Gadfly Bites 3/2/26—Worthy of emulation

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1. The spotlight is on tiny little Steubenville City Schools again via this update of a National Public Radio piece from April 2025 and a revisit to the Sold a Story podcast episode about how “astonishing” and unusual long-term success in teaching reading to youngsters in a high-poverty school is. Steubenville has bucked the trend for enough years now that its success is considered “permanent” and thus it is even more worthy of study and emulation than ever before. I am confident that the teachers and families down there will just keep on doing what they’re doing, but can you imagine the coverage and headlines should their outcomes slip even a little bit in the future? I shudder to think. (Reveal, 2/28/26)

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