The Research to Practice Gap
As a special educator, I struggled to find truly effective ways to support my students. I joined professional organizations, but didn’t have the time to sift through journals or navigate lengthy resource pages. I attended required professional development, yet it wasn’t always engaging—or useful.
Welcome to The Research to Practice Gap, a podcast created to bridge exactly that divide. Each month, I sit down with a researcher in the field of education to translate research into practical, evidence-based strategies and activities you can use in your classroom right away.
The Research to Practice Gap
Latest Episodes
Equity Over Equality: Supporting Neurodiversity in the Classroom
What does it really mean to support neurodivergent students in the classroom? In this episode, Dr. Matthew Zakreski joins Dr. Helen Flores to explore why equity—not equality—is essential when supporting students with different brains. From gift...
Teaching Students How Expert Writers Think
In this episode, Dr. Helen Flores sits down with Barbara Friedlander to explore how Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) can help students become more confident, independent writers. Barbara explains how explicit modeling and think...
The Stories We Repeat: Rethinking Race, History, and Teaching
In this episode of The Research to Practice Gap, Dr. Helen Flores sits down with Dr. Tianna Dowie-Chin, Assistant Professor of Social Studies Education at the University of Georgia, to explore how educators can move beyond simply teach...
Classroom Harm Isn’t Always Loud: Understanding Slow Violence
What if the most harmful experiences students have at school aren't dramatic, but happen through everyday interactions? Dr. Helen Flores sits down with sociologist and Slow Violence author Dr. Ranita Ray to explore how subtle classroom...
Building Student Agency: Teaching Self-Determination in the Classroom
Self-determination doesn't begin at age 14—it starts in the earliest years of school. In this episode, Laurie Williams-George explains how teachers can build student agency through simple, research-based practices that help students make decisi...
