SRSD in Action: Five Educators Share Their Story

Meet the Educators Behind the Science of Writing Success

When schools implement a new instructional approach, the true test of its success often comes from the educators who carry it forward daily. Teachers, principals, curriculum coordinators, and instructional coaches see firsthand whether a method lives up to its promise because they witness its impact on student engagement, self-confidence, and skill, often requiring strategic intervention to make adjustments as needed. Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) is an evidence-based approach to teaching writing that resonates across classrooms for one key reason: it sparks tangible change in how teachers and students think about the writing process.

Below, you will hear from five educators—each at a different level of school leadership—who have adopted SRSD and seen notable outcomes in their contexts. They share candid reflections on why they embraced SRSD, how they introduced it to their staff or students, and the powerful shifts they have witnessed. From Canada to the U.S., from kindergarten to middle school, these stories illustrate the potency of explicit strategy instruction interwoven with self-regulation skills. They also remind us that teaching writing is not just about mechanics or formats but about nurturing a sense of purpose, creativity, and confidence in every learner.

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Heather McKay, Principal: “I am an excellent teacher writing now!”

Building Enthusiasm and Seeing Growth

Heather McKay, a principal in Calgary, Alberta, spearheaded her school’s adoption of SRSD after noticing that many students struggled with writing and self-regulation. She recalls how student data revealed a lack of enthusiasm for writing and difficulty setting learning goals. While her school had experimented with other evidence-based strategies, none sparked long-term change. That was when she learned about SRSD.

“I had heard about SRSD, and I had heard about it through university work, and I was excited to try it,” she explains.

Heather felt confident that SRSD’s extensive research base—and its explicit focus on self-regulation—could help her entire staff develop both a passion and a robust framework for teaching writing. After navigating the necessary approvals from her school board, Heather and her colleagues launched SRSD in September and targeted a single genre for about three months. The results exceeded her expectations. Students completed pre- and post-writing samples, and the improvement was unmistakable.

She recounts a story of one student who rushed onto the school bus exclaiming:

“I cannot wait to show my mom and dad my opinion writing!”

For Heather, that kind of student excitement is what matters most. She also notes how teachers are beginning to see themselves as effective teachers of writing:

“I am an excellent teacher writing now!”

Heather’s staff required upfront professional development, and some were initially hesitant. They practiced lessons, modeled them, and refined their approach before teaching students. Although that meant stepping outside their comfort zones, her teachers soon reported feeling proud and capable. As Heather puts it, they came to realize that the changes in students’ writing and attitudes were well worth the effort:

“They’re taking risks because they see it actually changes kids’ lives.”

This experience underscores SRSD’s broad impact: it instills confidence not just in students but in teachers as well. And once you have a school full of educators who feel “excellent” about teaching writing, students catch that energy and begin to thrive.

Watch Heather’s full video here: HEATHER MCKAY VIDEO

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Shelly Ferro, Curriculum Coordinator: “The research can’t be denied.”

A Holistic District-Level Perspective

While Heather viewed SRSD through the lens of school-wide leadership, curriculum coordinator Shelly Ferro examined it district-wide. She took the role three years ago after having taught for 17 years. Immediately, teachers in her district shared a consistent frustration: they did not feel confident about teaching writing.

“I put a survey out to teachers on what they felt the needs of our district was,” Shelly says, “and they just didn’t feel great about teaching writing.”

For Shelly, the next step was to exhaustively investigate writing approaches and programs. She kept coming back to SRSD:

“Honestly, the research can’t be denied, and it gave us exactly what the teachers needed.”

When her district adopted SRSD, Shelly organized professional development so every teacher could learn the foundational strategies and build a shared understanding. Just as Heather witnessed, Shelly also saw the power of the “train the trainer” method. Facilitators—people already well-versed in SRSD—guided staff through explicit instruction, from early modeling to more independent practice.

Shelly points out that one early hurdle involved teachers unfamiliar with modeling extensively, especially at higher grade levels, but witnessing SRSD in action helped them adapt. Kindergarten and first-grade teachers are often used to modeling everything, but older teachers must readjust. Over time, however, they saw how the robust background knowledge, effective writing strategies, and explicit discussion of strategies “prepare students to write” and elevate engagement and performance.

