Featured Professional Learning Opportunities
Shared Leadership for School Improvement
PreK-8In this 8-week online course for coaches and teacher leaders, you’ll learn how to promote a culture of shared leadership that can energize school teams.
Phonics, Vocabulary, Spelling, and Word Study in Grades K-8
K-8In this 8-week online graduate course for teachers, learn the importance of systematic instruction in vocabulary, spelling, and word analysis skills.
Effective Reading Instruction: Community & Practice, K-8
K-8This 8-week, online course will teach the rationales and organizational components of classroom reading instruction. You will examine effective instructional practices and strategies to strengthen reading development for a wide range of readers, including multilingual learners.
Over 35 Years of Academic Excellence in Literacy Learning
The Center for Literacy Teaching & Instructional Leadership at Lesley University has been engaged in thirty-five years of innovative, research-based, system-wide educational improvement efforts. We are focused on a single mission—to ensure that every child has the opportunity to live a literate life.
We have been working with educators in school systems to improve children’s literacy.
35 Years
of experience improving
childhood literacy
50,000+
educators served from
across the nation and
around the world
Millions
of children’s lives
improved through literacy
Featured Blog Posts
An Invitation to Rethink: What Research Says About Syllables
As literacy educators, we must think carefully about cognitive load, instructional payoff, and how word-solving strategies impact readers’ fluency and comprehension. If a strategy requires a lot of mental effort but works inconsistently, it’s worth asking whether it truly supports readers.
Three Essential Practices for Effective Vocabulary Instruction
Vocabulary knowledge is a key element in comprehending text. Students need ongoing instruction and support in developing their vocabulary because it affects their ability to comprehend texts and communicate their ideas clearly. Here are three instructional practices for approaching vocabulary instruction that will support students in expanding their word knowledge.
Analyzing Hip-Hop as Text: Teaching Students to Read the World Through Culture
Hip-hop is powerful because it provides a voice and a platform to marginalized communities and critiques injustice. It continues to be a powerful means for young people to critique social injustice, demand change, and celebrate their identities—offering not just music, but a way to imagine and create a better world. At its core, hip-hop is a culture that critiques society.