by Brian Middleton-Cox, M.M., M.Ed.
For one week this summer, Administrators from the Wakefield Public Schools traveled into Cambridge to Lesley University to participate in a graduate course entitled "What Every School Leader Needs To Know About Good Literacy Teaching and Effective Literacy Coaching." The course was led by Dr. Irene Founts, Ms. Candy Downed, and Ms. Kathy Ha. The following Wakefield Administrators were present: Brian Middleton-Cox, Principal - Woodville School, Therese Jarmusik, Asst. Principal - Galvin Middle School, Deborah Collura, Principal - Greenwood School, Beth Yando, Principal - Dolbeare School,, and Nancy Santapaola, Director of Curriculum.
The course was dense with information in which we learned many ways to support our teaching staff within Wakefield. Topics included (but were not limited to):
• authenticity in reading, writing, and use of oral language
• 8 forces for leaders of change
• collaborative cultures in schools
• systematic assessment
• the continuum of literacy learning
• using benchmark assessments to document change over time
• analysis of texts
• using interactive read aloud to build common knowledge and shared language
• using literature discussion groups
• using guided reading to improve the individual reader's competencies
• phonics, spelling, and word study
• interactive writing
• writer's workshop
We were given many materials to share with our teachers to help enhance their teaching. Of particular help will be When Readers Struggle: Teaching That Works by Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell, (Heinemann, 2009). In this resource, there are many examples of common mistakes that children make when reading and then provides interventions and strategies for teachers to use with their students. We also received Professional Development modules that we can now use with our faculty in Wakefield.
Last year, all the elementary schools in Wakefield completed the Benchmark Assessments on all of our students. In the upcoming year, the middle school will begin the process of assessing their students in this method. These benchmarks help us as educators identify a student's reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. Using this data, the teachers design their lessons to meet the individual needs of each child in the classroom.
During this course, we shared best practices with administrators from New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. We learned many new teaching strategies that we are eager to bring back to our Wakefield schools. We are currently doing great things in Wakefield and our colleagues benefited from what we had to share as well.
One of the articles we read was entitled "Are We On the Same Book and Page? - The Value of Shared Theory and Vision" by Julie Wollman. Through our discussions we spoke about the shared vision of literacy for the students in Wakefield. This helps us to create a similar learning experience for all of our students within our schools, no matter which school they attend.
After spending the week with Dr. Irene Fountas and her colleagues at Lesley University, our administrative team is energized and reading to engage in Professional Development with our respective staff members.
Brian Middleton-Cox, M.M., M.Ed, is the Principal of the Woodville School in Wakefield, Massachusetts
