Alaska State Literacy Blueprint

Leadership: District/School/Community

Organizational Culture

  • Leaders from local libraries, businesses, and other community-based organizations establish a culture that respects those providing educational services to children by doing the following:
    • Setting high expectations.
    • Supporting those providing educational services, including parents, by providing appropriate instruction and environments to promote development of early literacy.
  • Program leaders (child care, Infant Learning Program, home visiting, preschool, Head Start, etc.) demonstrate knowledge regarding literacy and are up-to-date on best practices.
  • Program leaders provide professional development opportunities.
  • Districts disseminate information to the public, in a user-friendly manner, about trends in children’s performance and progress in closing the achievement gap.
  • Parents are offered leadership roles in programs serving young children, supporting early literacy efforts.
  • District and community entities actively engage in collaborative partnerships to develop early learning policies and systems that include literacy.
  • Parents are invited and informed regarding district-supported literacy opportunities (parent university, Website, Early Learning Guidelines, and materials).

Resources

  • Districts support early literacy efforts undertaken by community-based early childhood partnerships by offering resources, sharing data, online professional development, etc.
  • Local and school libraries have age-appropriate books available and readily accessible throughout the year.
  • Parents are invited and informed regarding state-supported literacy opportunities.
  • Parents are informed about formal and informal resources to support their young children’s literacy development.

Aligned and Coherent

  • Program leaders (child care, Infant Learning Program, home visiting, preschool, Head Start) and other adults demonstrate and continually develop knowledge about the following:
    • Literacy development.
    • Current research on effective practices.
    • Understanding of assessments and skills in data analysis.
  • Parents are invited and informed regarding district-/school-/and community-supported literacy opportunities (parent university, website, Early Learning Guidelines, and materials).
  • Program leaders monitor classroom instruction and home-visiting programs.
  • Educators and caregivers conduct face-to-face discussions with parents to share interests, strengths and needs of the child (assessment results) multiple times during the year.
  • Locally, past and present caregivers, teachers and parents meet together to discuss expectations for their child and for the program.
  • Adults ensure that classes integrate best practices and research-based strategies for reading and writing, as outlined in Early Learning Guidelines.
  • Local community and partnership leaders inform Alaska Early Childhood Coordinating Council about community goals and direction about policy decisions.
  • Program leaders develop a plan for transition between community entities that identify priorities and expectations of all partners.
  • State, district, and local community partnerships support the facilitation and coordination of transitions into and out of programs throughout the year.
  • State, district, and local community partnerships foster ongoing opportunities for parents and early childhood programs to share information to discuss desires and expectations about their child’s education and to experience the settings and relationships. Early childhood programs will work with local districts to share relevant and useful information regarding a child’s educational needs.

Building Capacity

  • Program leaders (child care, Infant Learning Program, home visiting, preschool, Head Start, etc.) are skilled in analyzing and using data.
  • Program leaders (child care, Infant Learning Program, home visiting, preschool, Head Start, etc.) ensure high-quality professional development for all staff and parents.
  • Training opportunities are open to interested community members.
  • Effective leaders monitor classroom/home visiting program instruction.

Organizational Culture

  • Instructional leaders demonstrate respect for teachers by doing the following:
    • Setting high expectations for teachers to deliver curriculum based on the identified needs of the learners.
    • Supporting teachers in decision-making to determine how the curriculum is delivered.
    • Supporting instructional practices that are evidence-based.
  • Instructional leaders do the following:
    • Learn about students from the classroom teacher.
    • Respect his/her knowledge and teaching practice.
    • Form collaborative relationships with teachers and instructional staff to create a positive learning community that values all cultures.
  • Effective administrators monitor classroom instruction.
  • Administrators know the elements of effective literacy instruction and can recognize their use in the classroom.
  • Leaders keep current in best practices and research.
  • Leaders keep schools and districts focused on literacy goals and initiatives.
  • Leadership teams build shared ownership among educators to meet the literacy needs of all students.

Resources

  • Instructional leaders ensure that students have access to texts in their content areas subjects that they can read fluently and accurately with comprehension.
  • Instructional leaders provide resources to support literacy-rich experiences, books, resources and models to facilitate reading, writing and communication skills development that meet the diverse needs of students and value all cultures.
  • Districts ensure teachers have timely access to student performance data.
  • District and school leadership teams analyze data and apply best practice and research to allocate resources based on student needs:
    • Personnel, matching literacy expertise to instructional alignment.
    • Materials.
    • Time/schedule.
    • Budget.

