The Roadmap to District Literacy Success
A Practical Guide for School Leaders
First Edition
Purchase
eBook
ISBN:
9798348868444
Available from
January 0001
Paperback
ISBN:
9798348840433
Available from
January 0001
Description
Lead schools that drive literacy success for every student.
Strong literacy outcomes in schools and districts do not happen by chance. They are the result of clear leadership, coherent systems, effective instruction, and intentional implementation.
In The Roadmap to District Literacy Success, Jessica Hamman, founder of Glean Education and nationally recognized literacy expert, provides practical guidance for building the systems that support meaningful student literacy improvement. Grounded in the Science of Reading research-base and rooted in Structured Literacy implementation, this book helps leaders build the knowledge and skills they’ll need to create the conditions that promote student literacy success in their organizations.
Through actionable guidance, implementation-focused strategies, and real-world case studies you will learn how to:
- Build coherent, sustainable literacy systems within a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) framework
- Use assessment and data to guide instructional decisions
- Align instruction and intervention with evidence-based Structured Literacy practices
- Support teachers with meaningful professional learning and coaching
- Lead literacy change with clarity, purpose, and consistency
Whether you are leading a single school or an entire district, this guide will help you create systems that turn literacy vision into lasting results.
Contents
The Leader's Roadmap
The Leader's Roadmap
Foreword
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
About the Author
About the Author
ORIENTATION: An Introduction to This Resource as a Tool on Your Literacy Leadership Journey
- Owning Literacy Leadership
- How to Use This Book
- How Did We Get Here and Where Are We Going?
- Four Magic Questions to Unlock Literacy Research
- How Do Students Learn to Read?
- Why Do Some Children (and Adults) Have Difficulties Learning to Read?
- How Can We Help Children Learn to Read?
- For Which Children Are Which Teaching Approaches Most Beneficial at Which States of Reading Development?
- What Role Can School Leaders Play?
- Key Terms to Establish a Common Language
- The National Reading Panel
- Evidence-Based vs. Research-Based Practice
- Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Instruction
- Phonics Instruction
- Decoding
- Encoding
- Reading Fluency Instruction
- Vocabulary Instruction
- Comprehension Instruction
- Writing Instruction
- English Learners and Multilingual Learners
- Dyslexia and Reading Difficulties
- Structured Literacy
- What’s in This Book?
CHAPTER 1: Determine Your Starting Point: Where Are We? And Where Do We Need to Be?
- Determine Your Starting Point
- Audit Your School Systems to Get a Clear Vision of Reality
- Multi-Tiered System of Supports/Response to Intervention Audit
- School Systems Audit
- Assessment Practices Audit
- Instructional Practices Audit
- Intervention Practices Audit
- Establish a Vision and Mission for the Work
- Vision vs. Mission
- Build Alignment With Your Team
- Pit Stop—Prepping for Departure
CHAPTER 2: Create Conducive School Systems: Preparing for District Literacy Success
- A Short History of Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
- The “Wait to Fail” Approach
- Response to Intervention (RTI)
- Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
- Understanding MTSS and RTI Frameworks
- Systems for Optimal Teaching and Learning
- Assessment Systems
- Instructional Systems and Materials
- School Calendaring for MTSS/RTI Implementation
- District Calendaring for MTSS Implementation
- Professional Development and Coaching Systems
CHAPTER 3: Establish Assessment Protocols
- Data-Based Decision-Making and Using Evidence-Based Assessments
- The Development of Literacy Assessment
- Universal Screeners and Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM)
- Diagnostics
- Phonological/Phonemic Awareness Diagnostic
- Phonics Diagnostics
- Build a Healthy Data Culture
- Barriers to a Healthy Data Culture
- Data Talks
CHAPTER 4: Ensure Comprehensive Core Instruction (Tier 1)
- The History of Literacy Instruction
- Structured Literacy
- Sample Structured Literacy Lesson
- High-Quality Core Instructional Materials
- PreK
- Kindergarten Through Fifth Grade: Reading
