Read by Example

In this special episode, I am joined by Gen Arcovio and Rhonda Precourt in a conversation around this summer’s book study selection: Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy by Dr. Gholdy Muhammad. We used the following three questions to guide our conversation: * What resonated with you? * What surprised you? * What questions do you have? This ki...

Where do we start when striving for equity? What does this concept mean in everyday classrooms? How does a relevant curriculum lead to a more equitable education? I explore these questions with Dr. Chaunté Garrett, superintendent at Rocky Mount Preparatory School in North Carolina. She is an instructional leader with building- and district-level experience in transforming schools and leading stude...

In this special episode, recorded during our third and final writers group, we talked shop - writers workshop - with Tom Romano and Regie Routman. Tom is the author of several books on writing, including Write What Matters: For Yourself, For Others . Regie has also authored many professional literacy resources for educators, most recently Literacy Essentials: Engagement, Excellence, and Equity for...

It is no secret that some traditional teacher evaluation systems are less than effective in supporting professional growth. Faculty want feedback, and yet tired policies and lack of imagination can prevent leaders from seeing what is possible. Consider a different approach to this area of instructional leadership. Matt Cormier, an elementary principal in Jefferson County Public Schools in Colorado...

What world are we preparing our students for? The future is difficult to predict, yet we are confident that a capacity for lifelong learning, including a willingness to take risks and make mistakes, will be essential. One approach to developing fearless learners is described in The Genius Hour Guidebook: Fostering Passion, Wonder, and Inquiry in the Classroom by Denise Krebs and Gallit Zvi. Both c...

Walkthrough forms and rubrics are tools we are sometimes pressed to use as leaders. Yet these tools do not facilitate teacher growth alone. It is the conversation between professionals, supported by classroom evidence, that actually leads to improvement. Justin Baeder, author of Now We’re Talking: 21 Days to High-Performance Instructional Leadership , gives leaders a clear pathway toward our share...

Every teacher knows these students: the reluctant reader, the class clown, the resistant writer. Cris Tovani, author of Why Do I have to Read This? Literacy Stategies to Engage Our Most Reluctant Students , views these masks that kids wear as entry points into understanding who they are and then responding to their needs. In my conversation with Cris, we talk about: * developing a partnership appr...

Before you focus on collective efficacy or school climate, start with trust. Trust in school is not a simple concept. There are many facets to this construct: benevolent, open, honest, reliable, competent. And for trust to be fostered within an educational community, it needs an intentional effort by the leaders and teachers in the school. My conversation with Megan Tschannen-Moran, author of Trus...

We experience daily challenges while leading in our school, yet what really is the problem? Do we understand it clearly enough? Whose perspective do we need to consider as we test ideas? Jethro Jones, author of SchoolX , provides a brief explanation on how leaders can apply design thinking within their positions to start to solve these vexing challenges. We also discuss the importance of professio...

What counts as “good”? This question gets at the heart of engaging in productive conversations as we describe effective literacy instruction. We explore that inquiry in this episode with Rachael Gabriel and Sarah Woulfin, authors of Making Teacher Evaluation Work: A Guide for Literacy Teachers and Leaders (Heinemann, 2017). During our conversation, we discussed: * why people get stuck on singular...

All students are made for learning. What they bring to our classrooms should be valued as entry points for instruction and even beyond. It is the teacher who co-constructs and sustains the environment to help make this possible. In this episode, I talk with Brian Cambourne and Debra Crouch, the authors of Made for Learning: How the Conditions of Learning Guide Teaching Decisions , about: * How the...

To operate in an uncertain world, it is essential to have practical guides and sound processes. In this episode, I talk with Anthony Kim, co-author of The New School Rules: 6 Vital Practices for Thriving and Responsive Schools (Corwin, 2018), about our current challenges and how leaders might respond. * We unpack the question, “What’s safe enough to try?” * We reinforce the need for a common langu...

We have more time in the school day to engage in authentic literacy experiences than we think. Transitions, snack breaks, and walking in the hallways can all offer opportunities for brief yet effective interactions around text and with each other. In this episode of the Read by Example podcast , Dr. Jackie Witter Easley shares how educators can capture these literacy moments. She offers specific s...

Why do some students become less engaged in reading, writing and learning in general over time? Kathy Champeau and Merry Komar, two co-authors of Engaging Literate Minds: Developing Children’s Social, Emotional, and Intellectual Lives, K–3 , talk about the classroom environments that students need: places where everyone’s thinking is valued and each member of these communities is a teacher to othe...

In this inaugural podcast, Regie Routman, author of Literacy Essentials: Engagement, Excellence, and Equity for All Learners , shares her thoughts on what we need to focus on right now during these difficult times. We talk about poetry, about addressing the unique needs of everyone, and how we can embrace “Good is good enough.” Important Links (available on original site only): * Transcript * Purc...