Literacy Leadership in Changing Schools

Literacy Leadership in Changing Schools will help literacy leaders improve teachers’ professional development in grades K–6. The authors use literacy basics to suggest concrete approaches that leaders and coaches can use to help teachers improve their instruction with culturally and linguistically diverse students. Based on firsthand experiences, research, and a school–university–community collaborative (Changing Suburbs Institute® in New York), this practical book hones in on what literacy leaders need to do in today’s rapidly changing schools. Offering vignettes, strategies, and guidelines, each chapter is devoted to one essential component of serving as an effective literacy leader. Throughout, the book addresses typical issues leaders and teachers face, such as high-stakes testing, increasing failure rates, rigorous teacher and principal evaluations, limited family engagement, shrinking resources, and teachers’ inexperience with instructing diverse students.

Book Features:

• A how-to framework for revamping literacy curriculum, programs, materials, and instructional techniques to meet the needs of diverse student populations.
• A focus on the essential attributes needed to help teachers implement the Common Core State Standards and use data-driven instruction to help students achieve.
• Literacy Leadership Toolkits with checklists, surveys, leadership activities, assessment charts, questions, and prompts for self-assessment.

Shelley B. Wepner is dean and professor of education. Diane W. Gómez is associate professor of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL)/foreign languages and special education. Katie Egan Cunningham is an assistant professor in the Literacy Department. Kristin N. Rainville is assistant professor in the Leadership and Literacy Department at Sacred Heart University. Courtney Kelly is an associate professor in the Literacy Department. All have been or are at the School of Education, Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York.

"The book is an engaging read where research is seamlessly intertwined with practice. Many of the suggestions presented are considered best practice for educators and are applicable for all teachers, not just those in school leadership roles." -- Teachers College Record

"Today's educators are faced with the challenge of meeting the increased expectations associated with a high quality education for all children. The contributors provide an excellent resource of relevant information along with a wealth of concrete suggestions for meeting that challenge through effective leadership and ongoing, embedded professional development. The result is a road map for enriched learning experiences for the professionals involved and ultimately for the students they teach."
Dorothy S. Strickland, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Professor of Education Emerita
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

“This book encourages and supports leaders as they create bold, thoughtful, and empowering pathways for professional development. It is a recipe that has the power to highlight the joy of professional growth and learning for leaders, teachers, and students alike. To me, that is truly fabulous.”
—Jennifer Scoggin, director of LitLife, Connecticut, and author of Be Fabulous: The Reading Teacher’s Guide to Reclaiming Your Happiness in the Classroom

"In Literacy Leadership in Changing Schools the authors address important aspects of the decisionmaking process, namely how to really know someone or something well before making a choice. Too many of our educational choices are based on outdated notions or misinformation and this book clearly shows school leaders how to obtain accurate information when creating a cohesive literacy model. This book also takes complex aspects of literacy professional development, such as standards and instructional techniques, and breaks them down in clear and applicable ways so that decisions can not just be made but also be implemented."
—Gravity Goldberg, literacy consultant, and director, Gravity Goldberg LLC

Resource Supplement