- Kindergarten Through Fifth Grade: Writing
- Designated English Learner Instruction and Materials
- Supplemental Programs and Materials
- Adoption
- Implementation
- Collaboration and Planning Time
- Professional Learning
- Monitoring and Observation
CHAPTER 5: Ensure Effective Intervention (Tier 2)
- Setting Up Effective Tier 2 Intervention Systems
- Intervention Staff
- Intervention Models
- Scheduling
- Delivering Effective Intervention
- Assessment
- Instruction
- Intensifying Intervention Through Progress Monitoring and Data-Based Decision-Making
CHAPTER 6: Ensure Effective Individualized Instruction (Tier 3)
- Understanding Tier 3: Individualized Instruction, Special Education, and Your Role as a School Leader
- A Short History of Special Education and Its Role in a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
- Understanding Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
- Understanding Eligibility Determination
- The IEP Process for Students With Specific Learning Disability in Reading and/or Writing
- Referral
- Evaluation
- Collaborating With the Team on the IEP
- Goal Creation
- Test Your Knowledge
- Encouraging Staff Awareness of SLD Accommodations
- Chapter 6 Appendix
CHAPTER 7: Implement and Sustain
- Establishing Targeted, Ongoing, and Job-Embedded Professional Development
- Training Leaders
- Training Educators
- Creating Coaching Systems
- Training Coaches
- Literary Knowledge and Instructional Best Practices
- Coaching Skills and Models
- Pit Stop—Creating Optimal Conditions for Change
- Chapter 7 Appendix
CHAPTER 8: Conclusion and Next Steps
CHAPTER 8: Conclusion and Next Steps
References
References
Index
Index
Resources
Companion Website
https://companion.corwin.com/courses/HammanRoadmaptoLiteracyAdditional materials
Description
Lead schools that drive literacy success for every student.
Strong literacy outcomes in schools and districts do not happen by chance. They are the result of clear leadership, coherent systems, effective instruction, and intentional implementation.
In The Roadmap to District Literacy Success, Jessica Hamman, founder of Glean Education and nationally recognized literacy expert, provides practical guidance for building the systems that support meaningful student literacy improvement. Grounded in the Science of Reading research-base and rooted in Structured Literacy implementation, this book helps leaders build the knowledge and skills they’ll need to create the conditions that promote student literacy success in their organizations.
Through actionable guidance, implementation-focused strategies, and real-world case studies you will learn how to:
- Build coherent, sustainable literacy systems within a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) framework
- Use assessment and data to guide instructional decisions
- Align instruction and intervention with evidence-based Structured Literacy practices
- Support teachers with meaningful professional learning and coaching
- Lead literacy change with clarity, purpose, and consistency
Whether you are leading a single school or an entire district, this guide will help you create systems that turn literacy vision into lasting results.
Contents
The Leader's Roadmap
The Leader's Roadmap
Foreword
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
About the Author
About the Author
ORIENTATION: An Introduction to This Resource as a Tool on Your Literacy Leadership Journey
- Owning Literacy Leadership
- How to Use This Book
- How Did We Get Here and Where Are We Going?
- Four Magic Questions to Unlock Literacy Research
- How Do Students Learn to Read?
- Why Do Some Children (and Adults) Have Difficulties Learning to Read?
- How Can We Help Children Learn to Read?
- For Which Children Are Which Teaching Approaches Most Beneficial at Which States of Reading Development?
- What Role Can School Leaders Play?
- Key Terms to Establish a Common Language
- The National Reading Panel
- Evidence-Based vs. Research-Based Practice
- Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Instruction
- Phonics Instruction
- Decoding
- Encoding
- Reading Fluency Instruction
- Vocabulary Instruction
- Comprehension Instruction
- Writing Instruction
- English Learners and Multilingual Learners
- Dyslexia and Reading Difficulties
- Structured Literacy
- What’s in This Book?
CHAPTER 1: Determine Your Starting Point: Where Are We? And Where Do We Need to Be?
