Lead Lit Topic: Getting Organized
Getting Organized
Results
Five Books to Launch Discussion About the Coaching Role
The role of an instructional coach is complex, varied, and responsive to the teachers and students within a single building. Each position can look drastically different from the next, and...
Ridiculously Amazing Schools
How does your school improvement team focus their work for the coming school year? In the past few years the school improvement team at my school has used a book...
Transcripts as a Coaching Tool
The Background Mindy is a first-year, third-grade teacher. I am her literacy instructional coach. This article is the story of a time when Mindy experienced a common problem of practice...
Leading Literacy: What to Expect the First 5+ Years
One of the most popular books for soon-to-be parents is What to Expect When You’re Expecting. It is a week-by-week guide for tracking your pregnancy and other helpful information. I...
Research and Learn
Matt reached out to me regarding his third-grade writers as they were about to launch into their informational writing unit. After we administered an on-demand assessment and reviewed the data,...
Mini (But Mighty) Ways to Connect with Teachers
Communication, the human connection, is the key to personal and career success. —Paul J. Meyer Maintaining consistent contact and connection with teachers is essential for a strong relationship between teachers...
Coaching Connections: Morning Rounds
“I feel like I haven’t seen you in a while.” This phrase strikes fear into my coaching heart. It means that I need to make more of an effort to...
Coaching Connections: Drop-In Visits
At the start of my first year as a literacy coach, I was more than a little overwhelmed by my new role. I needed to quickly build relationships with teachers,...
Slicing Up the Pie
I had just sent my email response to a parent when the phone call came in. “Are you still able to step in for Sarah’s classroom? Her students are coming...
Growing Professional Learning Communities
Life as a literacy coach can be busy and overwhelming. There are meetings to attend, teachers to sit beside, and students of concern brought to our attention. Many of us...
Building a Schoolwide Coaching Culture
Anytime I ask for qualitative feedback about my performance as a school leader, I risk a negative response. This is especially true when I create a space for open comments....
Using a Filtering Process to Make Data-Driven Intervention Decisions
In response to early literacy screening legislation, as well as a desire to better know all of our students, I advocated for our district to screen all our grade 3-5...
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
One afternoon, I opened my work email and found a lovely note from three of our new instructional coaches that had been sent to the whole coaching team. I found...
Coaching Minute: The Importance of Patience
Instructional coach Mary Brower reminds us of the importance of patience, especially with ourselves.
Coaching Minute: Invitations for Secondary Teachers
Instructional coach Holly Wenning shares ways to invite secondary teachers to work alongside a coach.
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...
Coaching Minute: Supporting a Principal’s Vision
Holly Wenning attests to the importance of instructional coaches knowing and supporting a principal's vision. Holly is a secondary instructional coach.
If Your Walls Could Talk
I plopped myself down on the couch for a moment of mindless television watching before continuing with our family’s nightly routine. As I turned the television on, a commercial for...
A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Screening Team
To effectively teach our students, we need to know their strengths and areas to grow. Our school, like all schools, gives a suite of assessments at various benchmark intervals during...
A Sense of Accomplishment: Four Strategies for Making Students’ Literacy Learning Visible
One of my first public social activities in 2020 was participating in a summer volunteer project. My city’s local arts school was offering a weekend course to learn how to...
