Learning from Educators: Trust, Feedback, and Building Better Products

One of the greatest privileges of my role is spending time in classrooms and witnessing educators' inspiring work. Among my most memorable visits was joining a Learning Walk session at a school in Ohio. We spent a few hours with a group of educators as they talked about their intentions and goals for their classrooms. We then observed them putting those goals into practice. Afterward, we reflected on their takeaways and challenges, whether it was helpful, and how we could best support them. What struck me most was how vulnerable the whole process was. These educators invited people, some of us strangers, into their classrooms because they wanted to get better for their students, and they trusted us to help them do that. It made me think: we should all be more willing to bring people we trust into the process of improving our work, to set aside the need to appear certain, and, in doing so, open the door to growth. We can accomplish so much more together, through collaboration, than we can alone.

Teachers Are Experts

I see that same openness at our educator events and in our Extraordinary Educators community. Educators want to compare notes and learn from each other, and they also want to share feedback with us, so we can continuously improve. In a recent employee town hall gathering at our Extraordinary Educators Summit hosted in our Billerica office, educators gave us candid and incredibly valuable feedback on our products. They also had an opportunity to meet other educators from across the country, "sharpen their tools," and bring new ideas back to their own buildings. That's collective expertise in action, and it is worth protecting and building on.

Getting Closer to the Work

Educators understand their students, their schools, and their communities best. That's why we invite feedback through surveys, focus groups, and product testing sessions, and collaborate with educators to co-design and improve our products. Our Professional Learning team makes about 50,000 school visits every year, and about one-third of our colleagues work directly in service and support. Staying close to educators shapes everything we do.

Because we want more of our colleagues to experience what I did in Ohio, we created our ride-along initiative to give non-customer-facing colleagues the opportunity to attend a school visit, witness the joy of learning in the classroom, talk with educators, and see firsthand how our programs come to life. Our teams continue to bring those insights and energy back to our work, strengthening how we serve.

Where We Get Our Best Ideas

Sometimes a teacher describes a challenge we'd never considered. Sometimes an instructional leader shows us a practice that deserves to be shared more broadly. Sometimes an educator simply asks, "Why does it work this way?" Those conversations have shaped how we think about both our print and digital work over the years.

The best ideas don't belong to us. They show up when we learn and innovate with educators, not just for them.

We take all feedback to heart. This year, we shortened the i-Ready Inform assessment based directly on educator feedback. For example, in grades 6–8, students will see 23–45% fewer questions for the same actionable insights teachers rely on. Based on early data from this all, we're seeing encouraging signals. Testing time has dropped by as much as 38% for some grades—and we'll stay close to the data and educators as the year continues. We also built enhanced features for i-Ready Personalized Instruction, because teachers asked for more visibility and control over how it fits into their classrooms.  These changes happened because educators shared what was important to them, and we listened. When educators know their ideas have shaped our programs or describe feeling like they have a "seat at the table," it reminds all of us that listening matters most when educators see their feedback reflected in the work.

A Legacy of Listening and Building with Educators

Listening is in our DNA. It's our foundation. Curriculum Associates was founded in 1969 by educators who wanted to make classrooms better for teachers and students, and that connection to educators continues to shape how we work today. Our Professional Learning team is led by former educators, and our i-Ready Partners bring decades of experience as teachers, administrators, coaches, specialists, principals, and interventionists. That educator perspective is part of who we are, but it's also something we must keep earning by listening to educators and building alongside them. We want their ideas and insights to challenge our thinking and shape the decisions we make.

What stayed with me from my Learning Walk in Ohio was the trust those educators showed by opening their classroom doors and inviting others into their learning. I want us to earn that same trust with the close to 1.5 million educators we serve—by building alongside them, inviting feedback, listening to their ideas and opinions, welcoming hard criticism, and most importantly, showing them that their expertise matters.
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More Resources for You: 

Using Student and Teacher Feedback to Improve Product Accessibility

The Power of Connection: How Five Teachers Became Family—and Stronger Educators

Screen Time in Schools: It's Right to Ask Questions