Leading for Literacy: What Every School Leader Needs to Know
What every school leader needs to know about systemic literacy improvement including effective assessment, teaching, coaching, school culture and leadership.
In this 4-day institute for school principals and administrators, learn how to support literacy teaching in grades K–6. Learn how to improve student literacy outcomes by developing a coherent vision for literacy and a vibrant school culture that supports teamwork and continuous professional learning.
- District & School Leadership
- Literacy Coaches/Teacher Leaders
- Graduate Credit Participants, please see “Graduate Credit Options” tab for pricing information
- Literacy Collaborative Affiliation Discount available
Establish core values and beliefs about literacy teaching and learning that will be the foundation for your visionary leadership.
Learn how to develop a vibrant school culture that supports teamwork and continuous professional learning to get swift improvement in student outcomes. With a strong foundation in comprehensive evidence-based literacy assessment and instruction, you will be able to support instructional coherence for every child in every classroom, at every grade level.
In addition, you will learn how to promote shared ownership of data on student outcomes and address systemic structures that limit the learning of some students in the educational system.
Specifically, you will learn the essential elements of a variety of evidence-based instructional practices:
- Explicit and systematic phonics, spelling, and word study
- Knowledge-building and comprehension through interactive read-aloud text sets
- Building foundational skills and fluency through shared and performance reading
- Small group instruction including:
- book clubs
- guided reading
- guided writing
- Independent reading and writing
- Teaching encoding and decoding through interactive/shared writing
- The structured readers’ workshop
- The structured writers’ workshop
You will learn how to support teachers in using the Literacy Continuum to plan for and assess teaching and how to guide them in developing their knowledge of the specific scaffolds needed for multilingual learners.
You will use observation tools for instructional practices, so you can observe, discuss, and support specific elements of high-quality teaching. You will analyze and identify areas of strength and need in school interventions using principles of effective intervention. You will expand your use of precise language to support reflective teacher practice by analyzing videos of teaching to understand decision-making instructional practices that result in improvement of student competencies.
You will receive a variety of professional texts and materials, including the book, Leading for Literacy: What Every School Leader Needs to Know, The Comprehensive Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Guide, The Literacy Continuum, and The Literacy Quick Guide.
You’ll earn 24 professional development hours upon completion of this training, or you may take it for 3 graduate credits.
Cynthia Downend, Associate Director, Literacy Programs
Cynthia Downend has worked at the Center for Reading Recovery and Literacy Collaborative for over 15 years, serving in the roles of primary level literacy trainer and currently as the Assistant Director for Primary Literacy Programs.
Cynthia has worked with many school districts across the United States to train and develop district level literacy staff developers, literacy coaches, classroom teachers, literacy interventionists and school administrators on a variety of topics related to improving literacy instruction.
Prior to her work at Lesley University, Cynthia held positions as a literacy coach, Reading Recovery teacher, and classroom teacher for over 20 years working in a variety of school settings including urban, suburban, and international schools.
Linda Murphy, Associate Director, Literacy Programs
Linda has worked in school districts in New York in a variety of roles and settings. Prior to her joining the center at Lesley University, Linda held positions as a principal of an intermediate school, a Director of English Language Arts, Social Studies and Reading, a district trainer for Literacy Collaborative Intermediate, a Reading Recovery Teacher Leader and a classroom teacher. Linda holds licenses in Elementary Education and School District Administration.
Required Materials (mailed to you as part of registration)
- Leading for Literacy: What Every School Leader Needs to Know
- The Comprehensive Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Guide
- The Literacy Continuum
- The Literacy Quick Guide
Cancellation Deadline & Refund Policies
Non-Credit Participants
You have until one week before the first day of this offering to cancel your registration. The cancellation deadline is Monday, July 7, 2025. There is a $50 cancellation fee. If you request a cancellation after the deadline, you will not be issued a refund. Substitution requests are acceptable. Please email CRRLC@lesley.edu if you have a cancellation or substitution request.
Graduate Credit Participants
Review the university’s cancellation and refund policies for credit bearing courses.
Registration Deadline
The registration portal closes at 5pm ET on July 11, 2025. If you register within the week before the start of this training, you may experience delays in receiving the required professional texts included with your registration and you may incur additional fees for expedited shipping.
Requirements for Participation
After the training, non-credit participants will receive a certificate of attendance for your participation. To receive a complete certificate, participation during the specified times is required. Additional work may be assigned to meet the clock hours.
In-Person or Virtual Attendance
You may choose to attend this training in-person at Lesley University or virtually in real time. Should any of the conditions change and it is determined the training will be offered virtually only, you will be notified as soon as possible. We recommend that you contact us before reserving travel and lodging.
If you choose to attend in-person, the training room will have Lesley University’s HyFlex Classroom Technology to support an engaging learning environment for in-person and virtual participants. If you have questions about in-person or virtual attendance, please email us at CRRLC@lesley.edu.
Graduate Credit Options
With additional assignments, this institute can be taken for 3 graduate credit hours. During the registration process, you will have the option to register as a Graduate Credit attendee and you will only be charged the graduate credit fee listed below.
When your registration is complete, contact CRRLC@lesley.edu to finish the required secondary registration process for grad credits through Lesley University.
Course Number: EEDUC 6036-34
PRICING:
- $2,700 ($875*/credit + $25*/credit comprehensive fee) *subject to change
On-Site Professional Development
We can deliver this training to your school/district. This option can be delivered virtually or in-person for a group within your school/district. For detailed costs, complete our online form to request this training for your school/district and we will contact you.
Interested in professional learning at your school or district? Schedule a meeting with one of our faculty trainers
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