Leaders Lounge

Lead Literacy Articles & Videos (formerly leadliteracy.com)

Our lounge is your home for exploring hundreds of articles and videos for literacy coaches and school leaders. Our contributors share their best advice for working one-on-one with teachers in coaching cycles, hosting professional development sessions, and designing demonstration lessons and study groups.

Search Leaders Lounge...
Latest Content
Coaching Minute: Supporting New Teachers

Literacy coach Jen Court explains how she is supporting an influx of nine new teachers in her building this year.

Second Chances

Jen Schwanke rethinks her writing process for sending information out to families and others. Her “one little change” might get you rethinking how you draft and share weekly newsletters.

Coaching Minute: Dealing with Parent Concerns

Principal Lee Snider talks about how he deals with parent concerns.

Family Literacy Breakfasts

Jennifer Allen explains how family literacy breakfasts bring the whole school community together through a special event with published authors.

Feedback That Fortifies

Matt Renwick considers what type of feedback from school leaders can be most helpful to teachers.

The Feedback Trap

Cathy Mere considers the differences between feedback and reflection, and why it’s important to have a balance when coaching teachers.

Jump Right In and Other Lessons Learned from Remote Coaching

From get rid of the laundry basket behind you to learn how to share your desktop in advance, Heather Fisher shares some practical tips for getting started with remote coaching.

Competitive Comparisons

Jen Schwanke explores the insecurities and fear that can set in when teachers tackle distance learning, as well as how to overcome them.

Grade-Level Team Meeting: Student Notebooks

Kathy Provost coaches two third-grade teachers as they consider what students are jotting in their notebooks and how they could make changes before beginning a new unit.

Investing in Coaching Logs

After initial skepticism, David Pittman discovers coaching logs are an essential tool in planning, organizing, and documenting his work with teachers.

Find Friends

Suzy Kaback shares how we can translate the values we hold dear into action, even when our social and professional norms are in upheaval.

Remote Learning for Our Youngest Students

Jen Schwanke reflects on the challenges of helping our youngest learners with distance learning, and shares examples of how teachers she works with are meeting them.

Solutions to Predictable Problems with Writing in Kindergarten

Tara Barnett and Kate Mills share their solutions to the most predictable issues that come up with writers in kindergarten.

Demonstration Small Group: Emergent Kindergarten Readers

Clare Landrigan leads a demonstration small group of emergent kindergarten readers focused on inferring. They are reading Cookie’s Week. The lesson includes a prebrief and debrief with the teacher.

Coaching Minute: Building Rapport with Teachers

Principal Lee Snider talks about how he built rapport with teachers when he was new to the role of principal in the building.

Professional Renewal: Facilitating Change Within Ourselves

If we want others to change, we first have to be open to change within ourselves. But what does that look like, and how can we embrace the tension that change brings? Matt Renwick explores change from within for literacy leaders.

How Am I Doing? One Principal’s Experience with Feedback

Matt Renwick is like any of us—he is nervous about what he will learn when he asks teachers to assess his performance as a principal. He shares findings from a survey he gives to teachers.

Special Education and Classroom Teacher Meeting

Special education teacher Julianne Houser and fourth-grade teacher Heidi discuss how they can work together to support specific students.

Literacy, Phys Ed, and Workshops Across the Curriculum

Jen Schwanke is surprised when a terrific language arts teacher switches to physical education, until she realizes that workshop instruction is good teaching in almost any subject area.

Field Notes: Where’s My Language?

Ruth Ayres attends a share session at the end of a second-grade writing workshop conducted entirely in Spanish. It’s a gift and privilege for her to experience what non-Native speakers do every day in English language classrooms, and it makes her reflect upon what it takes to make anyone feel welcome in a classroom or school community.

Forces of Nature

Literacy can be seen as a “curricular bully” by science and math teachers, taking over the curriculum and many professional development sessions. Suzy Kaback faces that challenge when she adds poetry writing and visual arts to a session for STEM educators.

Choice Literacy Membership

Become a member for full access to Articles & Videos plus member-only Product Discounts

Membership

Explore More
Getting Organized
Guiding Teachers
Working in Classrooms

Choice Literacy Membership

Articles

Get full access to all Choice Literacy article content

Videos

Get full access to all Choice Literacy video content

Courses

Access Choice Literacy course curriculum and training

Membership Options

About

Choice Literacy is a community of passionate educators who lead. Come join us!

Learn more

Contact
Subscribe

Get free articles and insights delivered to your inbox every week with the Choice Literacy "Big Fresh" Newsletter!

Learn more

© 2025 The Lead Learners. All rights reserved.   Privacy Policy   |   Terms and Conditions

Website built by MemberDev

Loading...