Blog Post 1: The Importance of Literacy Leaders

Why are literacy leaders important in K-12 school settings?

Hi fellow educators! In today’s blog post, we’ll be talking all about the importance of literacy leaders in the K-12 school setting. Now, you may find yourself asking what exactly is a literacy leader? Do they help students? Teachers? The superintendent? Are they working on just reading, or is it something more? Relax! I’ll make sure to explain what a literacy leader is and what their responsibilities are before explaining just how important they are to our schools. Of course, but by that point, you may have figured it out already!

Let’s get started by figuring out what a literacy leader actually is. To begin with, this role has evolved over time, and has gone by many different titles such as literacy coach, reading coach or instructional coach. A literacy coach or reading coach works primarily with teachers; their focus is to improve reading and writing instruction. An instructional coach also works on literacy strategies, but more so as they are embedded within content. Essentially, all three titles are describing similar roles: an educator who helps other teachers become stronger literacy teachers.

There are many different ways for a literacy leader to provide support for teachers. One of the most visible jobs is to organize and lead professional development opportunities. This can be done in a variety of ways, depending on which coaching model the literacy leader chooses to incorporate. We’ll talk more about that later! The literacy leader is the head of the school’s literacy program, which means he or she is in charge of assessments, data, team building and implementation of new strategies. They also work hard to create a collaborative environment between all the adults who are helping kids with literacy.

Depending on the type of coaching model your school has chosen, your experience with a literacy leader could be very different from your friend’s experience at another school. In the most informal models, the literacy leader confers with teachers, provides materials, and acts as part of a group. As the models become more formal, the literacy leader will be leading professional development, modeling lessons, and observing and critiquing lessons. The literacy leader could even take on an administrator like role.

Whew! Sounds like quite a big job! And this is why having a literacy leader at your school is so important. As teachers, we have a variety of experiences and mindsets. Some have been teaching for years, some are brand new. Some are reluctant to change and others embrace change. A literacy leader helps to get more people on the same page. Not to mention, the literacy leader is also an expert at understanding and teaching literacy.

Teachers are BUSY; we have a lot on our plates just keeping our classrooms running. A literacy leader can research and find the best practices for literacy instruction. He or she can plan a professional development training where the what and why behind new practices are taught to teachers. The literacy leader can then follow up with teachers with discussions, conferences, modeled and observed lessons, and extra materials to make sure that classroom implementation is successful.

Imagine a school WITHOUT a literacy leader. Some teachers are shutting their classroom door and teaching how they’ve always taught. Some teachers are eager to try new ideas, but lack the time to truly understand and implement new strategies. And other teachers are burning themselves out to research and implement best literacy practices. Teachers are focused on all different parts of literacy. And some of these teachers are amazing! But now, imagine a school with a literacy leader. Teachers are invited to attend professional development trainings where best practices in literacy are taught, along with multiple suggestions for how to implement the strategy in the classroom. Every classroom will be using these same best practices. When a teacher needs extra help, the literacy leader is there to provide guidance through conferencing, modeling, and observing. This support starts with our kindergarten teachers and continues through the high school. All teachers are benefiting, which means all students are benefiting as well. Now ask yourself, which school would you want to teach at? Or more importantly, which school is better for students?

References

Vogt, M., Shearer, B. A., & Vogt, M. (2019). Reading Specialists and Literacy Coaches in the Real World: Fourth Edition (4th ed.). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.