2026

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