Aligned and Coherent

  • Instructional leaders demonstrate and continually develop knowledge about the following:
    • Literacy development.
    • Current research on effective practices.
    • Understanding of assessments and skills in data analysis.
  • Districts and school leadership teams collaboratively develop and share short- and long-term plans for literacy.
  • District guides implementation of literacy plans:
    • Educate local school board about its responsibilities regarding the Alaska Birth to Graduation State Literacy Blueprint and implications for student learning.
    • Monitor site instruction and interventions.
  • Instructional leaders monitor classroom instruction and interventions.
  • Instructional leaders ensure that content classes integrate best practices and research-based strategies for reading and writing instruction.
  • Leadership teams ensure that curriculum and assessments are aligned
  • Leadership teams adjust schedules to maximize academic time and maintain blocks of uninterrupted teaching to allow for sustained cognitive engagement.
  • Leadership teams provide scheduled time to support literacy:
    • Allocated instructional time.
    • Collaborative planning.
    • Professional development.
  • Leadership teams analyze data to allocate resources based on student needs:
    • Personnel.
    • Materials.
    • Time/schedule.
    • Budget.
  • School leadership schedules intensive intervention instruction for effectiveness, increasing the time of intervention to accelerate the reading development of the highest need students as early as possible.
  • Administrators establish a transition protocol that can be easily replicated and updated annually with little effort.
  • Annually, district and school leaders plan, implement, and evaluate transition activities for students:
    • Elementary to middle.
    • Middle to high school.
    • High school to college/career.
  • Districts design and provide comprehensive orientation programs for teachers, students, and families, including older siblings, who strongly influence attitudes and perceptions of transitioning students.
  • Districts ensure that all staff become knowledgeable about the needs and concerns of adolescents in transitions.
  • Districts implement effective initiatives that address students’ social, developmental, and academic needs.
  • Districts create a climate that values and supports effective home-school communications.
  • Districts create connections to the community, employers, and institutes of higher education to better engage students and help them see the relevance of their coursework.
  • Elementary schools share spring screening results for fifth grade students with educators at middle school to ensure a smooth transition and adequate preparation for incoming students.
  • Administrators plan activities that address the unique transition needs of at-risk students and their families, including families that find visiting school difficult.
  • Administrators establish a timeline for the transition process.
  • Administrators schedule meetings between collaborative groups from sending and receiving schools and discussions for adults and students about the issues.
  • Administrators and counselors engage in collaborative planning with their counterparts at feeder schools to ensure a smooth academic transition that recognizes and accommodates variations in curricula.
  • Administrators and counselors engage in collaborative planning with post secondary institutions and employers to ensure academic readiness.
  • Teachers and counselors keep parents informed, help them become skilled in dealing with issues related to transition, and welcome their participation in their children’s education.
  • Staff provide counseling to address transition concerns and assure students of the availability of ongoing support.
  • Staff provide programs, activities, and curricula to help students understand and cope successfully with the challenges of transition.
  • Parents and community members maintain strong family kinship connections between relatives and young adolescents
  • Parents and community members become knowledgeable about the needs and concerns of young adolescents in transition.
  • Parents and community members help children turn their anxieties into positive action by learning about school rules, schedules, locker procedures and the availability of counseling.
  • Parents and community members attend school functions and stay involved in children's schooling through parent conferences, workshops and visiting the school.
  • Students, teachers, guidance counselors, parents, and others evaluate the transition program.

Building Capacity

  • Instructional leaders ensure high-quality professional development for all staff and encourage reflective practice and inquiry.
  • Instructional leaders provide ongoing support such as peer observations and coaching for the implementation of literacy best practices.
  • Instructional leaders empower teacher teams who do the following:
    • Practice shared leadership.
    • Protect time for collaboration.
    • Articulate literacy expectations.

Organizational Culture

  • Instructional leaders demonstrate respect for teachers by doing the following:
    • Setting high expectations for teachers to deliver curriculum based on the identified needs of the learners.
    • Supporting teachers in decision-making to determine how the curriculum is delivered.
    • Supporting instructional practices that are evidence-based.
  • Instructional leaders do the following:
    • Learn about students from the classroom teacher.
    • Respect his/her knowledge and teaching practice.
    • Form collaborative relationships with teachers and instructional staff to create a positive learning community that values all cultures.
  • Effective administrators monitor classroom instruction.
  • Administrators know the elements of effective literacy instruction and can recognize their use in the classroom.
  • Leaders keep current in best practices and research.
  • Leaders keep schools and districts focused on literacy goals and initiatives.
  • Leadership teams build shared ownership among educators to meet the literacy needs of all students.