One striking example occurred in kindergarten: Shelly shared a sample of student work that showed pictures and simple text in the fall, evolving into more detailed, higher-level sentences by early winter—far earlier than teachers would usually see such growth. To Shelly, SRSD’s greatest asset is its explicitness:

“It is explicit PD for them, for explicit instruction in writing, and it empowers them on how to make this happen.”

Her perspective shows that when a district embraces SRSD with comprehensive professional development and consistent follow-up, it can improve teacher capacity at every stage—from novices to seasoned veterans.

Watch Shelly’s full video here: SHELLY FERRO VIDEO

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Kaitlyn Gann, Instructional Coach: “The training-the-trainer model is essential.”

Supporting Teachers, Elevating Student Success

Instructional coaches hold a unique vantage point in a school system. They see day-to-day classroom implementation but connect directly with administrators and curriculum leaders. Kaitlyn Gann, an instructional coach, explains how SRSD’s success in her school is partly a result of that supportive coaching layer:

“The training-the-trainer model is essential to SRSD. When we took it on, we, as coaches, went through the writing-to-learn courses and the facilitator courses.”

Kaitlyn notes that this setup allowed her to proactively anticipate questions and guide teachers. She and other coaches first practiced the lessons—“actually modeling in front of them” and troubleshooting potential roadblocks before teachers introduced strategies to students. That planning fostered an environment of trust; teachers knew the coaches were “going through it all with them,” learning the mnemonics, the modeling steps, and the self-regulation techniques hand in hand.

This arrangement sparked widespread enthusiasm:

“They’re so grateful that we actually have a writing program that works,” Kaitlyn says.

She describes a fifth-grade student who epitomizes the transformative power of SRSD. Historically, the student had difficulty focusing and translating his ideas onto paper. But during a classroom observation, Kaitlyn witnessed him rushing over, excited to share his writing:

“He was just blown away, he’s like, ‘Look at my writing.’”

He proudly pointed out his topic sentences, transition words, “million-dollar words,” and the structured approach that SRSD champions. Even better, when Kaitlyn reminded him, “Don’t forget your conclusion,” he instantly responded, “Oh yeah, you’re right!” rather than bristling at feedback. This anecdote reveals how a strong self-regulatory framework can transform a reluctant writer into someone eager to revise.

What resonates most from Kaitlyn’s story is the synergy between effective coaching and a proven method. Coaches who can guide teachers step by step, supplemented by robust online training and teacher-friendly resources, create a foundation where educators and students can thrive.

Watch Kaitlyn’s full video here: KAITLYN GANN’S VIDEO

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Whitney Ruff, Middle School English Teacher: “We were assigning writing, but we weren’t really teaching it.”

Finding Consistency and Language Across Teachers

Whitney Ruff teaches middle school English at an independent K–12 school in Nashville. Her context differs from many public schools—no formal special education program, and teachers enjoy high autonomy. Yet, autonomy led to wide variations in how writing was taught. When students reached high school, their writing skills were “all over the map.”

That’s when Whitney began researching frameworks. She wanted something robust yet flexible enough to suit an independent school environment. She recalls:

“Everything I looked at in the research, everyone I talked to, everything was coming back to SRSD.”

Convinced, Whitney introduced SRSD to her school’s curriculum coordinator and division head. Together, they implemented it in both English and history classes. They quickly noticed a significant shift in students’ writing, questioning, and overall engagement. SRSD gave them a unified language—teachers and students across the building understood what a “tree organizer” was, what “POWER” stood for (Plan, Organize, Write, Edit, Revise), and how to analyze writing systematically.

Crucially, SRSD also forced them to reflect on time allocation and instructional priorities. Whitney puts it bluntly:

“We were assigning writing, but we weren’t really teaching it.”

Instead of handing out prompts and hoping students recalled how to craft a thesis, teachers explicitly modeled the entire writing process, incorporating various writing strategies to enhance understanding. This pivot immediately decreased the number of confused hands in the air. Students now ask teachers specific questions—“Could you check my explanation? Does it connect well to my topic sentence?”—rather than a vague, “Is this any good?”

One of Whitney’s students, who has dyslexia, produced a disorganized pretest sample. However, his semester exam displayed clear thesis statements, cohesive evidence, and thoughtful explanations. His reaction was priceless:

“He said, ‘Are you sure that’s my paper?’”

The renewed confidence and elevated skill suggest that SRSD works across various learning profiles. Whitney underscores that SRSD is worth the minor sacrifices in content coverage because the gains in writing mastery and self-advocacy benefit students far beyond a single subject or grade.

