The HOW: The School Leaders’ Role in Bringing the Science of Reading to Life
The Compass School recently had the pleasure of hosting a team of 22 highly engaged aspiring principals from the CLEE Principal Residency Network (PRN). The purpose of the PRN visit was to conduct instructional rounds with a focus on the Science of Reading literacy practices at The Compass School. After visiting our classrooms, one aspiring principal reflected,
“This is unreal!
The Science of Reading is embedded at Compass
on a schoolwide level that is unheard of.”
This takeaway came from observing classes across the K-8 span, where the Science of Reading was in action across the content areas. All teachers and teacher assistants fluently used the language of the Science of Reading, as did the students. In addition to the High Quality Curriculum Materials, teachers made use of a variety of Science of Reading tools from anchor charts, to posters, to specialty dry erase boards, SOR card decks, and more.
Grade 1 student humming a two syllable word to divide and spell the word by syllables when writing a sentence.
The WHY, the HOW, and the WHAT
Simon Sinek popularized “The Golden Circle,” clarifying the 3 key conditions needed for improvement to take place: Why, How, What.
Simon emphasizes the importance of starting with WHY, which in the case of the Science of Reading, I believe that we’ve done well, particularly through the work of advocates like Emily Hanford and her influential documentary series, Sold A Story.
However, I’d argue that in the Science of Reading transformation, we’ve jumped from WHY to WHAT (high quality curriculum materials) and we skipped over the HOW. After their classroom observations, the PRN aspiring principals’ biggest question was: “HOW did you do it?” I hear this question often.
The HOW behind mobilizing the Science of Reading on a schoolwide level has been the most elusive of the three elements; this has led to uneven results classroom to classroom, school to school, and district to district.
During instructional rounds, the PRN visitors made the following inferences:
“We can infer that there is a clear literacy vision.”
“We can infer that literacy is a top priority at this school.”
“We can infer that there is an expectation for staff to incorporate HQCM and foundational literacy in every classroom.”
When we strategize on how to most effectively impact the student experience, we think first of the educators who are closest to the learners. Teachers, reading specialists, special educators and literacy are prioritized to ensure they understand the WHY and the WHAT behind the instructional change.
However, when we reflect on the PRN visitors' inferences from their Compass School observations, the keywords they used offer insight to the HOW. They named schoolwide vision, priority and expectation, which are functions of the school leader, not the classroom teacher. This suggests that for literacy transformation to be applied consistently schoolwide, the school leader must be an invested and informed partner in the process.
The School Leader & the HOW
Given that the school leader plays a pivotal variable in the success formula, his/her training should be paramount. However when we look more closely at the typical courses of a Master’s in Administration or the 10 hour awareness training required in the RI Right to Read Act, many aspiring principals and current principals find themselves ill equipped to lead literacy transformation in their schools.
Recognizing that administrators are yearning for more training, Root Literacy Design and Level 5 Leaders have co-created the Administrator Mentorship Network. This year-long, virtual small group provides tailored content and frameworks addressing the strategic goals and challenges of school administrators. The network is limited to 10 school administrators from across the country who are engaged in evidence-based literacy work. What’s more, the Administrator Mentorship Network is facilitated by a current school leader who has the tools and experience to guide school leaders to success in their own schools, and who understands the unique pressures of school leadership.
We invite you to join RLD for a Zoom session on April 30th at 4:30 PM to learn how they can help you implement the Science of Reading. Can’t make it? No problem! Register anyway and they’ll share the recording with you.
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/5d6d8keu
Additionally, The Compass School will open its doors for Educator Open Houses in the 2025-2026 school, welcoming invested stakeholders to see the Science of Reading and our other mission in action. Click here to learn more about Educator Open Houses at The Compass School.
Highly trained and confident school administrators are the missing link in the HOW of literacy transformation. Root Literacy Design, Level 5 Leaders, and The Compass School are excited to partner to support this need. Through these opportunities, you’ll find evidence-based literacy training, tools and mentorship so all students learn to read and write.
Related article: All Hands on Deck: A Zone Defense Approach to Literacy