Resources

  • Districts ensure that content area teachers have a wide range of engaging texts available to their classrooms, including texts at a variety of different reading levels.
  • Instructional leaders provide resources to support literacy-rich experiences, books, resources and models to facilitate reading, writing and communication skills development that meet the diverse needs of students and value all cultures.
  • Districts ensure teachers have timely access to student performance data.
  • District and school leadership teams analyze data and apply best practice and research to allocate resources based on student needs.
    • Personnel-matching literacy expertise to instructional assignment.
    • Materials.
    • Time/schedule.
    • Budget.

Aligned and Coherent

  • Instructional leaders demonstrate and continually develop knowledge about the following:
    • Literacy development.
    • Current research on effective practices.
    • Understanding of assessments and skills in data analysis.
  • Districts and school leadership teams collaboratively develop and share short- and long-term plans for literacy.
  • District guides implementation of literacy plans:
    • Educate local school board about its responsibilities regarding the Alaska Birth to Graduation State Literacy Blueprint and implications for student learning.
    • Monitor site instruction and interventions.
  • Instructional leaders monitor classroom instruction and interventions.
  • Instructional leaders ensure that content classes integrate best practices and research-based strategies for reading and writing instruction.
  • Leadership teams ensure that curriculum and assessments are aligned
  • Leadership teams adjust schedules to maximize academic time and maintain blocks of uninterrupted teaching to allow for sustained cognitive engagement.
  • Leadership teams provide scheduled time to support literacy:
    • Allocated instructional time.
    • Collaborative planning.
    • Professional development.
  • Leadership teams analyze data to allocate resources based on student needs:
    • Personnel.
    • Materials.
    • Time/schedule.
    • Budget.
  • School leadership schedules intensive intervention instruction for effectiveness, increasing the time of intervention to accelerate the reading development of the highest need students as early as possible.
  • Administrators establish a transition protocol that can be easily replicated and updated annually with little effort.
  • Annually, district and school leaders plan, implement, and evaluate transition activities for students:
    • Elementary to middle.
    • Middle to high school.
    • High school to college/career.
  • Districts design and provide comprehensive orientation programs for teachers, students, and families, including older siblings, who strongly influence attitudes and perceptions of transitioning students.
  • Districts ensure that all staff become knowledgeable about the needs and concerns of adolescents in transitions.
  • Districts implement effective initiatives that address students’ social, developmental, and academic needs.
  • Districts create a climate that values and supports effective home-school communications.
  • Districts create connections to the community, employers, and institutes of higher education to better engage students and help them see the relevance of their coursework.
  • Middle schools share spring screening results for eighth grade students with educators at high school to ensure a smooth transition and adequate preparation for incoming students.
  • Administrators plan activities that address the unique transition needs of at-risk students and their families, including families that find visiting school difficult.
  • Administrators establish a timeline for the transition process.
  • Administrators schedule meetings between collaborative groups from sending and receiving schools and discussions for adults and students about the issues.
  • Administrators and counselors engage in collaborative planning with their counterparts at feeder schools to ensure a smooth academic transition that recognizes and accommodates variations in curricula.
  • Administrators and counselors engage in collaborative planning with post secondary institutions and employers to ensure academic readiness.
  • Teachers and counselors keep parents informed, help them become skilled in dealing with issues related to transition, and welcome their participation in their children’s education.
  • Staff provide counseling to address transition concerns and assure students of the availability of ongoing support.
  • Staff provide programs, activities, and curricula to help students understand and cope successfully with the challenges of transition.
  • Students, teachers, guidance counselors, parents, and other s evaluate the transition program.

Building Capacity

  • Instructional leaders ensure high-quality professional development for all staff and encourage reflective practice and inquiry.
  • Instructional leaders provide ongoing support such as peer observations and coaching for the implementation of literacy best practices.
  • Instructional leaders empower teacher teams who do the following:
    • Practice shared leadership.
    • Protect time for collaboration.
    • Articulate literacy expectations.