Welcome to Reading First!

1. Welcome to Reading First! From the Professional Development Architects Dr. Sharon Walpole University of Delaware Dr. Michael McKenna University of Virginia

2. Today’s Goals • Learn about the aspects of a comprehensive reading reform initiative • Learn about the characteristics of effective school leadership in RF • Revisit the roles of an LC • Make a plan for getting started at your school

3. Goal 1 Learn about the aspects of a comprehensive reading reform initiative

4. Reading First relies on . . .

5. At all levels, this means

6. Professional Development During Grant Writing http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/k-3.html

7. Professional Development for Literacy Coaches and Principals • State-level conferences • Frequent visits and support from state staff members • Materials for teaching best practices to teachers • Materials developed by the Architects and placed online • Professional books, esp. those recommended by the Architects

8. Professional Development for Teachers

9. Procedures for Selecting Instructional Materials • Identify essential components for instruction to heterogeneous groups, needs-based groups, and intervention groups • Consider commercial materials to help teachers teach components explicitly and systematically • Consider outside evaluations and ratings • Conduct inside evaluations and ratings

10. Once the materials are chosen • Use experts, consultants, and close analyses to specify how, when, and why the materials will be used in all classrooms • Which parts? • How much time? • What grouping configurations?

11. Once the materials are used • Use observations to assess individual teacher’s fidelity to the model in the school • Provide support • Use student achievement data to assess the match of the materials to the student’s needs • Provide support

12. Assessment systems As you know, four types of assessments are used in Reading First. They make it possible to plan and provide instruction that is truly based on the needs of the children you serve!

13. Types of Tests

14. Intervention Systems Interventions are programs designed for literacy acceleration: Instruction that enables struggling readers to make rapid progress and read as well as or better than their peers not struggling in reading.(Duffy, 2001)

15. Characteristics of Interventions • Multiple Entry Points • Feedback and Engagement • Progress Monitoring • Intensive Focus • Temporary Duration • Small group size

16. Accountability to the GARF Model

17. What questions do you have about the model in general?

18. Goal 2 Learn about the characteristics of effective school leadership in Reading First

19. Successful School Reform is … • Specific The program is sufficiently detailed. • Powerful The program produces results. • Authoritative Leadership is involved and informed. • Consistent The program is uniformly implemented. • Stable The program is not changed without reason. Desimone, L. (2002). How can comprehensive school reform models be successfully implemented? Review of Educational Research, 72,433–479.

20. What problems do you foresee in making sure your school has these characteristics? • Specific The program is sufficiently detailed. • Powerful The program produces results. • Authoritative Leadership is involved and informed. • Consistent The program is uniformly implemented. • Stable The program is not changed without reason. Desimone, L. (2002). How can comprehensive school reform models be successfully implemented? Review of Educational Research, 72,433–479.

21. The Effective RF Principal Joseph Murphy, in Leadership for Literacy: Research-Based Practice, PreK-3 (2003, Corwin Press), summarizes key qualities possessed by principals of schools where achievement is strong.

22. Setting Goals The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Has a more child-centered vision Has a more adult-centered vision Sets manageable, realistic goals Favors broad goals Sees student performance as central Likes to see things run smoothly Expresses goals in measurable terms Expresses goals vaguely Uses goals for planning Refers rarely to goals Asks parents & staff to help set goals Limits goal setting input

23. Communicating Goals The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Periodically reviews & discusses Infrequently discusses goals Actively clarifies goals Rarely clarifies goals Has teachers who know goals Has teachers unfamiliar with goals Has teachers who see themselves Has teachers who see themselves as good instructors as good managers & colleagues

24. Promoting Quality Instruction The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Insists on certain teaching strategies Has less focus on methods Favors interactive teaching Is content with less interaction Assigns teachers on the basis of Assigns teachers bureaucratically improving achievement

25. Supervising Instruction The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Relies little on formal observations Values formal observations Values informal visits and meetings Rarely makes informal visits Often reads about instruction Seldom reads about instruction Often provides specific feedback Seldom provides specific feedback Counsels and assists poor teachers Less likely to confront poor teachers

26. Allocating Instructional Time The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Carefully sets time allocations Less likely to set time allocations Coordinates time allocations Less likely to have uniform schedule across teachers Schedules more instructional and Less likely to favor instructional over fewer non-instructional activities non-instructional activities Insists on time for basics Less likely to ensure their coverage Protects uninterrupted block Less likely to preserve block

27. Coordinating the Curriculum The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Is highly involved in curriculum Is less involved in curriculum alignment alignment Is concerned with the continuity Tends not to focus on continuity of curriculum from grade to grade of curriculum from grade to grade

