What are the top strategies that educators can implement to improve literacy for all learners? How can educators provide an equitable literacy classroom experience for English Learners? How do teachers ensure their students are receiving a well-rounded education?
Our literacy and education leadership experts answer these questions and more in our Leadership Talks webinars. But we know educators are busy professionals, so we pulled out a few of their top tips to help you and all of your students.
1. English Learners (ELs) need challenging content, with the right scaffolding, to inspire success.—Dr. Elena Izquierdo
Dr. Elena Izquierdo is the author of Escalate English® and Associate Professor at the University of Texas, El Paso. Learn more about equity for ELs by reading her blog post, "E3: Equity, Evidence, and Efficacy—Practices for English Learner Success," and watching her webinar, "Equity in Working with English Learners."
2. As you create your plan, remember: the "finish line" is not just graduation, but also college, career, and beyond.—Sancha Gray
Sancha Gray is the Superintendent of Asbury Park School District in New Jersey. Learn more on how she's transformed her district by reading her blog post, "Strengthening the Core: Leading Transformation in My School District," and watching her webinar, "Strengthening the Core."
3. Remember the ABCs of SEL from Francie Alexander.
Download a PDF poster of the ABCs of SEL for your school. Francie Alexander is HMH's Chief Research Officer and an industry leader in the fields of Early Childhood Education, Literacy, and Intensive Intervention for striving reading and math students. Learn more by watching her webinar, "The Five Big Research-based Ideas That Will Have a Positive Impact on Literacy Outcomes."
4. Avid readers are lifelong learners. Engage all students with different genres and subjects.—Carol Jago
Carol Jago is an author of HMH Into Reading™ and HMH Into Literature™ programs and is associate director of the California Reading and Literature Project at UCLA. Get recommendations for books that support SEL by reading her blog post, "Helping Children Read the World: Stories From History," and watching her webinar, "When Children Read the World: Books that Lead the Way."
5. Fine-tune your social-emotional skills and collaborate with colleagues to model healthy habits and relationships for your students.—Dr. Stephanie M. Jones
Dr. Stephanie M. Jones is the Director of the Ecological Approaches to Social Emotional Learning (EASEL) Lab and Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education. Watch Dr. Jones' webinar on "The Science and Practice of Social and Emotional Learning in Schools" to learn more.
6. Randomly selecting volunteers can backfire. Use proven inclusive practices to help all students share their thoughts.—Dr. Kate Kinsella
Dr. Kate Kinsella is the author of English 3D®, a co-author of READ 180®, and CEO of Dr. Kate Kinsella & Associates. Learn more about strategies for inclusive practices by reading her blog post, "Engaging Reticent Contributors in Whole-Class Discussions," and watching her webinar, "Tools for Engaging Reticent Contributors in Class Discussions of Text."
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Looking for ways to advance the literacy skills of all students in your district, including children living in poverty, English learners, and children with disabilities? Learn more about how HMH can help you achieve the goals of the Comprehensive Literacy State Development, a five-year federal discretionary grant awarded to 13 states.
