Ep 36: The False Choice Between Fidelity and Flexibility

Ep 36: The False Choice Between Fidelity and Flexibility

In this episode of The Education Table, Dr. Katie Novak responds to a question many educators wrestle with: Can you make instructional adjustments to support learners without being seen as out of alignment with the curriculum? Drawing on research, classroom examples, and her own experiences supporting schools, she explores the common tension between implementing high-quality instructional materials with fidelity and responding to learner variability. Dr. Novak challenges the misconception that alignment requires every teacher to deliver instruction in exactly the same way. Instead, she explains that true alignment is grounded in shared goals, rigor, and outcomes, not identical instructional methods. Using the Universal Design for Learning framework, she highlights practical ways educators can provide scaffolds, offer flexible pathways, and increase student agency while maintaining grade-level expectations and the integrity of the curriculum. This episode offers actionable strategies for teachers and leaders navigating curriculum implementation, including how to focus on access, “explode the verbs” in learning tasks, and establish clear guardrails around what flexibility is encouraged. The result is a powerful reminder that flexibility is not misalignment; it is often what makes rigorous learning possible for more students. Episode Transcript [https://www.novakeducation.com/hubfs/Podcast%20-%20The%20Education%20Table/Podcast_Episode_36_Transcript.pdf] Episode Page [https://www.novakeducation.com/podcast-episdoe36]

Ep 35: Great Teachers Have Coaches Too

In this episode of The Education Table, Dr. Katie Novak centers the powerful role instructional coaches play in helping schools shift from teacher-centered to learner-centered practice. She is clear from the start: coaching is not about fixing teachers. It is about partnering with skilled professionals who are committed to continual growth, refinement, and impact. Drawing on research, real-world examples, and her own experiences, Dr. Novak explores what makes instructional coaching effective and why meaningful instructional shifts require more than good intentions. She emphasizes coaching as a collaborative, non-judgmental process grounded in trust, clarity, and shared goals. Coaches are positioned as partners, co-designers, and champions for change, not evaluators or compliance monitors. Throughout the episode, Dr. Novak highlights how Universal Design for Learning provides a strong foundation for coaching conversations that lead to lasting change. By focusing on intentional goal-setting, reflective practice, and supportive accountability, instructional coaches can help educators make shifts that stick—without shame, pressure, or top-down mandates. This episode is a clear affirmation of instructional coaches and a practical guide for using coaching as a lever for sustainable, learner-centered transformation. Episode Transcript [https://7288705.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7288705/Podcast%20-%20The%20Education%20Table/Podcast_Episode_35_Transcript.pdf] Episode Webpage [https://www.novakeducation.com/episode-35-great-teachers-have-coaches-too]

Ep 34: Rethinking Faculty Meetings: From Announcements to Impact

In this episode of The Education Table, Dr. Katie Novak focuses on how faculty meeting time is often used for logistics, announcements, and information that could be shared asynchronously, rather than for the kind of collaborative learning that supports instructional improvement. The episode invites leaders to reconsider how this limited and valuable time is structured. Dr. Novak explains how faculty meetings can be intentionally designed to support adult learning by clarifying instructional goals, engaging educators in shared problem-solving, and creating space for reflection and alignment. Drawing on principles of Universal Design for Learning, she highlights how the same design choices that support student learning such as clear purpose, meaningful engagement, and intentional use of time, also apply to adults. Rather than adding more to educators’ plates, this episode emphasizes making better use of time leaders already have. When faculty meetings are aligned to instructional priorities and designed with intention, they can become a powerful lever for coherence, trust, and improved practice. View episode transcript [https://www.novakeducation.com/hubfs/Podcast%20-%20The%20Education%20Table/Podcast_Episode_34_Transcript.pdf] View corresponding blog [https://www.novakeducation.com/blog/educators-guide-to-better-more-productive-meetings]

Ep 33: When Tier 1 Isn’t Working, Pulling More Students Isn’t the Answer

In this episode of The Education Table, Dr. Katie Novak reframes the commonly cited “80% rule” in MTSS. Rather than treating it as a hard benchmark or accountability threshold, she positions it as a temperature check - one data point that helps leaders pause and ask better questions about Tier 1 instruction. Dr. Novak explains that when a large percentage of students require intervention, the response should not automatically be to pull more students, add more programs, or intensify supports. Instead, it is an opportunity to examine how Tier 1 instruction is designed, how clearly goals are communicated, and how accessible learning is for students from the start. The focus shifts from fixing students to understanding instructional conditions. The episode highlights how Universal Design for Learning focus areas support leaders and instructional coaches in noticing patterns across classrooms through non-evaluative, supportive walkthroughs. Used well, these tools help teams reflect, build shared understanding, and strengthen core instruction, creating conditions where fewer students need intervention because Tier 1 is doing more of the work. View related blog [https://www.novakeducation.com/blog/what-the-80-in-mtss-is-really-asking-us-to-notice] View episode transcript [https://www.novakeducation.com/hubfs/Podcast%20-%20The%20Education%20Table/Podcast_Episode_33_Transcript.pdf]

Ep 32: How do we know if we are actually implementing UDL?

In this episode of The Education Table, Dr. Katie Novak speaks directly to school and district leaders and instructional coaches who want to better understand how Universal Design for Learning is showing up across classrooms. She introduces the UDL focus areas as a tool for noticing, naming, and supporting instructional practices that educators are already building, while also clarifying where intentional shifts can deepen impact. Drawing on classroom examples and implementation research, Dr. Novak explores how non-evaluative, supportive observations and walkthroughs help leaders strengthen Tier 1 instruction without positioning UDL as a checklist or compliance task. Rather than using observations to judge practice, this episode emphasizes how focus areas can guide coaching conversations, professional learning, and systems-level coherence in ways that support teachers and improve student outcomes. In this episode, you will learn: * What UDL focus areas are and why they matter * How to use the focus areas to help support teacher growth * Why depth of practice leads to greater impact than breadth Additional resources to explore: * UDL Focus Areas Blog & Tool [https://www.novakeducation.com/hubfs/Podcast%20-%20The%20Education%20Table/Podcast_Episode_32_Transcript_Refined.pdf] * Episode transcript [https://www.novakeducation.com/hubfs/Podcast%20-%20The%20Education%20Table/Podcast_Episode_32_Transcript_Refined.pdf]