TL;DR
Literacy leadership team training should help leaders connect instructional knowledge with decisions about goals, resources and teacher support. Sterling Literacy Consulting builds and coaches teams serving prekindergarten through grade 12. Districts should look for practice with their own literacy priorities, clear responsibilities and support for applying the learning in schools.
What makes literacy leadership team training useful?
Literacy leadership team training is useful when it helps leaders turn instructional priorities into decisions about goals, resources and teacher support. Sterling Literacy Consulting builds and coaches literacy leadership teams that analyze data, set goals, align resources and lead improvement.
A district may have agreed on an instructional priority while still needing to work through what it requires. Teachers need time to learn. Coaches need a clear focus. Principals need to understand what they will be supporting.
Training should help the team connect those responsibilities. For example, a proposed change in vocabulary instruction could become a planning exercise. Leaders could identify the teacher learning involved, the materials available and the time needed for practice.
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education describes literacy leadership teams as responsible for goals, implementation and monitoring. Its guidance also connects that work with resource decisions.
That gives districts a practical starting point when reviewing a training proposal. The activities should prepare leaders to make and explain those decisions.
How should training connect literacy knowledge with leadership decisions?
Literacy leadership training should connect knowledge about reading instruction with decisions about teacher support, classroom observations and professional learning. Sterling Literacy Consulting's Leadership Version of Science of Reading Foundations includes fidelity monitoring, walkthroughs and leading coaching.
Knowing the name of a reading practice leaves several questions open. What would the practice look like in a lesson? What might students find difficult? What preparation would help a teacher use it?
Those questions belong in leadership training. A facilitator might use a lesson excerpt to help participants connect a literacy concept with classroom instruction. Leaders could then discuss the questions they would bring to a teacher or coach.
The Florida Center for Reading Research connects its leadership learning with helping teachers and coaches implement evidence-based literacy practices. That connection gives instructional content a clear purpose for administrators.
What decisions should a leadership team practice together?
A literacy leadership team should practice setting goals, assigning responsibilities, aligning resources and deciding what evidence to review.
A training activity could begin with a proposed instructional goal and the team's current staffing and schedule. Participants would work through the implications together.
Describe the instructional change. Specify what teachers would learn and what students would be asked to do.
Work through the support. Identify the materials, coaching and planning time that would help teachers prepare.
Assign responsibility. Clarify who can make each decision and who will carry out the work.
Plan the review. Decide what information would help the team understand implementation and student learning.
These examples suggest possible training activities. The district's existing plan should determine which decisions need attention.
Sterling Literacy Consulting's literacy planning and leadership services include team development focused on data analysis, goals, resource alignment and improvement. System-Level Coaching addresses related decisions with superintendents and senior teams.
If a team needs help interpreting student evidence, the guide to using reading assessment data explains that part of the work in detail.
How can training prepare principals to support teachers?
Literacy leadership training can prepare principals to support teachers through practice discussing instruction, giving feedback and identifying the support teachers need.
The Wallace Foundation's principal research synthesis identifies instructional focus, a productive school climate and teacher collaboration among practices associated with effective leadership.
For a district choosing training, that suggests a useful question about the activities: will principals practice conversations they need to have in schools?
A sample activity might ask leaders to review a lesson and prepare feedback. The discussion could examine whether their comments describe the instruction clearly and give the teacher a manageable next step.
The coach's role also needs to be clear. A principal and coach may support the same instructional priority while handling different responsibilities. Training should give them time to work through those responsibilities together.
The article on building a literacy learning culture explores learning teams, classroom learning walks and learning labs. Those structures provide context for the leadership skills a district may want to develop.
How can districts compare literacy leadership team training programs?
Districts can compare literacy leadership team training programs by examining the decisions participants will practice and how the training fits their schools.
Sterling Literacy Consulting offers Literacy Leadership Team Development alongside strategic planning and system-level coaching. That combination suits districts seeking help with both the team's skills and the plan it will lead.
A proposal becomes easier to evaluate when it explains the work participants will do. A list of topics can establish coverage, but districts also need to understand the activities and intended application.
Before selecting a provider, a team can request a sample activity and discuss:
Which school or district decisions the activity prepares participants to make.
How the provider accounts for participants' existing literacy knowledge.
Whether participants will work with district materials, priorities or planning documents.
What support is included after the initial learning and what requires a separate agreement.
The answers should make the scope understandable. A district should be able to explain who will participate, what they will practice and how that work relates to its literacy priorities.
Frequently asked questions about literacy leadership training
Who should serve on a literacy leadership team?
A literacy leadership team should include people who understand classroom instruction and can help carry out literacy decisions. The Massachusetts guidance includes classroom teachers, literacy specialists, second-language learning specialists and school leaders. Membership should reflect the grades and students the team serves.
How long does literacy leadership training take?
The length of literacy leadership training depends on the program and the team's goals. Districts should distinguish facilitated learning time from school-based practice and ongoing coaching when comparing proposals. The written scope should state what each includes.
Does literacy leadership training include the Science of Reading?
Literacy leadership training can include the Science of Reading. The Science of Reading Foundations: Leadership Version serves leaders working with prekindergarten through grade 8. It combines the foundations series with fidelity monitoring, walkthroughs and leading coaching. Districts should confirm the intended audience of each offering.
Is literacy leadership support available for secondary schools?
Sterling Literacy Consulting offers support for secondary leaders developing a shared vision and instructional priorities for adolescent literacy in grades 6 through 12. That audience has a distinct offering within its planning and leadership services.
If your district is choosing leadership training, discuss your team's priorities with Sterling Literacy Consulting. The conversation can begin with the decisions your team needs to make and the support its members need.
About Dr. Charles Dana Hall
Co-Founder & Chief Academic Officer, Sterling Literacy Consulting
Dr. Charles Dana Hall brings experience as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, district coordinator and Colorado state literacy specialist. As Colorado's state literacy specialist, he directed a collaboration of more than 100 educators to develop sample curricula aligned with the Common Core State Standards. He also helped lead the development of Colorado's Strategic Literacy Plan in 2012. His work connects state and district literacy planning with classroom instruction, helping educators translate literacy decisions into teaching practice.