Taking the Lead on Adolescent Literacy : Action Steps for Schoolwide Success

by Judith Irvin

• ISBN13: 9781412979801
• ISBN10: 1412979803
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-02-26
• Publisher: Corwin Pr

Summary

Directly linked with overall student achievement, graduation rates, and success in higher education, literacy is essential for reaching academic goals in a school or district. Adolescent literacy has become the focus of many school improvement efforts to meet the needs of upper elementary, middle and high school students. Without the requisite expertise in literacy, administrators and other school leaders charged with literacy improvement initiatives need a systemic and sustained approach for improving student literacy and learning. Taking the Lead on Adolescent Literacy presents a concrete, user-friendly, and practical guide to developing, implementing, and monitoring a schoolwide or districtwide literacy action plan for Grades 4-12. Readers will find rubrics, tools, and processes developed and field-tested by the authors over more than 10 years of close work with schools across the country.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

The Model, Process, and Rubrics

Rationale for a Schoolwide Focus on Literacy

Why Focus on Literacy?

How the Literacy Leadership Process Was Developed

The Five-Stage Literacy Leadership Process

How to Use the Literacy Leadership Process

Introduction: The Literacy Action Rubrics

Description of the Rubrics

Using the Literacy Action Rubrics

The Literacy Action Rubrics

Schoolwide Change in Five Stages

Stage 1: Get Ready

Build an Effective Literacy Leadership Team

Create a Vision of a Literacy-Rich School

Use Data to Establish the Need for Literacy Improvement

Next Steps

Stage 2: Assess

Identify School Strengths

Summarize Key Messages From Your School Data

Assess Current School Implementation Using the Literacy Action Rubrics

Draft Literacy Action Goals

Next Steps

Stage 3: Plan

Develop an Implementation Map for Each Literacy Action Goal

Solicit Feedback From the School Community

Revise Literacy Action Goal Statements and Implementation Maps

Publish the Formal Literacy Action Plan

Next Steps

Stage 4: Implement

Organize for Action

Monitor and Troubleshoot Implementation

Monitor Progress Toward Goals

Plan How to Sustain Momentum

Next Steps

Stage 5: Sustain

Summarize Progress Toward Goals

Revise Implementation Maps

Analyze Success as a Literacy Leadership Team

Plan How to Sustain Momentum

Next Steps

Supporting School and District Administrators as Literacy Leaders

The Principal's Role

Support Literacy Leaders

The Five Action Points of the Taking Action Literacy Leadership Model

District Support

Communicate That Literacy Is a Priority

Provide Professional Development

Provide Specific Types of Fiscal Support

Establish Uniform Policies and Procedures Across the District

Use Data to Improve Instruction and Monitor Program Effectiveness

Develop and Implement a District Literacy Action Plan

Use the Five Action Points of the Taking Action Literacy Leadership Model

Review the District Plan to Ensure Alignment With State Planning and Advocacy

Resources

School Vignettes

Tools to Use When Implementing the Five-Stage Process

Examples of Each Rubric Component in Action

High School Case Study

Matrix of Resources Available in Taking Action on Adolescent Literacy and Meeting the Challenge of Adolescent Literacy

Glossary of Terms

References

Index

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