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Principals' Network to Create Research-Based Literacy Tools for School Improvement

In one of the first such ventures of its kind, the NECC's Principals' Literacy Leadership Network is engaging principals and state and district education leaders in creating a tool that will allow secondary school principals to design and evaluate literacy programs in their schools.

The project's goal is to synthesize the essential knowledge base for improving adolescent literacy, develop a decision tree to help administrators assess their schools' current status, and create a resource to help principals deepen their knowledge in key areas of effective adolescent literacy.

Over the course of two or three months, small teams of three to five people work on one of the 13 key elements of high quality adolescent literacy programs and instruction, identified as critical elements and challenges in Improving Literacy Instruction in Middle School and High School: A Guide for Principals from the Center on Instruction. Using Moodle, a free, asynchronous online collaborative Web medium, teams explore the research base, identifying and examining the core research in each element:

To date, two teams have formed. One, comprising state leaders from Connecticut and Massachusetts and a Connecticut principal, is working on the "Using Data to Guide School-Based Decisions" element. The other, comprising state and district leaders from Connecticut, is working on "Methods for Professional Development Delivery and Support."

For more information, or to join this project to create materials for and by practitioners with input from local and state leaders, contact:

Joe Trunk: jtrunkatrmcres.com
Andrea Reade: areadeatrmcres.com