SCHOOL CORPORATION READING LEADERSHIP
by Jack Humphrey
Since reading is the basic skill upon which all formal education depends, increasing the reading performance of students is an important goal of all of Indiana’s school corporations.
While other subject areas such as language arts and mathematics are often influenced by high school teachers, reading is different. Most Indiana high schools do not have reading departments or licensed reading teachers. School corporation reading leadership should be provided by an administrator or teacher with a reading license or reading specialist license.
Effective reading leadership is crucial in implementing successful programs. If decision-making is timely, complete, and correct, then things will go well. After corporation decisions are made concerning the reading program, the role of the corporation reading coordinator is to ensure that things are done in a timely and effective way.
The absence of leadership is equally dramatic in its effects. Without leadership, reading programs may be disorganized, leaving teachers and their students without the support needed to build strong readers.
Some of the activities aimed at improving reading performance that could be provided by a school corporation reading coordinator are as follows:
Review comprehension and vocabulary results from ISTEP.
Review other standardized reading test results provided by the corporation that provide normative data.
Coordinate reading curriculum development activities.
Be responsible for or work closely with Title I or other federal reading programs.
Develop overall plans for struggling readers.
Coordinate reading textbook adoption.
Schedule and conduct meetings of reading teachers at various levels.
Provide reading professional development.
Work closely with the local area reading council and be involved in local, state, and national reading organizations.
Encourage use of student teachers seeking reading licenses in schools.
Provide pilot programs of various instructional reading materials.
Coordinate after-school and summer reading programs.
Develop budgets for reading activities.
Order and deliver materials for various reading programs.
Provide a Newspaper In Education program with the local newspaper.
Work with the school library program concerning independent reading activities and involvement in programs such as the Young Hoosier Book Award. Provide information through the local media, the corporation website, and printed information for parents and youth service agencies to encourage family reading activities.
Maintain a list of reading tutors for parents seeking help.
Introduce students to their public library and ensure that they have public library cards.
Encourage, develop, promote, and publicize special reading events both in schools and throughout the school corporation.
Inform the superintendent or other central office administrator about plans and progress achieved in meeting reading goals as outlined in reading plans.