The Direct Instruction Podcast What is the Baltimore Curriculum Project? with Laura Doherty
Welcome back to The Direct Instruction Podcast — I’m your host, Dr. Zach Groshell. If you’re new here, this show is about Big DI — Direct Instruction as a science of teaching. We look at real implementation, talk with people running DI in schools around the world, and get practical about delivering faultlessly designed curriculum programs. If this is your first time tuning in, take a look through the back catalogue — there’s a growing library of conversations with DI implementers, trainers, and practitioners.
Today I’m joined by Laura Doherty, President and CEO of the Baltimore Curriculum Project (BCP)—Maryland’s largest operator of neighborhood PK–8 public charter schools and one of the longest-running Direct Instruction networks in the United States. Laura and her team have spent decades implementing DI with real fidelity in high-poverty neighborhood schools, building a culture where carefully engineered instruction and warm, community-centered relationships go hand in hand.
We get into how BCP first adopted Direct Instruction, what it feels like to walk into a DI classroom in Baltimore, and how students experience the structure, pace, and clarity of DI as something genuinely empowering. Laura talks about the support system around teachers—training, coaching, and data use—which makes high-fidelity DI sustainable rather than brittle. We zoom out to the wider school culture at BCP and talk about what it means to be recognized with NIFDI’s Silver Star Award, and how that recognition shapes their vision for expanding and deepening DI in Baltimore’s neighborhood schools.
I’m looking forward to attending this year’s National Direct Instruction Conference and Institutes in Eugene, Oregon — packed sessions, amazing block parties, and the kind of hallway conversations that stay with you. At last year’s event, I filmed a few mini YouTube reflections and quick interviews, and those links are in the show notes.
If you’re implementing DI or thinking about getting started, I strongly recommend reaching out to NIFDI — the National Institute for Direct Instruction — at www.nifdi.org. They are the gold standard for DI coaching, training, and ongoing implementation support.
Can’t Get Enough Content?
Over on Progressively Incorrect, we have a fascinating conversation with Marty Siegel—Professor Emeritus of Informatics and Instructional Systems Technology and a pioneer whose career bridges early Direct Instruction, PLATO, human–computer interaction, and today’s AI-driven tools. Drawing on decades of work at the intersection of instruction, engineering, and technology, Marty helps connect the dots between Engelmann-style design, large-scale computer-based learning, and the future of edtech.