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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.

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Using Photographs for Coaching Conversations

Jen Court shares ways in which she uses photos to support conversations to help teachers achieve their instructional goals.

Slicing Up the Pie

Matt Renwick masterfully outlines a complexity of public education: We are constantly making decisions on behalf of our students, and they rarely fully meet every kid’s needs. Knowing these limits and keeping students at the center of decision making (as opposed to the loudest calls to action from parents) ensures a more equitable educational experience for all.

Coaching Minute: Keep the Focus on Students

Inga Omondi suggests keeping the focus on students in order to entice apprehensive teachers into a coaching relationship.

Growing Professional Learning Communities

Cathy Mere encourages instructional coaches to take the best parts of workshop practice and apply it to coaching.

Building a Schoolwide Coaching Culture

Matt Renwick offers three contexts in which a coaching culture is deliberately built and supported in school.

Using a Filtering Process to Make Data-Driven Intervention Decisions

Gwen Blumberg describes a five-step filtering process of student assessment data designed to help make true data-driven decisions in an efficient amount of time. Download a visual guide of the data-filtering process.

Coaching Minute: Navigating Tough Conversations

Instructional coach Holly Wenning shares advice for navigating tough conversations.

What Happens When Teachers Receive Conflicting Advice?

Josie Stewart and Hannah Tills help navigate the tricky situation coaches can find themselves in when their advice to a new teacher may conflict with other voices. By emphasizing the value of different voices, we can empower educators to do the work that best aligns with their beliefs and suits their learners.

Coaching Minute: The Gift of Time

Instructional coach Mary Brower shares an idea to give the gift of time to teachers.

Words of Reflection for New Coaches

Stella Villalba reflects on her journey as an instructional coach and offers advice to new coaches in a question-and-answer format.

Coaching Minute: The Power of a Stopwatch

Ruth Ayres shares how timing parts of an observation gives unique and meaningful data for reflective conversations.

And I Quote: Coaching Through Quotes and Sayings

Heather Fisher shares ways to use quotes throughout your coaching day to inspire and guide others. Download a list of useful quotes for different coaching situations.

Coaching Minute: The Importance of Patience

Instructional coach Mary Brower reminds us of the importance of patience, especially with ourselves.

What Does Your Feedback Say About Your Coaching Relationships?

David Pittman guides literacy leaders to consider the kinds of feedback they offer and what it reveals about their professional relationships.

Coaching Minute: Invitations for Secondary Teachers

Instructional coach Holly Wenning shares ways to invite secondary teachers to work alongside a coach.

Crafting Coaching Conversations 

Jen Court strategizes how to craft coaching conversations that will be meaningful and action oriented. She shares questions instructional coaches can use to mold conversations.

Coaching Minute: Taking Risks

Instructional coach Mary Brower encourages us to notice leaders and teachers who are taking risks. Couple a quick note with an inspirational story, and you will build strong professional connections needed for meaningful leadership. Download a copy of the inspirational story.

Coaching Minute: Supporting a Principal’s Vision

Holly Wenning attests to the importance of instructional coaches knowing and supporting a principal’s vision.

If Your Walls Could Talk

Heather Fisher leads us in realizing the power of wall displays, and offers a reflection guide so all school leaders can make their walls talk in positive ways.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Screening Team

Gwen Blumberg provides a step-by-step guide to creating an assessment screening team that quickly and collaboratively administers one-to-one screening-style assessments to a classroom of children.

It’s Time to Pause: A PD Session to Reconnect with Core Values

Heather Fisher guides a reflective practice exercise to begin a professional meeting that gives space for participants to pause and consider their core values. This simple experience has the potential to powerfully energize educators.

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