An examination of secondary literacy practices: An evaluation tool for school leaders to improve literacy instruction and student achievement

Literacy issues continue to be a focus of today's school leaders. Historically, literacy initiatives focused on the acquisition of literacy skills at the early childhood level. However, with the increased demand for student achievement accountability at the local, state and federal levels, additional emphasis has now been placed upon the growing literacy issues at the secondary level. Most secondary schools and secondary school teachers are being forced to deal with literacy issues once thought to impact only the elementary school and elementary level teachers. Secondary teachers, once thought to be "content based" instructors, are now finding themselves unprepared to teach the literacy strategies necessary for all students to succeed in their classroom. As demands for accountability increase, secondary leaders must develop the ability to address literacy needs of secondary students who might be functioning in school, but lack the ability to adapt to an ever growing literate society influenced by technology improvements.;After extensive research review, we focused our efforts on four literacy studies that addressed the needs of the adolescent reader and provided direction for improved literacy. We focused our efforts on these four studies which were widely disseminated and supported by organizations and foundations dedicated to the improvement of public education and literacy. The four studies were: Effective Literacy Instruction for Adolescents; Reading Next: A Vision for Action and Research in Middle and High School Literacy; Reading to Achieve; Creating a Culture of Literacy: A Guide for Middle and High School Principals. We were able to identify six common threads of literacy programming which impact the secondary level literacy program. By examining a school's culture, professional development, instructional leadership, assessment, instructional strategies and motivation/intervention, secondary leaders have the ability to impact literacy development at the secondary level.;Those six common threads were then utilized in the creation of a Literacy Framework Development Tool (LFDT). This tool could be utilized by secondary administrators, teacher leaders and building staff to adequately assess their school's current level of literacy programming. This baseline data can then be incorporated into a school improvement plan that can target literacy improvement for all students.