'25 MSAA Summer Institute

Nearly 70% of high school students can't independently read and understand high school-level text. As they observe their students struggle with the assigned reading, teachers feel helpless. They tell their administrators, "I am not a reading teacher!" This presentation will discuss an approach in which administrators guide teachers in the building of a classroom community that enables all students--whether they are three years ahead or 5 years behind--become passionate and skilled readers of advanced text.

Recent research reveals an approach to literacy that can be implemented in all classrooms. Participants in this presentation and simulation will experience actual high school classrooms in which students of all levels enjoy performing readings of complex text, debating interpretations, and writing powerful essays. We will discuss a protocol for classroom observations that fosters a dynamic give-and-take between administrator and teacher as this approach takes root.