IF SOME SCHOOLS CAN TEACH THEIR KIDS TO READ ON GRADE LEVEL, WHY CAN’T ALL SCHOOLS IN A

DISTRICT DO IT? EFFECTIVE, INFORMED, COMMITTED LEADERSHIP PROVIDES A COHERENT, CONSISTENT

VISION OF READING EDUCATION FOR STATES, DISTRICTS, AND SCHOOLS, BASED ON SCIENTIFIC

RESEARCH.

THIS SECTION OF THE GUIDEBOOK INCLUDES:

A PowerPoint presentation demonstrating how instructional leadership can impact the selection

and implementation of programs, decisions about how professional development resources will

be committed, and how student achievement is assessed.

I N S T R U C T I O N A L L E A D E R S H I P

A P O W E R P O I N T P R E S E N T A T I O N D E M O N S T R A T I N G

H O W I N S T R U C T I O N A L L E A D E R S H I P C A N I M P A C T

T H E S E L E C T I O N A N D I M P L E M E N T A T I O N O F

P R O G R A M S , D E C I S I O N S A B O U T H O W P R O F E S S I O N A L

D E V E L O P M E N T R E S O U R C E S W I L L B E C O M M I T T E D ,A N D H O W S T U D E N T A C H I E V E M E N T I S A S S E S S E D .

I n s t r u c t i o n a l L e a d e r s h i p

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● All too often this is the picture we see at a district level:one or two successful schools surrounded by lesssuccessful schools. So the obvious question aninstructional leader should ask is this:

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● Investigators identified three school districts in whicheducational leaders not only asked this question but tookaction. These districts subsequently set up systems toPREVENT students from falling below grade level and toPROMOTE grade-level reading.

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So what can we learn from these three casestudies?

First, four pillars are the foundation for these districts’successes.This foundation supports everything they do:● Commitment● Accountability● Sharing● Leadership

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● Teachers use assessment data to determine theeffectiveness of their instruction, and as the basis formaking needed changes for students who are not makingsufficient progress.

● Principals check assessment data from all classrooms as abasis for providing extra help to teachers who have a largenumber of struggling students.

● District administrators examine data from all schools and,when necessary, are able to provide extra help toprincipals, teachers, and students.

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In these districts, the focus is on readingachievement above all else.

How do they do it?In many ways.● For example, administrators use funding from a variety of

sources (school budgets,Title I, and ESL funds) to, forexample, purchase comprehensive reading programs,support regular staff development, pay the salaries ofreading coaches, and provide extra instructional time forstudents reading far below grade level.

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● The importance of educators learning from each other’ssuccesses cannot be overemphasized.

● On the other hand the “wheels of assistance” (For ex.--staff development, conferences, study groups) must beconsistent with districts’ approach to reading instruction.

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● Leaders not only clarify the focus, but when necessary,keep returning to the focus.

● Superintendents not only provide resources but follow upon how these resources are used to improve education.

● Superintendents and principals remove barriers, so thatteachers and their students can maintain their focus onreading.

● Principals spend a lot of time in classrooms, observingstudents’ reading performance.They make sure thatteachers are getting the professional development andsupport that they need.

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As stated, the four pillars form the foundation ofthese school districts.

● To build on this foundation, these 3 districts followed plansthat involved six similar steps.

● These six steps provide a guide for planning andimplementing reading programs in Reading First schools.

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● Districts evaluate research based comprehensive readingprograms.

● Districts provide teachers with the essential instructionalmaterials that go with the comprehensive readingprogram.

● Reading coaches and teachers take part in initial and on-going staff development that focuses on the foundationconcepts of learning to read and the use of the selectedcomprehensive reading program.

● Reading coaches meet to learn about and discuss staffdevelopment and coaching techniques

● Administrators and principals make plans for assessmentsand other forms of progress monitoring.

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● It is essential, however, that the district provide teacherswith the essential instructional materials that go with thecomprehensive reading program.

● Teachers take part in initial and ongoing staff developmentthat focuses on the foundation concepts of learning toread and the use of the selected comprehensive readingprogram.

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● Reading coaches teach demonstration lessons, provide staffdevelopment, and help teachers figure out remedies forstruggling readers.They also help struggling teachers in theimplementation of a new comprehensive reading program.

● Outside educational consultants can be used in thebeginning for staff development.

It is essential that the district develop its own cadre of staffdevelopers and reading coaches.

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● The same timeline has goals for late in the school year.

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● This district timeline has goals for the middle of the schoolyear.

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● More ambitious goals can be set for many students.

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● They came up with a clever way of displaying test data sothat, at a glance, teachers and administrators can see howa class is doing.

● Green indicates a score that shows student mastery,yellow a score that shows some student difficulty and pinka score that indicates the students have serious problemsin that area.

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● In Inglewood, they found that simply collecting data wasnot helpful.To be helpful the data had to be analyzed andshared.

● This is a struggling class.

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● This class is doing very well.

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● Data reports and teacher observations are used to helpdetermine which students are struggling. Interventionoccurs immediately.

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Some administrators talk about three levels ofintervention:

● The classroom teacher- May re-teach certain lessons and then reassess the

students’ progress- May regroup the students to maximize instructional

effectiveness.● Tutoring or other forms of individual instruction are added

to the students’ schedules.● Intensive teaching that accelerates student progress is

provided.This may take place outside of the regular schoolday.

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● These three districts act immediately to help strugglingstudents.

● They all provide more instructional time for strugglingstudents and align the content of that instruction with thatof the comprehensive reading program used in theclassroom.

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● External tests provide information on how studentscompare to students in other schools and other districts.

● Internal tests provide information about how the studentsare learning and progressing in the comprehensive readingprogram

● At the end of the year, the district validates andrecalibrates its reading program, and its classroom basedinstructional assessments and celebrates its achievementswith teachers, students, and their parents.

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● Provide significant amounts of extra instructional timewith flexible grouping to allow students to makeaccelerated progress. Include time during the school day,after the school day, on Saturdays, and during vacationsand summer.

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● Begin staff development for coaches on the comprehensivereading program used in the Reading First schools inadvance of when teachers begin using the program.

● If reading coaches are not highly experienced with thecomprehensive program being used in the Reading Firstschools, provide extra time for staff development forteachers. In addition, provide opportunities for teachersto visit classrooms in which teachers are successfullyimplementing the program.

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● What can state education agencies do to help? Here aresome ways in which they can help support the fourinstructional pillars that underpin reform.

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● Here in one picture--the four pillars and the six steps thatare the key to reading success.

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● State Departments of Education can provide this kind of information at summer institutes, at meetings held atcolleges and universities, and at regional state meetings ofprofessional organizations.

● They can identify and support model schools.● They can organize a series of leadership meetings for

principals.● They can work with colleges and universities to align

pre-service curricula with the goals of Reading First.● They can seek support from the business community and

parent groups.

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This is the question which starts everything.

● Unless an instructional leader has the vision to ask thisquestion, then there may not be sufficient motivation foreducators in the district to change.

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