Practical suggestions and guidance for helping school district literacy leaders achieve growth and development in themselves, their students, the school culture, and the profession in general. An invaluable tool for current and aspiring literacy leaders, this resource presents clear guidelines for fostering collaboration among colleagues, improving teacher effectiveness by involving teachers as learners, and engaging teachers in planning for their own growth and development. Included are contributions from classroom teachers across grade levels, literacy coaches and reading specialists working in school districts, representatives from outside agencies, teacher educators, administrators, and parents in both urban and rural school settings. Their experiences, coupled with the examples that the authors provide from their work with teachers, bring the ideas to life for readers. To further the connection between the ideas and real life, the authors include interviews with an elementary education and literacy leader, a secondary education and high school literacy leader, and a literacy leadership team, all speaking out on the issues involved in effective literacy leadership. Each chapter also includes Common Core State Standards Connections, Response to Intervention Connections, and discussions of how ethical literacy leaders face and solve problems.

Leading for Literacy: What Every School Leader Needs to Knowis an inspiring and practical resource for all school leaders-teacher leaders, literacy coaches, school administrators, and district-level leaders. Filled with useful "look-for" tools for observing literacy teaching and reflecting upon the culture and systems of your school, Leading for Literacyhelps school leaders understand key principles of effective literacy teaching and create equitable communities of learning for all students. Leading for Literacyprovides guidance for creating a culture of collaborative professionalism, facilitating conversations about effective practice, and making high-impact decisions based on evidence and the values identified by the school team. An important resource for every school leader aiming to scale up excellence, Leading for Literacyhelps leaders create effective systems for improving the literacy outcomes of all students. With OVER 30 TOOLS to support your work, discover how to... Beginning of the book - 1. Harness the foundations of inspirational school leadership 2. Build effective teams that deliver high outcomes for all students 3. Create a common vision and shared values to create a healthy, collaborative school culture Middle of the book - 4. Implement evidence-based instructional practices 5. Observe and document student progress effectively 6. Teach English learners strategically 7. Design effective systems for intervention 8. Create high-quality book collections End of the book - 9. Harness responsibilities and opportunities as a school leader 10. Create new leadership opportunities 11. Nurture coaches and teacher leaders as important agents of change 12. Sustain and scale up systemic improvements in your district or school

Literacy educators seldom view themselves as leaders beyond the classroom. In recent years, however, teacher leadership has received increased attention in schools and school districts and at the state and national levels. This book will guide you in improving your literacy leadership skills so you can ultimately enhance your professional practice. Author Donald McAndrew first reviews the major theory and research on leadership while focusing on leadership in schools and literacy education to familiarize you with the specific theory, research, and practice of leaders. He then presents six strategies used by successful leaders to do the peoplework at the heart of leadership: Create and communicate a vision. Be a model. Experiment with new ideas and take risks. Nurture competence, trust, and collaboration. Encourage the heart. Transform yourself through reflection and learning. You will learn the importance of each strategy, its connection to theory and research, and additional methods for putting each strategy to work. peoplework skills as you interact with students, parents, and colleagues to promote the importance of literacy development. Use this book to become a literacy leader and improve the vision of literacy in your classroom, school, and community.

Expert coaches and anyone coaching for the first time will love The Literacy Coach! Reviewers Sum it up! "The framework in which this book is embedded is one of the more elegant ones in existence." Donna Alvermann, The University of Georgia "I found this book to be helpful to not only literacy coaches, but to classroom teachers who may want to become coaches or merely better understand their roles. I also believe building principals would find the book extremely useful...I only wish I had been given such access to all of this information five years ago!" Amy Ely, Brush Middle School Take a peek inside... Supports the professional development of literacy coaches by a) giving a comprehensive look at how learners learn vs. just learning to read; b) implementing the idea of categorizing coaching points (into three broad categories) to economize on time and attention; and c) including three levels of observations (primary, secondary, and tertiary). Includes a description of the four cornerstones of any successful school reform model: students, teachers, administrators, and the literacy coach. Considers the NRP report andIRA's Standards for Literacy Coaches. Meet the Authors Enrique A. Puig is the Director of the Florida Literacy and Reading Excellence Center at the University of Central Florida. He is a certified Reading Recovery teacher and Literacy Collaborative trainer. In addition to being president of the Orange County Reading Council (Florida), Enrique serves as an elected board member of the American Reading Forum and continues to work with students. He is author of Guided Reading and Spanish Speaking Students (Scholastic). Kathy S. Froelich received her Ph.D. from Fordham University in New York and has provided professional development opportunities to teachers and literacy coaches at the national level. In addition to her years of classroom teaching experience, Kathy has taught at Agnes Scott College and Thomas University. She is currently teaching at Florida State University and is an independent consultant.

For the past decade in the United States, elementary principals have faced increased scrutiny. Student performance regardless of student experiences, district funding practices, or societal factors have been the responsibility of the principal. In a similar fashion, teachers have been ridiculed and scorned. As a result, principals are left trying to create positive school culture, evaluate teacher performance, and guide and support professional development initiatives. In the meantime, teachers in many ways do not see themselves as professionals, do not feel that they have autonomy in their classrooms, and as a result may not have the same joy that they once had. The goal of this guide is to assist principals and school leaders to cultivate a school culture where the principal is positioned as the literacy leader. This guide will support principals to address, define, and create a literacy culture. Most importantly, provide insight to support principals in their quest to becoming primary individual responsible for bringing joy to teaching and learning as part of building school culture.

Rural poverty encompasses a distinctive deprivation in quality of life related to a lack of educational support and resources as well as unique issues related to geographical, cultural, community, and social isolation. While there have been many studies and accommodations made for the impoverished in urban environments, those impoverished in rural settings have been largely overlooked and passed over by current policy. The Handbook of Research on Leadership and Advocacy for Children and Families in Rural Poverty is an essential scholarly publication that creates awareness and promotes action for the advocacy of children and families in rural poverty and recommends interdisciplinary approaches to support the cognitive, social, and emotional needs of children and families in poverty. Featuring a wide range of topics such as mental health, foster care, and public policy, this book is ideal for academicians, counselors, social workers, mental health professionals, early childhood specialists, school psychologists, administrators, policymakers, researchers, and students.

This bestselling book gives preservice and practicing literacy coaches the tools they need to build a successful schoolwide reading program. The authors, well-known experts in the field, describe the literacy coach's crucial, evolving role in today's schools. They offer step-by-step guidelines for implementing curricula and assessments, selecting instructional materials, and planning for differentiation and intervention. Specific ways to support teachers by providing high-quality professional development are discussed. The book is grounded in state-of-the-art research on PreK-5 instruction and the characteristics of effective coaches. New to This Edition *Incorporates the latest research and instructional materials. *Expanded grade range now includes PreK and grades 4-5. *Content on RTI and the Common Core standards is woven throughout. *Strategies for making professional development more responsive to teachers' needs. See also The Literacy Coaching Challenge, which guides more experienced coaches in choosing among different coaching models and addresses typical issues of implementation.