- Determine Your Starting Point
- Audit Your School Systems to Get a Clear Vision of Reality
- Multi-Tiered System of Supports/Response to Intervention Audit
- School Systems Audit
- Assessment Practices Audit
- Instructional Practices Audit
- Intervention Practices Audit
- Establish a Vision and Mission for the Work
- Vision vs. Mission
- Build Alignment With Your Team
- Pit Stop—Prepping for Departure
CHAPTER 2: Create Conducive School Systems: Preparing for District Literacy Success
- A Short History of Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
- The “Wait to Fail” Approach
- Response to Intervention (RTI)
- Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
- Understanding MTSS and RTI Frameworks
- Systems for Optimal Teaching and Learning
- Assessment Systems
- Instructional Systems and Materials
- School Calendaring for MTSS/RTI Implementation
- District Calendaring for MTSS Implementation
- Professional Development and Coaching Systems
CHAPTER 3: Establish Assessment Protocols
- Data-Based Decision-Making and Using Evidence-Based Assessments
- The Development of Literacy Assessment
- Universal Screeners and Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM)
- Diagnostics
- Phonological/Phonemic Awareness Diagnostic
- Phonics Diagnostics
- Build a Healthy Data Culture
- Barriers to a Healthy Data Culture
- Data Talks
CHAPTER 4: Ensure Comprehensive Core Instruction (Tier 1)
- The History of Literacy Instruction
- Structured Literacy
- Sample Structured Literacy Lesson
- High-Quality Core Instructional Materials
- PreK
- Kindergarten Through Fifth Grade: Reading
- Kindergarten Through Fifth Grade: Writing
- Designated English Learner Instruction and Materials
- Supplemental Programs and Materials
- Adoption
- Implementation
- Collaboration and Planning Time
- Professional Learning
- Monitoring and Observation
CHAPTER 5: Ensure Effective Intervention (Tier 2)
- Setting Up Effective Tier 2 Intervention Systems
- Intervention Staff
- Intervention Models
- Scheduling
- Delivering Effective Intervention
- Assessment
- Instruction
- Intensifying Intervention Through Progress Monitoring and Data-Based Decision-Making
CHAPTER 6: Ensure Effective Individualized Instruction (Tier 3)
- Understanding Tier 3: Individualized Instruction, Special Education, and Your Role as a School Leader
- A Short History of Special Education and Its Role in a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
- Understanding Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
- Understanding Eligibility Determination
- The IEP Process for Students With Specific Learning Disability in Reading and/or Writing
- Referral
- Evaluation
- Collaborating With the Team on the IEP
- Goal Creation
- Test Your Knowledge
- Encouraging Staff Awareness of SLD Accommodations
- Chapter 6 Appendix
CHAPTER 7: Implement and Sustain
- Establishing Targeted, Ongoing, and Job-Embedded Professional Development
- Training Leaders
- Training Educators
- Creating Coaching Systems
- Training Coaches
- Literary Knowledge and Instructional Best Practices
- Coaching Skills and Models
- Pit Stop—Creating Optimal Conditions for Change
- Chapter 7 Appendix
CHAPTER 8: Conclusion and Next Steps
CHAPTER 8: Conclusion and Next Steps
References
References
Index
Index
Resources
Companion Website
https://companion.corwin.com/courses/HammanRoadmaptoLiteracyAdditional materials
Reviews
The Roadmap to District Literacy Success
A Practical Guide for School Leaders
August 2026 | 296 pages | Corwin
| Format | Published Date | ISBN | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paperback | 20/05/2025 | 9798348840433 | $37.95 |
| Lifetime | 26/04/2026 | 9798348868444 | $34.00 |
Lead schools that drive literacy success for every student.
Strong literacy outcomes in schools and districts do not happen by chance. They are the result of clear leadership, coherent systems, effective instruction, and intentional implementation.
In The Roadmap to District Literacy Success, Jessica Hamman, founder of Glean Education and nationally recognized literacy expert, provides practical guidance for building the systems that support meaningful student literacy improvement. Grounded in the Science of Reading research-base and rooted in Structured Literacy implementation, this book helps leaders build the knowledge and skills they’ll need to create the conditions that promote student literacy success in their organizations.