Watch Whitney’s full video here: WHITNEY RUF’S VIDEO

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Michelle Morgan, Elementary Teacher: “The kids naturally use their structure when they’re doing their free writing.”

33 Years in the Classroom and Still Excited About Writing

Michelle Morgan brings over three decades of teaching experience—public and private schools, multiple states, a Title I environment, and a large population of bilingual learners. Despite her experience, she was impressed by the transformation SRSD triggered in her third graders. Michelle’s top five reasons for loving SRSD capture its comprehensive impact:

1. “There’s so much research that has gone into this program… it just makes sense to the kid.”
2. High engagement: Michelle’s students love the SRSD chants, all done with enthusiastic gestures.
3. Building writing stamina SRSD combats blank-page anxiety by giving students a reliable structure. This helps them “overcome the hurdles of what to put on the page.”
4. “We see the improvements in their writing so quickly,” Michelle notes, adding that students go from bare-bones paragraphs to cohesive, well-structured essays in only a few months.
5. Adaptability and sequence Because SRSD scaffolds each step, teachers can apply it in various contexts, genres, and student ability levels. Students recognize the same frameworks from first grade to third and even up through middle school.

Michelle relays the story of an eight-year-old who ran into her at the grocery store. Without prompting, the student launched into an “opinion structure”—starting with “In my opinion,” listing her reasons, and concluding with “in conclusion.” Michelle was amazed:

“Again, this was a conversation we were having in the grocery store, but she was using it, and she uses it in her regular life now.”

Moments like these confirm that SRSD is not just another discrete program; it cultivates genuinely transferable skills. Michelle summarizes it by emphasizing how SRSD’s best practices—modeling, clear anchor papers, and explicit strategy instruction—empower teachers and students. After 32 years, she remains more excited than ever about teaching writing.

Watch Michelle’s full video here: MICHELLE MORGAN’S VIDEO

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Conclusion: A Shared Triumph through SRSD

From Heather McKay’s elementary hallways in Calgary to Whitney Ruff’s middle school classes in Nashville, these five educators showcase SRSD as a remarkably flexible, research-affirmed, and empowering method for teaching writing. Each educator serves a distinct role—principal, curriculum coordinator, instructional coach, middle school teacher, and elementary teacher—yet all arrive at a similar conclusion: SRSD ignites a transformation in both students’ abilities and teachers’ perspectives.

• Heather sees formerly unenthusiastic writers brimming with pride.
• Shelly observes how children can quickly progress from sketches to cogent sentences, even in kindergarten.
• Kaitlyn celebrates a once-reluctant fifth grader who eagerly welcomes feedback to polish his conclusion.
• Whitney relishes the ease of a unified language that reduces confusion and fosters deeper analysis.
• Michelle remains moved by the everyday adoption of writing structures—whether in the classroom or at the grocery store.

Why does SRSD have such a unifying effect? In part, it systematically tackles the most common pitfalls in writing instruction: a lack of explicitness, insufficient scaffolding, and an absence of self-regulatory training. By fusing genre-based strategies with explicit goal-setting, self-monitoring, and self-reinforcement teaching, SRSD helps students overcome the mental blocks that too often stifle their growth. It also lights a fire in teachers, who see immediate results and feel genuinely equipped with the confidence and techniques needed to guide all learners toward success.

For educators pondering how to upgrade or refine their writing instruction, these five stories serve as inspiration. SRSD is not a quick fix or a scripted formula—it is a well-researched approach that invites teacher creativity and adaptation. Schools can begin on a small scale or implement it across classrooms and grades, as Heather’s and Shelly’s experiences show. Coaches can facilitate deeper learning and on-the-ground support, as Kaitlyn demonstrates. SRSD can unify teachers’ writing methods while still preserving their autonomy, as Whitney’s independent school experience illustrates. It can also revolutionize classroom practice for veteran teachers like Michelle, who finds herself newly inspired after 32 years.

Ultimately, SRSD underscores that writing is more than words on a page; it is a vehicle for thought, voice, and self-expression. Whether a student is in kindergarten discovering her first written words or in middle school refining analytical essays, SRSD ensures that the cognitive process behind good writing is never left to chance. As these five educators reveal, when they introduce SRSD’s explicit strategies and self-regulation techniques, the rewards ripple through schools—raising confidence, cultivating independence, and showing students that they can write their way to deeper understanding and personal empowerment.