Learning to use improvement science -- a structured process for planning, implementing, and studying change efforts -- takes time. That time is a worthwhile investment for schools aiming to shift teaching and learning, but it can be a barrier in schools that are often beset by leadership turnover. How can schools, and external partners, address…

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to bring together teachers from different academic disciplines to engage them in lesson study (LS) cycles with a focus on literacy. Design/methodology/approach: This research employed a qualitative case study and occurred in one secondary school along the Texas (USA) and Mexico border. Ten…

This paper explores different ways in which teachers use film as a medium for literacy instruction in secondary settings across different content areas in the American public school system. Three educators participated in an ethnographic interview study serving as a pilot for further enquiry. Educators represented two sites in the southern United…

Education research is too often based on gaps in published research or the niche interests of researchers, rather than the priority challenges faced by schools and districts. As a result, the education studies that researchers design and publish are often not applicable to schools' most pressing needs. To spur future research to address the…

For linguistically diverse students, the path to college is often defined by language. Depending on assessments and institutional policies, students may be placed into course sequences in developmental English, adult basic education, and/or English as a Second Language courses. The purpose of this study was to better understand developmental…

It is essential that middle school content-area and special education co-teachers adopt evidence-based literacy practices that they can integrate into their content-area instruction to address the needs of all of the students in their classes. This article provides co-teachers with four planning tips to improve implementation of the practices they…

This article presents findings from a study of the minimum conditions needed to scale a previously successful model of high school reform in New York City. Most studies of scale work backward to identify conditions that were in place when scale was successful, rather than identifying those that were minimally required, and thus more likely to be…

What happens when middle and high school teachers who know their content very well are told they should be teaching reading and writing too? Is there a bit of resistance? A decrease in self-efficacy? An overturning of curricula? In "Disciplinary Literacy in Action," ReLeah Cossett Lent and Marsha Voigt show us a better way. In this…

In this commentary, we use the occasion of the proliferation of dual enrollment to examine the discursive construction of difference between high school and college literacies, and its effects on teachers and students. This discursive divide has real, material consequences. It informs (and constrains) literacy practices and pedagogies, becomes a…

Students with significant disabilities have intellectual disability and require individualized modifications, adaptations, and supports to access grade-level content (National Center on Educational Outcomes, 2013). This group of students presents a unique challenge for literacy instruction, particularly at the high school level. Teachers must…

This 7-month multiple case study investigated the nature of mediation through literacy coaching, a reflective framework, and video of classroom instruction and its impact on the development of four secondary-level teachers of English language learners. The participants and researcher/coach participated in a cycle of collaborative planning,…

Because spiritual life and religious participation are widespread human and cultural phenomena, these experiences unsurprisingly find their way into English language arts curriculum, learning, teaching, and teacher education work. Yet many public school literacy teachers and secondary teacher educators feel unsure how to engage religious and…

Background/Context: In disability critical race theory (DisCrit) Classroom Ecology, Annamma and Morrison (2018a) offered invaluable direction for teachers by proposing constructs that address racism and ableism within the foundational components of the classroom--curriculum, pedagogy, resistance, and solidarity. These liberatory lenses offered a…

When Tom Kelner, a 7th grade social studies teacher, realized that under the Common Core standards he'd be responsible for strengthening students' reading, writing, and research skills in his social studies classes, first he panicked. Then he approached Dana Haring, an English language arts teacher on his 7th grade team, and asked if they could…

This authoritative text and practitioner resource has now been extensively revised and expanded with 70% new material covering new topics and standards in literacy leadership. Prominent experts present research-based methods for improving instruction, assessment, and professional learning experiences in PreK-12. The distinct roles of teachers,…