28. Monitoring Student Progress The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Supports testing programs Views testing as a necessary evil Provides test results to teachers Is less timely in reporting results In a timely manner to teachers Discusses results with groups and Is less likely to discuss results individual teachers Encourages teachers to use test Does not emphasize the connection results to plan instruction between testing and teaching

29. Setting Expectations The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Holds adults accountable for student Does not hold others accountable learning outcomes Requires mastery of grade-level Is more likely to socially promote skills for promotion to next grade students

30. Being Visible The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Is often out of the office Spends large amounts of time in the office Makes an effort to move about Is less mobile the campus and in and out of classrooms

31. Providing Incentives The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal • Recognizes teachers with rewards Seldom acknowledges teachers • such as • distributing leadership • showing personal interest • making public acknowledgements • giving private praise Ensures that student rewards are Is less concerned about student frequent and they they go to a large rewards percentage of students Focuses rewards on achievement Is less likely to reward achievement

32. Promoting PD The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Is more likely to be directly involved Often avoids PD sessions in PD activities Follows up by ensuring that PD Is unlikely to follow up PD methods are implemented Cobbles temporary coalitions Is not adept at working with of teachers to help implement teacher groups to implement Encourages professional dialogue Is indifferent to dialogue Helps teachers attend conferences Resists conference attendance

33. Creating a Safe & Orderly Learning Environment The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Works with teachers to develop Is less focused on management skills classroom management skills Establishes a clear and consistent Fails to set up a clear policy disciplinary policy Enforces discipline fairly and May be inconsistent in enforcing consistently discipline Involves teachers and students Sets rules independently In setting rules

34. Creating a Safe & Orderly Learning Environment The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Confronts problems quickly and Is tentative and indecisive forcefully Supports teachers with discipline Is unsympathetic to teachers with problems discipline problems

35. Promoting Collaboration The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Encourages teamwork and Allows teachers to function collaborative efforts independently Gives faculty a formal role in Excludes teachers from decision decision making making Informally seeks teachers’ ideas Is indifferent to the ideas and and opinions opinions of teachers

36. Securing Outside Resources The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Is skilled at influencing district Reacts to district decisions decision making about resources Actively seeks resources Is passive about finding resources Assertively recruits the best Follows standard hiring teachers (even from other schools) procedures Allocates money based on goals Makes allocations based on other factors

37. Linking Home and School The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Communicates with parents on a Infrequently communicates with regular basis parents Involves parents in school activities Is more likely to ignore parent participation Establishes programs that promote Fails to facilitate parent-teacher parent-teacher interaction interaction Promotes the school to Does not participate in community community groups groups Provides ways parents can learn Doesn’t about school and help their children

38. Which qualities of the principal relate to reading achievement? • Principal’s race • Principal’s sex • Number of years as a principal • Number of years as a classroom teacher • Knowledge about reading – Kean et al. (1979), What Works in Reading? (Federal Reserve Bank Study)

39. Which qualities of the principal relate to reading achievement? • Principal’s race • Principal’s sex • Number of years as a principal • Number of years as a classroom teacher  Knowledge about reading – Kean et al. (1979), What Works in Reading? (Federal Reserve Bank Study)

40. Goal 3 Revisit the roles of the LC.

42. Literacy Coaches are Learners • Learn about reading development • Engaged and active participation in all levels of professional development • Self-directed reading of professional materials • Self-directed networking

43. Literacy Coaches are Learners • Learn about professional development • Engaged and active participation in all levels of professional development • Self-directed reading of professional materials • Self-directed networking http://www.nsdc.org/

45. Literacy Coaches are Grant Writers and Site Managers • Understand and review federal guidelines • Keep careful record of budgeting decisions and professional development activities • Collaborate with district personnel to provide reports • Manage site visits

46. Literacy Coaches are School-Level Planners • Work with administrators to build school-level schedules to protect time for classroom instruction and intervention • Both whole-group and needs-based time • Work with administrators to plan time for small-group and whole-school professional development • Work with administrators and teachers to direct specialists and paraprofessionals • Work with teachers to build classroom schedules

48. Literacy Coaches are Curriculum Experts • Learn about core curriculum and intervention materials • Extensive personal review of manuals • Research of program reviews • Interaction with publisher’s representatives • Observe curriculum in action

49. Literacy Coaches are Researchers • Design, schedule and manage data collection • Interpret and share data with all stakeholders • Assess fidelity to school-wide model through observations • Assess relationship of fidelity to student achievement • Propose changes in school-level plan based on these analyses