Imagine the Possibilities
Imagine a school where every student is engaged, teachers collaborate to refine their practice, and every child has the opportunity to grow up literate. That’s the power of Literacy Collaborative: Next Generation.
What Is It?
This evidence-based approach strengthens teaching, supports literacy leaders, and drives measurable student growth. While high-quality instructional materials are essential, they alone are not enough to achieve lasting improvement. Research consistently shows that teacher quality is the single most important factor influencing student achievement.
Literacy Collaborative: Next Generation develops the capacity of a school’s coach and leadership team to serve as a catalyst for schoolwide instructional improvement. Together, we partner with your entire faculty to create a shared responsibility for student success. Expert coaching, professional learning, and data-informed, responsive instruction form the foundation of this powerful model.
How Does It Work?
Designed for today’s schools, Literacy Collaborative: Next Generation combines immediate impact with sustainable growth.
Research shows that lasting literacy improvement comes from building professional capacity within your school—yet schools also need results now!
Our approach provides both. You’ll gain tools and resources that immediately elevate classroom instruction while laying the groundwork for continuous improvement.
Building Teacher Expertise From Within
A well-trained literacy coach is the linchpin of sustainable school improvement.
Your coach will participate in a full year of comprehensive training focused on:
- Reading and writing as interconnected, complex processes rooted in the five pillars of reading instruction
- Working effectively with adult learners to create a culture of continuous learning in your school
- Strategically planning, delivering, and evaluating professional learning over time
- Designing comprehensive assessment systems to inform responsive teaching and measure student growth.
Quick Impact for Lasting Improvement
While your coach is in training, your school community immediately benefits from professional learning sessions co-facilitated by a university-based trainer and your coach-in-training. These customized sessions provide teachers with practical, job-embedded learning while giving your coach hands-on experience in leading professional development. Educators also gain access to a library of online instructional modules designed for use in professional learning communities or grade-level teams.
Resources include:
- Guided meetings for data teams and school administrators
- Observational tools
- Professional learning modules for classroom teachers
These tools are designed to improve teacher decision-making and complement your High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIMs).
The Evidence Base: How Do We Know It Works?
Literacy Collaborative: Next Generation is grounded in more than 35 years of research demonstrating the effectiveness of the original Literacy Collaborative model.
Federal and Independent studies have shown:
- After three years of implementation, student learning accelerated by 32%.
- Instructional quality in schools improved significantly within 18 months, surpassing comparison classrooms.
Across decades, participating schools have seen improved teacher quality, strengthened school culture, and—most importantly—accelerated student learning.
The Impact on Your School
Our partnership results in a built-in system that continuously strengthens teaching, engages students, and sustains literacy growth year after year. Responsive teaching leads to higher achievement and deeper engagement for every learner.
Benefits of Partnership
- Support for analyzing, utilizing, and reporting school-wide literacy data
- Improved student literacy outcomes
- A highly skilled literacy coach to lead professional learning and provide job-embedded coaching
- Positive shifts in your school’s professional learning culture
- Tools and resources to advance and sustain professional growth
- Ongoing university support and consultation aligned with your school’s goals
- Annual professional learning designed specifically for coaches and principals, fostering collaboration across the LC: Next Generation network
- Regular meetups with partner schools to share insights and strategies