Leading for literacy: Building capacity for school-wide improvement.

This collaborative inquiry documents the experiences of five secondary school teachers who worked together to improve teaching and learning by developing a Literacy Inquiry Team. The purpose of this study was to explore connections between teacher leadership and school improvement, specifically by attempting to improve literacy instruction through collaborative, teacher-led initiatives. The collected data documents our collaborative planning, instructional changes, as well as our perceptions of our instructional improvements as the Literacy Inquiry Team moved through the seven stages of Sagor's ...action research process. The analysis revealed that teachers in a wide range of subject areas can make a mental shift in their thinking to believe in the effectiveness of literacy instruction in building student capacity for learning. The findings suggest that teachers will make a larger commitment to making further instructional improvements after they see a connection between literacy instruction and deeper student learning. The findings also demonstrate that collaborative inquiry teams are an effective way for teachers to begin building shared meaning ...and capacity for improvement. Finally, the collected data documents my leadership growth as I led the Literacy Inquiry Team. I identified several skills that are necessary in leading an inquiry team to improve literacy: these skills include establishing a shared vision for improvement, supporting teachers with resources, developing a culture of support, encouraging varied approaches while maintaining a common team focus, and developing a data driven system to evaluate student learning. --P. ii.