Sarah McKibben (thumbnail)

Sarah McKibben

Educational Leadership November 2026 From the Editor Header

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From the Editor: The Ugly First Draft - Header Image

The Ugly First Draft

Reading & Writing

Mike Miller

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Why “Good” Is Better Than “Perfect” in Student Writing - Header Image

Why “Good” Is Better Than “Perfect” in Student Writing

Latrise P. Johnson headshot

Latrise Johnson

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Whose Writing Foundation Are We Rebuilding? - Image Header

Whose Writing Foundation Are We Rebuilding?

Melanie Meehan headshot

Melanie Meehan

Maggie Beattie Roberts headshot

Maggie Beattie Roberts

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Creating Cognitive Space for Student Writers - Image Header

Creating Cognitive Space for Student Writers

Teaching Strategies

Missy Springsteen-Haupt 

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A Plea for Messy Writing - Image Header

A Plea for Messy Writing

Andrew Housiaux

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Mental Models and Mentor Texts - Image Header

Mental Models and Mentor Texts

Troy Hicks headshot

Troy Hicks

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AI as a Co-Writer: What Students Need to Consider - Image Header

AI as a Co-Writer: What Students Need to Consider

Artificial Intelligence

Court Shuller headshot

Court Shuller

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Preventing Test-Day Freeze With Year-Round Prep - Image Header

Preventing Test-Day Freeze With Year-Round Prep

Pam Allyn

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Bringing Joy to Multilingual Learning - Image Header

Bringing Joy to Multilingual Learning

Jewellyn Forrest 

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Stretching Figurative Language for New Writers - Header Image

Stretching Figurative Language for New Writers

Natalie Wexler

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Reimagining Learning: Writing Is Hard Work. That’s the Point. - Header Image

Writing Is Hard Work. That’s the Point.

Teresa D. Hill

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Optimistic Leadership: Original Ideas Deserve an Authentic Audience - Image Header

Original Ideas Deserve an Authentic Audience

Douglas Fisher

Nancy Frey

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Instructional Insights: Moving Past “You’ll Need This Someday” - Image Header

Moving Past “You’ll Need This Someday”

Student Engagement

Bryan Goodwin

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Research Alert: Showing Students How Writers Think

Showing Students How Writers Think

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Educational Leadership Staff

Fleur Bradley headshot

Fleur Bradley

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Interview: Turning Reluctant Readers into Storytellers - Image Header

Turning Reluctant Readers into Storytellers

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EL Takeaways November 2026 (thumbnail)

Takeaways

Students’ writing skills declined sharply during the pandemic—and they’ve been slow to rebound. Meanwhile, AI tools can draft essays in seconds, offering a tempting shortcut. Both challenges underscore the same urgent need: helping students rebuild foundational skills and the confidence to express their ideas clearly.

The November 2026 issue of Educational Leadership explores how educators are strengthening core writing abilities—from the messiness of drafting to the craft of revision—while teaching students to use AI as a thinking partner rather than a replacement.

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Cultivating Confident Writers - Issue Cover

Cultivating Confident Writers

Cultivating Confident Writers

About this Issue

Features

Columns

Advisory: Trends and Ideas

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