How We’re

Different

Most Literacy Training Is for Teachers. Ours Is for Leaders.

While you may find a few literacy trainings geared towards school administrators, these are usually just repackaged versions of the trainings used for teachers.

This is a problem.

  • The literacy knowledge and school-wide strategies that Principals and other leaders need for school-wide success are not the same as the knowledge and techniques essential for teacher success in the classroom.

    At Principal Powered Reading, our workshops answer the questions that are directly relevant to school leaders.

  • From the extensive body of scientific research around literacy, we identify the key understandings that equip Principals and other leaders to:

    • Select and evaluate literacy curricula

    • Structure the daily student schedule to optimize reading outcomes

    • Identify and prioritize the most impactful literacy-based staff positions

    • Design and implement effective professional development for teachers

    • Leverage family-school partnerships to foster literacy development

    Empower yourself with the research findings and school-wide practices that are relevant for you as a leader in literacy.

Yes, It’s the Science of Reading. But It’s Much More Than Phonics.

Cognitive Science. Psychology.  Neuroscience. Linguistics.

Many fields contribute to the extensive body of reading research.

A growing national movement is pushing to bring “the science of reading” into schools to better align literacy instruction with evidence from the research.

  • The catchphrase “the science of reading” is often narrowly understood as “phonics” (an instructional approach to teaching beginning readers that emphasizes the correspondence between written letters and spoken sounds).

    While phonics instruction is supported by the research and is relevant for beginning readers learning how to sound out words, it is only one of many components of the science of reading.

  • Reading research examines many important topics, including:

    • Fluency

    • Vocabulary

    • Comprehension

    • Motivation

    • And so much more…

    So yes, our workshops fall under the umbrella of “the science of reading.” But that umbrella is much bigger than what you may have heard.

Workshops That Empower You with Knowledge AND Strategy

Some trainings help you acquire new knowledge, but leave you unsure how to use it to actually help kids.

Other trainings push specific strategies—but you’re left wondering if they’re backed by research evidence.

In our workshops, our goal is to empower you with:

  • Key knowledge from the scientific research

  • Specific, evidence-backed school-wide strategies that follow from that knowledge

Great leaders grow through learning—and lead by applying what they’ve learned. Our workshops help you do both.

Designed for Your Demanding Schedule

Principals and other school leaders never have enough time because leading and caring for others is demanding work that doesn’t stop.

Our workshops are designed to maximize the value of your time in the following ways:

  • Each workshop consists of three, 2-hour sessions. You can fit this into your schedule more easily than a long training course with many sessions. (And when your schedule allows, come back for another 3-session workshop on a different topic. You’ll build your expertise over time.)

  • While asynchronous learning has its place, live, interactive learning with a teacher leads to much deeper understanding. Just as importantly, live learning fosters connections with a community of fellow leaders.

  • The amount of high-quality research on effective literacy instruction is vast. To deepen your knowledge, you need to go at a realistic pace. To help you do so, each of our workshops covers one, and only one, important topic in great depth.