Welcome to the Center for Literacy Teaching and Instructional Leadership at Lesley University – where our mission is to ensure every child grows up literate.
We have been engaged in over 35 years of innovative, evidence-based, system-wide educational improvement efforts, partnering with thousands of schools to improve literacy outcomes for children.
What We Do
With an emphasis on thoughtful, instructional decision-making, we help educators use systematic observation and data to build their expertise as responsive literacy teachers. Our offerings are tailored to the unique strengths and needs of each student, educator, and school. We provide research-backed professional learning through a range of workshops, institutes, certificates, and courses delivered in person and online, as well as through long-term school partnerships.
Who We Are
Our center is comprised of a team of educators and researchers who bring decades of classroom-based expertise and over 35 years of evidence-based research, pioneering work in the field of early intervention, grades prek-8 classroom teaching, literacy coaching, and leadership. We believe the best outcomes occur when working side-by-side with both your experienced and new educators, building upon and honoring their valuable experiences to support continuous growth.
Partner With Us
When you partner with us, you engage in a process that’s far beyond a standard approach to systemic improvement. Together, we work with you to build on your strengths to create inclusive, effective, and sustainable literacy practices across the school – so every child becomes a confident, capable reader and writer. We are committed to supporting your teachers in turning the vision of lifelong literacy into reality.
Ready to learn more? Please reach out to us today. We look forward to speaking with you about how our collaborative, tailored approach can help you unlock every child’s potential and achieve lasting success.
Mission & Goals
The mission of the Center is to ensure that every child has the opportunity to live a literate life. For the past 35 years, we have successfully adapted to the ever-changing educational landscape and fulfilled our mission by:
- Partnering with schools to improve literacy outcomes for children, especially those in underserved communities and children who encounter difficulty in learning to read and write
- Developing innovative, evidence-based, system-wide educational improvement efforts
- Promoting the trademarked and research-proven Reading Recovery & Literacy Collaborative models
- Offering a wide variety of professional learning opportunities for individuals and school cohorts
Our Expertise & Impact
The Center’s faculty is composed of a select group of highly experienced scholar practitioners. As former classroom teachers, literacy coaches, and school-based interventionists, they spend time in our partner schools and are able to speak to the needs of practicing educators in accessible, realistic and effective ways.
Research & Development
Throughout the Center’s 35 year history, we have developed and tested innovative approaches to school improvement and continue to do so. As a national leader in high quality literacy education, we have demonstrated success in changing the trajectory for students and schools across the country. The Center’s work has been independently evaluated and found to have positive effects for students and teachers. We have a history of high-profile partnership grants and contracts such as the U.S. Department of Education, Spencer Foundation, and the Tennessee Department of Education.
Services & Offerings
We provide ongoing learning opportunities for teachers, literacy coaches and school administrators supporting the goal of continuous school improvement.
Our offerings are specifically designed to meet the specific needs of district and school leadership, literacy coaches, classroom teachers, and interventionists. These offerings are delivered at Lesley, online and on-site at a school or district. Noncredit and graduate credit options are available for select offerings.
For a full list of upcoming professional learning opportunities, click here.
