Literacy Learning for Leaders

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HELP and the University of Minnesota Principals Academy collaborated to produce 15 professional development videos that inform and assist principals and other school leaders in supporting literacy instruction in their schools. These hour-long videos and the resources provided with them are FREE to everyone, whether you’re a school administrator, a higher-ed trainer of teachers, an in-service teacher, a parent, or an advocate for effective literacy instruction.

At a kickoff event at UMN, our keynote speaker was the award-winning American Public Media journalist Emily Hanford, who has produced groundbreaking podcasts on literacy, including “Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong.”  There is evidence to suggest that Hanford's reporting is having more influence in the discussion of reading instruction than the National Reading Panel's sweeping report "Teaching Children to Read," released in 2000. 

Hanford was joined by Dr. Pani Kendeou, Director of the Reading and Learning Lab at UMN, whose research team has mined Twitter data to understand the types of impact Hanford's reporting is having on conversations about literacy on the platform. Bringing a practitioner's perspective to the discussion was Melissa Sonnek,  Assistant Superintendent of the Roseville Public Schools. The panel was moderated by Dr. Katie Pekel, Executive Director of Educational Leadership, UMN College of Education and Human Development.

The Literacy Learning for Leaders professional development initiative provides four Units: 1) "The Science of Reading"—including MDE's Minnesota BOLD State Literacy Plan; Dyslexia in Minnesota; and  Culturally Responsive Teaching; 2) "Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)"; 3) "LETRS Overview—Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling"; and 4) "Every Voice Counts—Strategies for Parent Engagement, Supporting Multi-lingual Learners, and Teacher Preparation."

In addition to the videos, the project provides a wide variety of resources and opportunities for training and coaching for school leaders. Click the link below to see the full scope of Literacy Learning for Leaders.