SCHOOL-BASED LEADERSHIP TEAMS

The school-based leadership team supports, monitors, and communicates about the implementation of the Literacy Collaborative model. The team is made up of at least six members including the building principal and/or assistant principal, the literacy coordinator, classroom teachers, and school specialists.

When a school considers implementing the Literacy Collaborative model, the first step in the process is to form a school-based leadership team and participate in team training (if geographically feasible). This training includes five full-day sessions with the Literacy Collaborative faculty. On their own, team members meet monthly at their school site. The goal of the team-training year is to help schools learn about the implementation process and receive an introduction to the teaching practices so they can guide the implementation of Literacy Collaborative in their school for the next several years. This critical first year helps schools to understand the model and the process of implementation. It requires a strong commitment from all team members.

The school-based leadership team has a variety of responsibilities including:

• Planning for effective implementation of the model and maintaining the quality and integrity of the program
• Making decisions about the best practices for literacy instruction in their school based on a common understanding of literacy theory and current research
• Developing efficient schedules for collecting, submitting, and analyzing assessment data
• Coordinating the initial training and continued professional development for classroom teachers
• Communicating with stakeholders about the implementation of the model and the progress of the students
• Coordinating with Lesley University to analyze the aspects of the model that are working well and which areas require further support

Lesley University provides support to school leadership teams by assigning a Literacy Collaborative faculty member as a liaison to work with the school for as long as it remains a member of Literacy Collaborative. The faculty member becomes the personal contact to assist teams in solving problems related to any part of implementation and providing support when needed.