The Literacy Leadership Guide for Elementary Principals: Reclaiming Teacher Autonomy and Joy

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For the past decade in the United States, elementary principals have faced increased scrutiny. Student performance regardless of student experiences, district funding practices, or societal factors have been the responsibility of the principal. In a similar fashion, teachers have been ridiculed and scorned. As a result, principals are left trying to create positive school culture, evaluate teacher performance, and guide and support professional development initiatives. In the meantime, teachers in many ways do not see themselves as professionals, do not feel that they have autonomy in their classrooms, and as a result may not have the same joy that they once had. The goal of this guide is to assist principals and school leaders to cultivate a school culture where the principal is positioned as the literacy leader. This guide will support principals to address, define, and create a literacy culture. Most importantly, provide insight to support principals in their quest to becoming primary individual responsible for bringing joy to teaching and learning as part of building school culture.

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The Literacy Leadership Guide for Elementary Principals goes beyond the basic standards and principles for guiding elementary principals to improve school literacy achievement scores and delivers powerful examples of how the role of school leaders influence student learning through an approach that encompasses joy, autonomy and collaboration. This book inspired me to reflect on the significance of my role as literacy leader and make the necessary efforts to refine my focus to where it is needed most- the foundational joys of teaching, learning, and leading. If youre initial passion and purpose has been blurred with daily operations, meetings, and school scores, this book is a must read! The Literacy Leadership Guidebook renewed my passion as a literacy leader. The book is written by experts that understand the complexities of the challenges of school leadership and offers practical guidance about what literacy leaders can do to accomplish fundamental change for the ultimate goal of literate, happy students and employees. -- Earlisha J. Whitfield, Ed.S, NBCT, assistant principal, Iberville Charter Academy
The Literacy Leadership Guide for Elementary School Principals: Reclaiming Teacher Autonomy and Joywill resonate with school leaders, classroomteachers, and literacyadvocates. This textprovides a refreshing view on teachersupport through describing the value of joy. The authors also note the erosion of instructional autonomy relative to literacy teaching and learning. As a principal, this text has the power to influence decision-making that willcreate and sustain literacy beliefs and positive school culture where risk-taking is not only valued but celebrated. -- Nakia Perkins, Ed.S, Elementary School Principal

Author Bio

Tynisha D. Meidl, PhD is the Co-Chair of the Education Program and Associate Professor at St. Norbert College. Meidls research expertise includes curriculum planning for linguistically and culturally diverse student populations, service-learning as pedagogy, as well as Freirean-based approaches in literacy classrooms. Jason Lau, Ph.D is the principal at Westwood Elementary School and Phantom Knight School of Opportunity, a project-based charter school, for the School District of West De Pere, in De Pere, Wisconsin. He earned a Masters degree in school psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell, PhD is the Cecil "Pete" Taylor Endowed Professor inLiteracy and Urban Education at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA. Sulentic Dowell is Director of the LSU Writing Projectand Coordinator, of the Elementary Grades Teacher Education Program.