Teaching Advanced Literacy Skills

Nonie K. Lesaux, PhD, is the Juliana W. and William Foss Thompson Professor of Education and Society at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her developmental and experimental research on school-age children and youth investigates language, reading, and social–emotional development; classroom quality and academic growth; and strategies for accelerating language and reading comprehension. With Stephanie M. Jones, Dr. Lesaux is also codirector of the Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative and coprincipal investigator of the Early Learning Study at Harvard. She is a recipient of the William T. Grant Scholars Award and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. Dr. Lesaux has served on the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council’s Committee on the Science of Children Birth to Age 8.Emily Phillips Galloway, EdD, is Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development. Inspired by her work as a former middle school reading specialist and English language arts teacher, Dr. Galloway conducts research on the development of the language skills that support advanced literacy in struggling readers and in linguistically diverse adolescents. In addition, she works with large urban districts, school leaders, and educators to design literacy improvement efforts and assessment systems.Sky H. Marietta, EdD, is the Curriculum and Instruction Specialist at Pine Mountain Settlement School, a not-for-profit organization focused on improving opportunities for children in Appalachia, and a research fellow at Berea College. Previously, she was a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her work examines connections among language, culture, poverty, and reading achievement, with a special emphasis on rural populations and science literacy. A former elementary teacher, Dr. Marietta has worked with numerous teachers and districts on implementing efficient and informative literacy assessment systems. She is coauthor with Nonie K. Lesaux of Making Assessment Matter.

"This book has one foot anchored in current literacy research and theory and the other solidly grounded in the realities of classroom practice in today's schools. Lesaux, Galloway, and Marietta provide teachers, teacher educators, and researchers with a useful, valid framework for making important decisions about the particular pedagogical and curricular pathways that individual students should travel on their journey toward competence and confidence as readers and writers. The book gives special prominence to English language learners, the population that provides the most vexing challenge to our educational system. It will help teachers employ the considerable resources that all students bring to the classroom while developing plans to meet their considerable needs--one child at a time."--P. David Pearson, PhD, Evelyn Lois Corey Professor Emeritus ofInstructional Science, University of California, Berkeley"A compelling call to action, this book shows that increasing students' literacy competencies is dependent not on more assessment, but rather on using assessment appropriately to strengthen the instructional core. The authors describe the hallmarks of advanced literacy and articulate four key shifts, including a model of professional development that reflects sustained collaborative learning. Presenting relevant research and a 21st-century definition of advanced literacy, the book offers a blueprint and practical tools for strengthening professional learning practices and instruction in classrooms and across schools. This is a 'must read' for educators committed to supporting success for all learners."--Ann Iparraguirre, EdD, ELL Instructional Lead (Manhattan), New York City Public Schools"This is an essential, comprehensive work for educators seeking to effect change to core literacy instruction in order to diminish the need for widespread intervention. It describes strategies that can benefit the entire school community and shows how to avoid common pitfalls of reform efforts. In this time of high standards, the book provides specific guidance for advanced literacy instruction for linguistically diverse students. A brilliant how-to resource!"--Angelica M. Infante, MA, former CEO, Office of English Language Learners, New York City Department of Education -This text is well structured to support the implementation of advanced literacies curriculum and practices….Readers will welcome the authors' direct approach to a complex endeavor. Particular features make the book a rich, yet readily accessible reference, for example, the figures and charts that summarize key ideas. In addition, the book concludes with a practical Appendix titled 'A Leader's Compendium of Tools' that provides reproducible guides for implementing and monitoring the key shifts that are the focus of the book….Teaching Advanced Literacy Skills is a refreshing and timely contribution to the literatures on literacy education and school leadership. Lesaux, Galloway, and Marietta are unswerving in their mission to promote advanced literacies for all students in our increasingly diverse nation. They expertly synthesize the latest academic research and present a comprehensive, informed guide for creating coherent and sustained literacy reform. School leaders would do well to share the ideas in this book with their faculty to gain their support as they embark on a journey toward teaching students advanced literacies. For schools already on this journey, this book provides a sound framework for checking progress and moving forward. In summary, Lesaux, Galloway, and Marietta's text is an excellent guide for school leaders who are not simply focused on students' short-term gains, but rather, on the long-term capacities required for success in the 21st century.--Journal of Education, 1/1/2016

• I. Advanced Literacies for the 21st Century1. Rethinking Literacy and Its Leadership for the 21st Century2. Defining Advanced Literacies3. Defining Instructional Leadership for Advanced LiteraciesII. Leading the Implementation of Four Key Site-Based Shifts for Progress4. Revisiting and Strengthening the Instructional Core5. Placing Data at the Core of the Literacy Improvement Effort6. Using a Shared Curriculum or Platform to Support Daily Teaching and Learning7. Leading the Implementation of Sustained Approaches to Staff DevelopmentIII. Moving Forward at a School Site8. Bringing It All Together: Generating a Blueprint for Advanced Literacies InstructionConclusion: Leading Advanced Literacies InstructionAppendix: A Leader’s Compendium of ToolsReferencesIndex