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Critical Questions that Lead to Powerful Change

Stella Villalba begins with a powerful question for educators to consider in order to begin dismantling systems that oppress marginalized communities.

Encouraging Instructional Confidence

Angela Miller highlights ways to encourage, equip, and empower instructional confidence in teachers.

Choice, Voice, and Rejoice: Looking Back and Looking Forward

Jen Schwanke encourages educators to reflect on the positive ways the school year has unfolded.

Books Need Space

Jen Schwanke gives advice to literacy leaders about organizing and humanizing books in a school book room.

How Well Do You Know Your Team? Checking In On Our Relationships with Teachers

Heather Fisher guides literacy leaders through a reflective exercise to reveal relationship strengths and gaps that will offer direction in how to strengthen key connections.

The Daily GIF

Jen Schwanke encourages leaders to consider how to give a daily boost of morale.

The Power of a Confession: What Readers Really Do

When Sara Kajder commits a readerly sin during a curriculum meeting, it opens the floodgate to confessions of other readerly sins among members of the English department, as well as refocuses their attention on practices that invite students to build intentional reading lives.

Virtual Icebreakers: Maintaining Human Connection (Part 2)

In this second installment of “Virtual Icebreakers,” Heather Fisher shares more creative ideas for opening meetings in order to maintain strong staff relationships while meeting virtually.

Plan It, Don’t Wing It

Heather Fisher works with teachers to create a tool to make conversations in classrooms more thoughtful and clearly defined around learning topics. Download a copy of the tool to plan your next conversation.

Defining Through Experience

Heather Fisher works with a group of teachers to define and visualize what “coaching feedback” looks and sounds.

Saying No

When David Pittman says no to a task outside his coaching role, he shows a commitment to his priorities. David describes the tension and nuances of saying no, and the effect it can have on coaching relationships.

Maintenance as Leadership

Matt Renwick encourages a continuous effort of ensuring the systems of a school are operating as they should by maintaining relationships, literacy and learning, and presence.

Flipping Negative Stressors

Jen Schwanke shares tools and tips for dealing with professional stress, from flipping negative emotions to finding ways to move forward with energy.

How Do Literacy Leaders Supervise and Support Online Instruction?

Supervising and supporting instruction is never easy for literacy leaders, and remote settings compound the challenges. Matt Renwick shares his best advice for providing assistance in virtual learning environments.

Developing Literacy Traditions and Rituals

Matt Renwick reflects on the traditions and rituals that strengthen a school-wide literacy community.

Priming the Pump

David Pittman explains the importance of beginning summer work with teachers by creating collective visions through images and quotes.

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.

Family Literacy Breakfasts

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

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.

Hard Topics in Reading

Jennifer Allen explains how she leads conversations about hard themes in literature and how teachers might use these books that include trauma in their classrooms.

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