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Coaching & Teacher Leadership

Better Together: The Case for Cluster Coaching

June 24, 2026 Wendy Vaulton, Associate Director for Reading Recovery & Early Interventions

Discover how cluster coaching helps educators learn together, build confidence, and strengthen student outcomes.

Reading Beyond November: Bringing Indigenous Voices Into Everyday Literacy Instruction

March 31, 2026 Wunneanatsu Lamb-Cason (Schaghticoke/HoChunk)

As educators, we have an opportunity to shift from occasional inclusion to sustained presence — integrating Indigenous perspectives into everyday literacy instruction in ways that are relevant, accurate, and ongoing.

Tags: Teaching

Analyzing Hip-Hop as Text: Teaching Students to Read the World Through Culture

January 13, 2026 Edmund Adjapong

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.

Tags: Teaching

How Will They Learn to Read if They Never Read? 

May 5, 2025 Cindy Downend, Associate Director of Literacy Programs

Four ways that school leaders can encourage children to read every day, in and out of school.

Tags: Coaching

Bridging Languages and Building Literacy: Helping Multilingual Learners Thrive

February 18, 2025 Wendy Vaulton, Associate Director for Reading Recovery & Early Interventions

Multilingual learners are taking on the dual challenge of learning a new language while also acquiring literacy. By taking small, intentional steps, teachers can effectively bridge the gap between students’ current knowledge and the new skills they are developing, creating a solid foundation for their literacy growth.

Planting the Seeds of Literacy: Cultivating Learning in PreK Centers

February 5, 2025 Gen Arcovio, Literacy Trainer

Teaching children how to use books and other literacy resources in play centers helps children naturally integrate the use of print, writing, and new vocabulary into their natural flow of play.

Literacy Coaching Toward Teacher Empowerment and Resilience 

January 23, 2025 Cindy Downend, Associate Director of Literacy Programs

Observations and four key ideas that emerged from a group of experienced literacy coaches who brainstormed ways to work toward fostering teacher empowerment in the new year.

Tags: Coaching

Choose Wisely! Qualities and Dispositions of a Literacy Coach & Teacher Leader

July 16, 2020 Cindy Downend, Assistant Director, Literacy Programs

Identifying an educator to train as a literacy coach is among one of the most important decisions a building principal has to make.

Upcoming Professional Development

July 20-24, 2026

Word Study: Teaching Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling in Grades K-8

Deepen your understanding of the alphabetic linguistic system and learn how to teach for phonological awareness, phonics, word structure, vocabulary, spelling, and word analysis skills in grades K-8.

$895 (does not include professional texts)
July 27-30, 2026

Leading for Literacy: What Every School Leader Needs to Know

This 4-day institute equips school principals, district administrators, and professional learning leaders to lead, support, and sustain evidence-based literacy instruction in grades K–6. Participants will develop a clear vision for literacy and identify actionable strategies to build collaborative teams and a professional learning culture that accelerates student literacy growth.

$1295 (includes professional texts)
August 3-6, 2026

The Effective Instructional Coach: Leading Growth, Navigating Challenges

This 4-day training is designed for all school-based coaches including instructional coaches and those who support literacy, math, science, social studies and/or technology. You’ll learn how to better understand your role and how to effectively coach teachers at your school.

$895 (includes professional text)

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