APPLICATION PROCESS

Literacy Collaborative at Lesley University supports schools by making the application process easy. Application material and directions are clear and concise. Requirements for participation are specified up front so schools understand that Literacy Collaborative is a collaborative partnership between the school and Lesley University. Following are the procedures to apply for school based leadership team training, literacy coordinator training, and university or district-level training.

School-Based Leadership Team Training

The application process for the school-based leadership team is relatively simple. Each school selects six people to form a literacy team for the training (additional members may be added on a pro-rated basis). Background information about the school is required on the application. The building principal and the district superintendent must sign the application before it can be processed. Teams are accepted for training after the application is reviewed to be sure all pertinent information is included and all background questions are answered. Teams receive an official acceptance letter listing the dates and times of training.

Literacy Coordinator Training

The application process for the training of a literacy coordinator has two parts: the site application and the literacy coordinator application. The site application requires in-depth information about the school and signed agreement of the assurances listed in the application. The literacy coordinator application requires detailed background information about the candidate's teaching and leadership experiences. In addition, the literacy coordinator candidate (along with the building principal) is required to interview with members of the Lesley University Literacy Collaborative faculty before final acceptance is determined.

The candidate for the position of literacy coordinator must meet the following requirements. The candidate must have:

• A Master's degree (in rare cases this requirement may be waived if equivalent experiences are documented and judged satisfactory by the Literacy Collaborative training faculty)
• Three years teaching experience at the at the grade level pertinent to the training
• Significant course work in reading/language arts
• Demonstrated leadership experience

District-Level Trainer

Training of a district-level trainer of literacy coordinators is a two-year process. In the first year, the candidate completes the application for and is trained as a school-based literacy coordinator. Upon successful completion, the applicant fills out the district-level trainer application which asks for information about the candidate, the district, and the plan for implementation of Literacy Collaborative in the district. As with the team and literacy coordinator applications, signed assurances from the district superintendent are required.

The candidate for the position of district-level trainer must meet the following requirements. The candidate must have:

• A Master's degree
• Extensive experience in teaching elementary reading in the grade levels pertinent to the training
• Research skills
• Significant staff development experience
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills
• Reading Recovery training (primary only)
• A district that is willing to commit, for a minimum of five years, time and financial resources necessary for the professional development of and training provided by a district level training of literacy coordinators

Candidates for university training participate in a two year process. A plan for training and experience is developed with Lesley University.

We are now accepting applications for the 2007-2008 school year.  If you would like to request an application please email litcol@lesley.edu