Literacy Collaborative Hero

The Literacy Collaborative Partnership provides a long-term, coherent approach to literacy teaching and learning.

Invest in ensuring equitable literacy outcomes for every child by partnering with us to develop a school-based literacy coach or teacher leader who can provide job-embedded professional learning and coaching at your school.

Literacy Collaborative is a research-based literacy improvement model that strengthens the adult learning culture and gets everyone on the same page about the most effective ways to teach reading and writing in grades K–8.

Through a unique design, Literacy Collaborative offers a systems approach to ensuring high literacy outcomes for all children and fosters collective responsibility amongst the school team.

Seven Elements of the Literacy Collaborative Systems Design

  • A shared vision for literacy learning
  • Collective ownership of student outcomes
  • A commitment to teamwork and shared leadership
  • A set of research-based instructional practices that equitably address the strengths and needs of all learners
  • Student data to inform decision making, document growth over time, and reflect on the effectiveness of teaching and learning
  • Job-embedded professional learning and coaching
  • Partnership with families and community members

Literacy Collaborative Effectiveness

The results of Literacy Collaborative have been demonstrated in multiple independent research studies. Schools that train in Literacy Collaborative find that teacher quality improves, school cultures shift, and most importantly, student learning accelerates.

A federally funded study found that after three years of implementation, students learning accelerated by 32%. Another study found that instructional quality in Literacy Collaborative schools improves at a rapid rate and is significantly higher after 18 months than in similar comparison classrooms without Literacy Collaborative.

Literacy Collaborative in Your School

The highly trained literacy coach/teacher leader is central to the Literacy Collaborative model. They facilitate a wide variety of site-based professional learning and coaching opportunities for their colleagues: individually, in grade level teams, and in large groups.

The coach/teacher leader works in partnership with the principal and leadership team to address essential elements that contribute to improved student literacy outcomes.

Training Overview for the Literacy Coach/Teacher Leader

Training is held online through a combination of live, interactive sessions and on-demand learning. Literacy coaches/teacher leaders expand their understandings of literacy teaching and learning and develop skills as staff developers. They also learn how to work effectively with the school leader to increase the professional expertise and teamwork of the educators in the school. 

Literacy Collaborative coursework combines the theoretical with the practical. Candidates have immediate opportunities to apply what they are learning—teaching children and providing support to colleagues.

A unique feature of Literacy Collaborative training is the job-embedded coaching provided by Lesley University faculty as an integral part of the coursework.

Boy Reading Lineart

Wondering if Literacy Collaborative is right for your school? Schedule a free consultation with one of our literacy trainers.

School Affiliation/Partnership Benefits

Literacy Collaborative schools are part of a vibrant professional learning network focused on strengthening school culture and helping educators develop common understandings about how to teach reading, writing, and word solving. Our network is continually refining its approach through research and ongoing feedback and communication.

Affiliated Literacy Collaborative schools also enjoy a range of partnership benefits:

  • Ongoing faculty support and consultation to help schools achieve their goals
  • Annual week-long ongoing professional development for coaches, teacher leaders and administrators with Lesley University faculty
  • Monthly meet-ups for all Literacy Collaborative network partners
  • Access to our full time, doctoral level researcher for data and research consultation

Learn more about the benefits of becoming a Literacy Collaborative partner from Cindy!

Wondering if Literacy Collaborative is right for your school? Schedule a free consultation with one of our literacy trainers.

“Though we have seen a variety of approaches to instruction and arguments about content over the years, the key role of teacher expertise in schools must be at the forefront of systemic change if we are serious about educating every child.”

Irene C. Fountas, Director, Lesley University Center for Reading Recovery & Literacy Collaborative

“The activity that pushed my thinking the most was observing the pre-conference and post-conference videos. The structure of stopping the video mid-stream to talk about the doors we could have taken, coaching moves, and language to try out pushed my knowledge and proficiency around coaching.”

Lynni Nordheim, Literacy Coach

“The three instructors were knowledgeable, but approachable and funny. I think this group of students is also a wonderful cohort to take this journey with this year. The amount of information available and shared (i.e. books) was extremely valuable to my upcoming practice in the classroom.”

Tara Venuti, Reading Specialist, Concord Public Schools, Massachusetts