Research & Evidence
Research that moves from theory into classroom practice.
SAL Consulting's instructional frameworks are informed by scholarship, refined through sustained collaboration with educators, and strengthened through classroom implementation and longitudinal inquiry.
Research Refined Through Practice
A significant foundation of SAL Consulting's inquiry work has been developed and refined through sustained, grant-funded collaboration with educators through the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program.
Through this work, SAL has brought together research, professional learning, curriculum design, classroom implementation, and educator reflection to examine how inquiry-based and literacy-rich practices translate into everyday teaching.
These sustained cycles of implementation and feedback have helped strengthen SAL's instructional frameworks and contributed to the pedagogical foundation of the Inquiry Tools Library (ITL)—a growing collection of classroom-ready tools designed to support literacy, critical reading, inquiry, disciplinary thinking, and problem-solving across content areas.
Explore the TPS Inquiry Labs to see how this work has developed through grant-funded educator learning, curriculum design, classroom implementation, and teacher evidence.
Explore TPS Inquiry Labs →Real Classrooms. Real Results.
Our case studies document the research and classroom evidence that have shaped SAL Consulting's instructional frameworks and the development of the Inquiry Tools Library (ITL).
Across diverse instructional settings, this work examines how inquiry-driven, literacy-rich practices influence teacher implementation, student thinking, engagement, and instructional decision-making.
Bridging the Disciplinary Divide
How structured inquiry tools integrate literacy and content instruction to create cohesive, student-driven learning across subjects.
Download Case Study →Integrated Disciplinary Literacy
How embedding inquiry-based literacy routines across subjects can strengthen engagement, multicultural awareness, and instructional consistency.
Download Case Study →Bridging the “Middle School Dip”
How inquiry scaffolds support students in moving from basic comprehension toward critical, evidence-based thinking with complex texts.
Download Case Study →Critical Disciplinary Literacy in Secondary Classrooms
How student-centered inquiry frameworks elevate voice, agency, and real-world relevance while maintaining academic rigor.
Download Case Study →Research That Continues Into Implementation
Our research does not end with publication.
Findings from SAL Consulting's research, professional learning, classroom implementation, and educator collaboration inform the instructional tools, implementation guides, professional learning, and educator platforms we continue to develop.
This research-to-practice cycle helps ensure that our work remains grounded in real instructional problems, responsive to educator experience, and focused on helping teachers strengthen literacy, inquiry, critical thinking, and evidence-based learning within existing curriculum.