Connected Classrooms

03/05/2026

Dr. Anne Paonessa worked with teachers on connection-driven strategies that increase engagement and deepen learning!

Our session, "It's Not Their Attention Spans: Engaging Students Through the Power of Connection," focused on layering in connections to self, others, learning, and the community to strengthen student engagement.

The actions steps they're taking back are powerful!
💛 Strength Spotlights so students can identify their individual "superpowers"
💛 Peer- to- peer learning structures
💛 Bringing community members into learning units
💛 Reflective pauses so students can process learning and see their growth
💛 Shifting from compliance to connection

So grateful for these teachers who continue to show up for students in meaningful ways.

If any teachers or administrators are interested in engaging in this work, please reach out at www.annepaonessa.com!

02/19/2026

What does your child’s school day really feel like?

I’m launching the 2026 Student Connection Snapshot, a brief, anonymous survey for students in grades K–12 about belonging, collaboration, engagement, and technology use in school.

This is an opportunity for parents to better understand their child’s experience, and for educators to gain valuable insight to inform improvement efforts.

The survey takes about 5 minutes and is not connected to any specific school or district. Responses will be shared only in summary form.

The summary report will be posted on the ConnectED Classrooms website (www.annepaonessa.com) on or before May 8th.

Let’s listen to students — together.

Survey link in comments.

01/09/2026

Schools across the country are working harder than ever to improve attendance, engagement, and learning, yet many leaders still feel frustrated by the results.

One reason? A common blind spot in school improvement efforts: connection is often talked about, but rarely systematized.

Research continues to show that schools with the highest attendance rates and strongest academic growth also demonstrate high levels of school connectedness.

At ConnectED Classrooms, we partner with schools and districts to intentionally design for connection, not as an add-on, but as a core improvement strategy that supports students and educators alike.

Connection isn’t extra. It’s essential.

12/04/2025

Beyond excited for the opportunity for the opportunity to speak with Danny Bauer on his Better Leaders, Better Schools podcast!

We dug into what so many schools are feeling right now, rising absenteeism, behavior challenges, and the pressure to improve learning outcomes...all while teachers and leaders are stretched thin.

In this episode, I share why connection is the missing link in school improvement. When students feel seen, supported, and a part of something bigger, everything shifts- engagement grows, and classrooms become spaces of meaningful learning again. Connection isn't "one more thing." It is the thing that, makes everything else work.

If you're a leader committed to making a real difference, this conversation is for you!

Listen here: https://youtu.be/JXDqTzDyFrY?si=5D-I2jXtXS4fHWU_

And, if you're not already subscribed to Danny's YouTube channel, don't miss out- it's full of wisdom for bold, forward-thinking Ruckus Makers!

Let's keep building schools where students thrive and connection drives results!

Connection isn't extra — it's the foundation.Join 5,000+ Ruckus Makers who want to Do School Different 👉 https://ruckusmakers.news/subscribeWhy are students...

12/01/2025

Connection is the missing link in school improvement—and multilingual learners benefit most when we get it right. Excited to share strategies and learn with everyone at the ESSA/Multilingual Conference!

11/18/2025

I truly enjoyed my time with the dedicated educators at NNETESOL this weekend!

We explored practical ways to build student voice, confidence, and belonging through meaningful collaboration.

If you're looking for more connection- centered strategies for your school or district, I'd love to support you! Essential Connection Skills (Corwin, 2025) offers ready- to- use strategies for classrooms! Please share this post with a favorite educator!

11/11/2025

🎬 New Video!

I had such an inspiring conversation with host Tan Huynh on his podcast Teaching MLs.

We talked about the ways that connection to self, others, learning, and the community fuels engagement and learning, especially for multilingual learners. If you haven't had a chance to listen yet, the full interview is now available on YouTube👇

https://youtu.be/ym6Of5vgtnI?si=krPb57d-H23e6BK5

Whether you're a teacher, coach or school leader, this contain is full of practical ways to help build voice, belonging, and confidence.

What do high-achieving schools have in common? Connection.Today’s classrooms need to move beyond traditional teaching methods; they need strategies that will...

11/01/2025

What is the single most powerful tool all schools have access to?

CONNECTION!

Here's my latest article highlighting the impact for our students when we embed connection- driven strategies. Please share with the educators in your lives.

Source: Language Magazine

Making Education More Than a GradeIn December of 2013, I published an article in Language Magazine entitled, “Making Education More Than a Grade”. This article examined the positive effects of service learning for English language learners (ELLs) - now updated to Culturally and Linguistically Di...

10/21/2025

🎙️ Exciting news! I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be a guest on one of my all-time favorite podcasts, Better Leaders Better Schools with Danny Bauer!

As the founder of ConnectED Classrooms and author of Essential Connection Skills (Corwin, 2025), I’ll be joining Danny for an upcoming episode to talk about how we can strengthen attendance, engagement, and outcomes through the power of connection.

We’ll dig into how small, intentional shifts can help us move beyond “canned” curriculum and bring back what’s been missing; authentic, connection-driven learning that helps both students and teachers thrive.

If you’re in education and want to make a difference, this is a podcast you should be tuning into on a regular basis! 🎧 Please tag your favorite educators on this post!

10/08/2025

I'm excited to share that I'll be presenting two sessions at NNETESOL 2025!🥳

I'm looking forward to connecting with passionate educators and exploring new ways to boost engagement and multilingual learner success through the power of connection.

I can't wait to bring back ideas to our ConnectED Classrooms community!