Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Table of Contents -- Note -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: Why This Book, and Who Is It For? -- Quick Wins -- 1-Literacy and Leadership: Change That Matters -- Learning from Teaching and Leading -- Literacy Insights -- Leadership Insights -- Prepare People for Worthwhile Change -- Put in Place a Solid Infrastructure -- Focus on Worthwhile Instruction and Learning -- Establish a Culture of Professional Trust -- Professional Trust: What It Is and Why It Matters -- Take Action to Promote Professional Trust -- Become a "Positive Deviant"-A Force for Helpful Change -- Develop a Mindset for High Achievement -- Teach with a Sense of Agency and Urgency -- Ask Uncommon Questions -- Become a Teacher Who Also Leads -- Become a Leader Who Also Knows Literacy -- 2-Responsive Instruction, Feedback, and Assessment -- Teach and Assess Responsively -- Ask the Most Essential Questions First -- Teach with Authenticity -- Plan with the End in Mind -- Provide More Choice Within Structure -- Hear All the Voices -- Embed Formative Assessment -- Apply an Optimal Learning Model -- Embrace Seamless Teaching -- Shift to Whole-Part-Whole Teaching -- Rely on Excellent Demonstrations -- Provide More Shared Experiences -- Build in Sustained and Guided Practice -- Work Toward Independence in Learning -- Reap the Benefits of the OLM -- Provide Effective Feedback -- Apply Feedback Essentials -- Use Effective Feedback to Build Professional Trust -- 3-Reading and Writing Priorities -- Develop Shared Beliefs -- Start with Schoolwide Discussion of Literacy Beliefs -- Connect Beliefs with Excellent Instructional Practices -- Provide Access to Appropriate Texts -- Ensure Access to Books for All Students -- Use Riveting Literature -- Establish Excellent Classroom Libraries with Students -- Guide Students to Choose Books They Can Read.

Understand Text Complexity -- Apply Reading Levels Judiciously -- Expand Background Knowledge -- Integrate Social Media and Technology into Literacy -- Write for Audience and Purpose -- Make Writing Authentic -- Simplify the Teaching of Writing -- Become a Writing Role Model -- Notice What Authors Do -- Embrace Public Writing Conferences -- Put the Writer Before the Writing -- Read for Enjoyment and Understanding -- Focus on Reading Joy as Well as Reading Progress -- Be a Reading Role Model -- Rely on Relevant Research -- Emphasize Comprehension -- Provide Adequate Reading Supports -- Ensure Sustained Time for Independent Reading -- Instill Daily Reading Conferences -- Aim for Self-Determining Readers -- 4-Reducing the Need for Intervention -- Focus Teaching at the Universal Level -- Increase Teacher Effectiveness -- Apply the Common Core Standards Wisely -- Emphasize Prevention -- Ensure Excellent Literacy Instruction in Kindergarten -- Intervene Early -- Avoid Summer Reading Loss -- Embrace the Reading/Writing Connection -- Employ Principles of Response to Intervention -- Focus on Meaning -- Choose Programs and Resources Carefully: Pay Attention to Research -- Work with Reading Texts That Lead to Early Success -- Incorporate Daily Practices That Deter Failure -- Make the Work More Authentic -- Provide More Student Choice -- Make Learning Intentions Clear -- Celebrate Students' Strengths -- Have Students Do More Silent Reading -- Confer with Students Daily -- Embrace Whole-Part-Whole Teaching -- Put Second Language Learners on a Fast Track to Achievement -- Write Whole, Meaningful Texts as a Catalyst to Acceleration -- 5-Leadership Priorities -- Ensure High-Quality Leadership -- Foster Principal Success -- Promote Teacher Leadership -- Take on the Qualities of Effective Leaders -- Build Trusting Relationships.

Make Daily Instructional Walks Integral to Higher Achievement -- Defining Instructional Walks -- Find the Time -- Know What to Look For -- Give Immediate Feedback -- Take Nonjudgmental Notes -- Give Suggestions Carefully -- Guide Teachers to Align Beliefs with Practices -- Go Beyond Analysis of Results to Improving Instruction -- Learn from Highly Effective School Leaders -- 6-Professional Literacy Communities -- Embed a PLC Culture into Schools -- Expand the PLC Defi nition and Vision -- Learn from a Professional Literacy Community School -- Put in Place Effective Learning Structures -- Apply the Research on Professional Development -- Support Continuous Principal and Teacher Learning -- Seek Professional Learning,Not Just Professional Development -- Set Up a Highly Functioning School Leadership Team -- Develop a Selection Process for Membership -- Organize Team Structures for the PLC -- Set Up a Coaching Protocol for the Team -- Establish Roles and Responsibilities -- Ensure Successful PLCs and Accelerated Learning for All -- Ask Deeper Questions About Teaching and Learning, Schoolwide -- Use Time Astutely -- Simplify the Work -- 7-Sustaining the Work: We Can Do It! -- Focus Relentlessly on What's Most Important -- Expect Commitment -- Instill a Culture of Collaboration, Learning, and Empowerment -- Develop a Model for Short-Term Gains and Long-Term Improvement -- Aim for Self-Determining Readers and Writers -- Seek to Have Learners Self-Monitor and Set Their Own Goals -- Develop Benchmarks and "I Can" Statements -- Mentor Other Teachers, Leaders, and Schools -- Embed Whole-School Coaching -- Transform Teaching Through Peer Coaching -- Adopt a Residency Model -- Protect the School -- We Can Do It! -- Postscript -- Appendixes -- APPENDIX A: Change Process Worksheet -- APPENDIX B: Planning Instruction with the Optimal Learning Model.

APPENDIX C: Examining Beliefs About Reading -- APPENDIX D: What to Look for in the Highly Effective Reading and Writing Classroom -- APPENDIX E: Recommended Technology Tools and Uses -- APPENDIX F-Part1: Schoolwide On-Demand Writing Assessment -- APPENDIX F-Part 2: Analyzing Schoolwide Writing Samples -- APPENDIX G: Teaching Points Related to "Six Traits +1" of Writing -- APPENDIX H: Observation Framework for Instructional Walks -- APPENDIX I: Essential Characteristics of a Highly Effective Teacher-Leader -- APPENDIX J: Benchmarks for Writing -- APPENDIX K: Visitor Guidelines for Classroom Observations -- Glossary -- Endnotes -- References and Resources -- Index -- About the Author.