Through actionable guidance, implementation-focused strategies, and real-world case studies you will learn how to:
- Build coherent, sustainable literacy systems within a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) framework
- Use assessment and data to guide instructional decisions
- Align instruction and intervention with evidence-based Structured Literacy practices
- Support teachers with meaningful professional learning and coaching
- Lead literacy change with clarity, purpose, and consistency
Whether you are leading a single school or an entire district, this guide will help you create systems that turn literacy vision into lasting results.
Table Of Contents:
- The Leader's Roadmap
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- ORIENTATION: An Introduction to This Resource as a Tool on Your Literacy Leadership Journey
- Owning Literacy Leadership
- How to Use This Book
- How Did We Get Here and Where Are We Going?
- Four Magic Questions to Unlock Literacy Research
- How Do Students Learn to Read?
- Why Do Some Children (and Adults) Have Difficulties Learning to Read?
- How Can We Help Children Learn to Read?
- For Which Children Are Which Teaching Approaches Most Beneficial at Which States of Reading Development?
- What Role Can School Leaders Play?
- Key Terms to Establish a Common Language
- The National Reading Panel
- Evidence-Based vs. Research-Based Practice
- Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Instruction
- Phonics Instruction
- Decoding
- Encoding
- Reading Fluency Instruction
- Vocabulary Instruction
- Comprehension Instruction
- Writing Instruction
- English Learners and Multilingual Learners
- Dyslexia and Reading Difficulties
- Structured Literacy
- What’s in This Book?
- CHAPTER 1: Determine Your Starting Point: Where Are We? And Where Do We Need to Be?
- Determine Your Starting Point
- Audit Your School Systems to Get a Clear Vision of Reality
- Multi-Tiered System of Supports/Response to Intervention Audit
- School Systems Audit
- Assessment Practices Audit
- Instructional Practices Audit
- Intervention Practices Audit
- Establish a Vision and Mission for the Work
- Vision vs. Mission
- Build Alignment With Your Team
- Pit Stop—Prepping for Departure
- CHAPTER 2: Create Conducive School Systems: Preparing for District Literacy Success
- A Short History of Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
- The “Wait to Fail” Approach
- Response to Intervention (RTI)
- Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
- Understanding MTSS and RTI Frameworks
- Systems for Optimal Teaching and Learning
- Assessment Systems
- Instructional Systems and Materials
- School Calendaring for MTSS/RTI Implementation
- District Calendaring for MTSS Implementation
- Professional Development and Coaching Systems
- CHAPTER 3: Establish Assessment Protocols
- Data-Based Decision-Making and Using Evidence-Based Assessments
- The Development of Literacy Assessment
- Universal Screeners and Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM)
- Diagnostics
- Phonological/Phonemic Awareness Diagnostic
- Phonics Diagnostics
- Build a Healthy Data Culture
- Barriers to a Healthy Data Culture
- Data Talks
- CHAPTER 4: Ensure Comprehensive Core Instruction (Tier 1)
- The History of Literacy Instruction
- Structured Literacy
- Sample Structured Literacy Lesson
- High-Quality Core Instructional Materials
- PreK
- Kindergarten Through Fifth Grade: Reading
- Kindergarten Through Fifth Grade: Writing
- Designated English Learner Instruction and Materials
- Supplemental Programs and Materials
- Adoption
- Implementation
- Collaboration and Planning Time
- Professional Learning
- Monitoring and Observation
- CHAPTER 5: Ensure Effective Intervention (Tier 2)
- Setting Up Effective Tier 2 Intervention Systems
- Intervention Staff
- Intervention Models
- Scheduling
- Delivering Effective Intervention
- Assessment
- Instruction
- Intensifying Intervention Through Progress Monitoring and Data-Based Decision-Making
- CHAPTER 6: Ensure Effective Individualized Instruction (Tier 3)
- Understanding Tier 3: Individualized Instruction, Special Education, and Your Role as a School Leader
- A Short History of Special Education and Its Role in a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
- Understanding Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
- Understanding Eligibility Determination
- The IEP Process for Students With Specific Learning Disability in Reading and/or Writing
- Referral
- Evaluation
- Collaborating With the Team on the IEP
- Goal Creation
- Test Your Knowledge
- Encouraging Staff Awareness of SLD Accommodations
- Chapter 6 Appendix
- CHAPTER 7: Implement and Sustain
- Establishing Targeted, Ongoing, and Job-Embedded Professional Development
- Training Leaders
- Training Educators
- Creating Coaching Systems
- Training Coaches
- Literary Knowledge and Instructional Best Practices
- Coaching Skills and Models
- Pit Stop—Creating Optimal Conditions for Change
- Chapter 7 Appendix
- CHAPTER 8: Conclusion and Next Steps
- References
- Index
Recent Product Reviews:
"Reading failure is too often treated like a mystery when, in many districts, it is a systems problem. Jessica Hamman gives leaders a clear path from knowing better to doing better. Roadmap to District Literacy Success is not another literacy slogan; it is a practical guide to the systems, instruction, intervention, coaching, and follow-through that make change real. This book is for leaders who want to do more than talk about literacy improvement; they want to be about the work."
