Lead Lit Article Type: Read It
Results
The Third Rail: Coaching and Instructional Assessment
As I reflected with Joy about our recent coaching cycle, we looked back to our original goals and the pre- and post-data about her students' work. We had seen more...
Scheduling Study Groups for the Year
It’s that time of year when I launch professional development offerings for next year. Some of the texts are being used in voluntary study groups, others in grade-level team meetings....
Community over Connectivity: Mindful Technology Practices
As a school leader, I don't have all the resources I want, but one of the few I can generally ask for and expect to receive is technology. Whether software...
Ms. Perfectly Nice
We all know that teacher. The one who is agreeable, pleasant to work with, quiet, and perfectly nice. Heck, I think I’ve even been that teacher. I have sat in...
Literacy Audit (Part 6): Becoming a Literacy Ambassador
Not long ago, I heard a speaker at a conference ask the audience, made up of instructional coaches, for ideas about literacy programs. One attendee raised her hand and shared...
Guiding Questions to Stay Grounded
I have 20 minutes to make it to my next meeting, I think to myself as I put my laptop away in my bag. I thank the teachers for their...
Literacy Audit (Part 5): Providing Resources and Support
With a literacy team in place, let’s talk about one of the roles you can share with your team: getting students and teachers the appropriate materials to help them be...
Is There Such a Thing as Being Too Collaborative?
I was in a bookstore and walked by a recent issue of Harvard Business Review. A tease on the cover, "Are You Too Collaborative?," caught my attention. I went into...
Whenever They Are Ready: Building Trust for PD Success
It’s a paradox of school leadership that we generally know what we need to do to ensure every student is successful, yet we fight with each other and within ourselves...
Rethinking Morning Announcements
“Are you going to share one of your stupid quotes again?” This came from a frequent flyer sitting in the lobby area as I was leaving my office. I had...
Using Norms in PLCs
Is there anything more awkward than having to reprimand an adult? To ask an adult - a colleague, even - to stop scrolling through Facebook during a meeting? To remind...
Literacy Audit (Part 2): Taking Your School’s Pulse
When I go to the doctor for my annual wellness check, the intake nurse starts by taking my pulse. It is the simplest of procedures—there is no medical equipment needed,...
Literacy Self-Audit (Part 1): Beginning Questions
If you’ve been hired to be a principal or literacy coach, you may feel confident about your leadership capabilities in literacy instruction, or you may suspect you have quite a...
Auditing Your Literacy Leadership: Introduction
Principals, instructional coaches, and curriculum leaders are by nature confident and courageous people. We find it easy to build relationships with teachers, students, and parents. We know how to communicate...
You’ve Done It. What Happens Next?
You’ve done it. You’ve flexed your educational muscles and potificated upon your beliefs and perspectives. Sent the thank-you cards or emails.Then spent the next few days waiting, checking your phone...
Time to Plan
It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about? —Henry David Thoreau I’m a mom to four active teenagers. Our...
Personalizing Professional Learning Opportunities
Planning the professional learning for the coming school year is a tightrope walk. We want to honor teacher autonomy and choice, yet be vigilant in keeping the focus on literacy....
Student Centered and Teacher Driven: Coaching and Instructional Assessment
As I reflected with Joy about our recent coaching cycle, we looked back to our original goals and the pre- and post-data on her students' work. We had seen more...
Talking in Front of Peers
Lately I have been doing a good deal of speaking and presenting to other educators at various conferences, and more frequently I’ve spoken or presented in front of my large...
Dropping In Versus Scheduling
Last spring, severe thunderstorms blew through the Midwest. The winds ripped off siding and loosened shingles, and hail pitted windows and splintered soffits. My house took a beating. Immediately, we...
A Change in the Weather: Moving from Teacher to Coach
There’s a joke among midwesterners that if you don’t like the weather, just wait a day and it will change. Living in northern Indiana, we see the full gamut of...
