The Strategic Literacy Initiative Home | About SLI What's New Professional Development Publications & Presentations Resources for Teachers Evaluation & Assessment Related Research & Resources Contact Information: Ruth Schoenbach Co-Director (510) 302-4255 rschoen@wested.org Cyndy Greenleaf Co-Director (510) 302-4222 cgreenl@wested.org Jana Bouc Program Coordinator (510) 302-4245 jbouc@wested.org

Reading Apprenticeship™ | What is an SLI Network Series? | Participant Information | Application Process Professional Development Network Series 2002-2003 Supporting Adolescent Readers in the Content Areas Click here to download an SLI Network Series brochure (in Adobe Acrobat format) Teachers rarely have time to look reflectively at their teaching, at their students, and at the beliefs, theories, and questions that shape their classroom practice. In the spirit of reflective practice, the Strategic Literacy Initiative’s (SLI) year-long professional development series for 2002-03 brings together interdisciplinary school teams of secondary teachers and administrators to learn about the core practices of Reading Apprenticeship™, a powerful, research-based framework that engages, motivates, and empowers students to develop the tools they need to improve their content area reading. As part of an SLI network, middle and high school teams of content area teachers participate in 7 days of professional development—three days in August of 2002 and four release days throughout the school year—to do the following: Investigate how they and others read content area texts Explore students’ reading through the use of student case videos and examination of student work Learn about powerful classroom practices that support reading improvement in the content areas Develop and refine their own classroom practice in Reading Apprenticeship™ using a variety of instructional resources and inquiry tools Collaborate with colleagues within and across school teams on instruction that supports students’ reading improvement Features of Reading Apprenticeship™ Classrooms In Reading Apprenticeship™ classrooms, students and teachers are actively engaged in learning about their reading and how to improve it. Content area teachers learn to scaffold reading experiences and serve as models and guides for their students Teachers and students develop a shared understanding of how they make sense of what they read and their strengths and struggles as readers Students are supported in developing the habits and tools they need to become independent readers Class members value problem-solving and risk-taking, sharing knowledge and working together to solve comprehension problems Content area teachers explicitly help students build topic and text knowledge and develop effective reading strategies for reading a wide range of course materials Over time, students read more and become increasingly confident and skilled in their reading and thinking The Impact of Reading Apprenticeship™ In the current environment of high stakes testing and accountability, SLI has done extensive research demonstrating that Reading Apprenticeship™ has a significant impact on teacher practice and student learning and can help close the achievement gap for culturally and linguistically diverse students. Our research shows that participating teachers have developed new understandings of the reading process new ways of thinking about students’ reading, especially their sources of difficulty powerful literacy support strategies linked to these ideas confidence that they can make a difference in student reading achievement in their content areas Student survey and test data demonstrate that diverse populations of students in Reading Apprenticeship™ classrooms: read more, become more confident, and take more pleasure in reading identify their preferences, strengths, and weaknesses in reading understand that reading involves thinking develop a range of strategies to support their reading comprehension make statistically significant gains on a standardized, norm-referenced test of reading comprehension (Degrees of Reading Power) Back to top) The SLI Network Series for 2002-03 School teams of teachers across content areas learn how to implement a Reading Apprenticeship™ framework in their classrooms by participating in a network series led by experienced SLI facilitators and teacher leaders. A network series is convened by a district, county office of education, or school reform network and involves: Interdisciplinary teams of 3 to 8 teachers per school A total of up to 30 teachers per network A 3-day summer institute (August 5-7 or August 19-21, 2002) at Preservation Park in Oakland Four release days of professional development scheduled every other month during the school year Two additional days per year of leadership development for a team facilitator from each school team Regular school-based team planning and support meetings between network sessions An opportunity to participate in a second-year Network in 2003-2004 How do teachers benefit? Participating middle and high school teachers become part of a learning community inquiring into their own and their students’ reading processes. They learn how to implement a Reading Apprenticeship™ approach in their classrooms that helps students develop the motivation, tools and strategic practices necessary to become effective content area readers. (Back to top) Participant Information Expectations of participants Individual teachers Active participation in a professional learning community through a 3-day summer institute (August 5-7 or August 19-21, 2002), four release days of professional development, and regular on-site team meetings during the school year Willingness to implement and adapt Reading Apprenticeship™ approaches Commitment to bringing and sharing classroom practices and student work at network sessions and team meetings Schools Recruitment of interdisciplinary school teams of 3 to 8 members, including a site administrator when possible Substitute coverage for four full days during the school year for each participating teacher Stipends for teachers participating in the 3-day summer institute and planning meetings at school sites between network sessions A team facilitator released for two additional days of leadership training Administrative commitment to shared inquiry in the classroom and support for team collaboration and teacher learning about Reading Apprenticeship™ Districts, county offices of education, or school reform networks Recruitment of participating schools Facilities arrangement for each network session, including meeting space, audio-visual equipment, and continental breakfast and lunch for participants Ongoing communication with participating schools and teachers regarding network goals and events Commitment to professional development for teachers and schools that addresses equity and high expectations for all students (Back to top) Application Process Click here to download an SLI Network Series brochure (in Adobe Acrobat format) Schools, districts, county offices of education or school reform support providers interested in applying to participate in or convene a Strategic Literacy Network in 2002-03 should request an application by APRIL 8, 2002 from: Marean Jordan mjordan@wested.org 510-302-4232 The application process is competitive. APPLICATION DEADLINE: May 15, 2002 Cost $1,000 per participant for a year-long network series. This cost includes: a 3-day summer institute four full-day professional development sessions two additional training days for school team facilitators a copy of Reading for Understanding and other resource materials for each participant, and access to the SLI Internet Discussion Group Click here to download an SLI Network Series brochure (in Adobe Acrobat format) (Back to top)   This information can be found at http://www.wested.org /stratlit/prodevel/SLN2002.shtml Last modified February 5, 2003 ©2009 WestEd® || (415) 565-3000 || www.WestEd.org All rights reserved. No portion may be reproduced without permission of WestEd.