Kareem Weaver, Executive Director, FULCRUM
"Helping every student become a skillful reader, writer, and speller is a complex process. Teachers at every grade level need clear guidance and sustained support to get this done. The support they need includes having the knowledge of how to teach literacy to all students, access to high quality materials, and the time to get it all done! This kind of support can only come from school leaders who themselves have guidance and support. This wonderful book by Jessica Hamman provides clear, detailed and practical information for building and district leaders to guide and support teachers in the classroom to achieve literacy success for all! I will be recommending this book widely."
Jan Hasbrouck, Consultant/Researcher, JH Educational Services/Read Washington
"Over more than a century, literacy research and evidence from successful practice have gradually, if sometimes erratically, converged on several well-supported findings: that language is the basis for literacy; that foundational literacy skills are needed to link oral language sounds to their written representations; and that background knowledge and ongoing language development are essential for students to develop into fully literate beings. Unfortunately, our success in putting these findings to work in schools lags far behind. This is where the work of practitioner-scholars such as Jessica Hamman is so important, getting this knowledge to where it needs to go—into the heads, hands, and hearts of educators in schools. There are no silver bullets; no bullets at all in fact. Just slow, patient, methodical, and focused work. This helpful and hopeful book provides a roadmap, tools, concepts, and knowledge that can help lead the way."
Claude Goldenberg, Nomellini & Olivier Professor of Education, Emeritus, Stanford University
"Jessica Hamman’s Roadmap to District Literacy Success is a highly readable, practical guide to implementing and sustaining science of reading-based school reform. Hamman has extensive experience in educator professional development and facilitating school improvement, and those qualities are evident throughout this valuable book. Readers will especially appreciate her guidelines on choosing an evidence-based core reading curriculum, her attention to the needs of different types of school districts, her explanation of barriers to successful implementation and how to overcome them, and her insightful discussion of special education issues. The many personal examples and “stories from the road” make the book especially relatable for anyone interested in implementing reading reform. This book will be a go-to resource for school leaders, administrators, and others seeking to bring the Science of Reading to their schools."
Louise Spear-Swerling, Professor Emerita, Department of Special Education, Southern Connecticut State University
"Jessica Hamman has written a masterpiece that provides literacy leaders with a clear and comprehensive guide for integrating the science of reading, the science of implementation, and the science of learning in the service of improving reading proficiency for all students. Roadmap to Literacy Success is exceptional in its scholarship, depth of knowledge, and practical application. Hamman takes both aspiring and experienced literacy leaders on a purposeful journey—from examining their current understanding of reading science and its translation into classroom practice, to identifying gaps in knowledge and leadership capacity. Equally important, the book demonstrates how to build a culture of collaboration, collective efficacy, and continuous improvement through shared knowledge and a common professional language. This is not simply a book about literacy leadership; it is a blueprint for transforming reading outcomes through the effective translation of science into practice."
Reid Lyon, Ph.D., Former Branch Chief, NICHD, NIH; Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Education Policy and Leadership, SMU; Distinguished Scientist Emeritus of Cognition and Neuroscience,