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1) Why are you one of the most sought after literacy consultants in the nation?

If you asked my clients, they would tell you that I bring a unique blend of expert knowledge about scientifically based reading research, how to build and implement leadership, coaching and teaching systems, along with a deep knowledge of the reading and literacy programs.And in addition to all of this heavy information, I try very hard to bring my sense of humor to every presentation!

Often you will hear a gifted presenter speak about the research, but the speaker is not as knowledgeable about implementation challenges.Or a district hires a great technical assistance provider who has good rapport with the faculty and program knowledge, yet lacks the experience or skill base to work with the Superintendent one minute and classroom teacher the next.With me, you get all aspects rolled into one.My passion and commitment is to uphold the tenets of the research and create a simple system to support implementation, while "getting real" about what it takes to make the most informed decisions when the rubber meets the road and a leader faces stalled test scores or a coach is met with resistance or a third grade teacher is staring into the eyes of thirty-two kids!

2) What are some of the issues regarding literacy implementation?

The biggest issue I am encountering with nearly every client is staying the course.It's what I consider "doing the doing"…and doing it consistently for years to come.A first year implementation of a Reading First grant brings professional development, pallets of new materials, observation forms, grade level meeting structures, Palm Pilots for progress monitoring, professional book studies and visitors to the school checking on progress.Lots of hoopla.In most cases all of this leads to growth in student performance, and in some cases, very dramatic growth…even without a huge change in the quality of instruction.By the second year, the newness of traveling to trainings and opening another shrink wrapped package of student workbooks wears off, and we don't see as dramatic a growth in student scores.

At this point, it is easy to think "This isn't working!We better buy some new stuff or go in a new direction!"Its like a drug…we need our fix.It's at this exact moment that excellent leaders will work with the staff and determine that they, indeed, have everything they need and begin to ask the question: "How is the quality of our instruction? We have all of the 'stuff.'Are we providing our students with first class instruction?"

It comes down to the quality of teaching – what we do with kids when they're sitting in front of us – and it's the only thing we really have control over as educators.Leaders must eschew the fads, protect their teachers from competing reform efforts and create an environment where the teaching staff is free to teach what has been set before them.

We are at such an exciting point in the area of literacy. We are seeing growth and acceleration of learning in groups of students who have historically performed poorly. While this is so exciting, it also challenges the "some will" and "some won't" mindset that we have functioned under for too long.And it really raises the bar for educators to accept nothing but an extremely high number of students performing at or above grade level.

Staying current and consistent with implementation of the research is the burden that we now bear. But as professionals, the onslaught of information supports that we're doing it right, and allows us to constantly adjust without placing blame or resorting to "the way we used to do it." Finally, we have to stand confidently with the information and data that we have and just start the process – to implement, to look at the data, to measure the quality of our product, to informally think through what's working and what we need to adjust.

3) What is YOUR definition of literacy?

Literacy is the ability to create meaning and connections from spoken and written word.Underlying that simple definition are issues of motivation, levels of communication, skill and strategy automaticity, the connection between literacy and writing, and many more critical elements.

4) Often, it is easy to get people to "buy into" a reading literacy program, but not so easy to gain acceptance about a writing literacy program. How do you deal with this?

Actually I've found that the opposite is true.I do not claim to be a writing expert and agree with those who believe that we have just touched the surface of research on writing, much like where we were 10 years ago in the reading community.

I have found that the research on reading has so strongly converged to show us the power of specific instructional techniques, strategies and skills, that it caused some educators to "protect" how they taught reading in the past.They were worried that we had to throw the baby out with the bathwater!

In many cases, this took the form of resistance and reticence.It took gaining confidence in the research and the national data that we have through programs like Reading First to help some educators let go of that protectiveness and keep what was strong about our past literacy instruction while incorporating new techniques and research.My hope is that we follow this same path in writing as we learn more about the research and data.

5) What have been some of the most pressing issues that you have discussed or discovered in the schools?

In the effort to not sound like a broken record, I will briefly mention instructional leadership as the most pressing issue I see in the schools.Schools need leaders who understand the phases of implementation and are able to manage all levels of implementation when they occur simultaneously at a school site.This takes skill and reflection.

Beyond leadership, I find that we need to focus on the nitty gritty of teaching reading.Moving beyond compliance to quality control is an immediate next step in most all of the schools and districts that I work with.These things cannot be measured by a checklist, but through consistent and careful observations and feedback sessions focused on discrete aspects of teaching reading.

Moving beyond "The Big Five" is absolutely necessary…strengthening the parts to strengthen the whole.Professional athletes at the height of their careers still practice the basics, in addition to the more complicated elements of the game.Educators need to adopt the mentality that working on the basics does not mean that they are weak, but that they are open to becoming even stronger in their profession.

Schools need technical assistance from those outside of their system.Because we are typically products of our own systems, schools need views and experiences that they might not have experienced previously.This allows them to break the unhealthy patterns of the past and move ahead in a new vein, which is necessary to give a positive jolt to student performance.

6) In your mind, what do YOU think teachers need in this age of No Child Left Behind?

I believe that teachers have all of the answers to the challenges we face. We just need to build systems where teachers can solve the problems that they face - within reasonable parameters.

Teachers need confidence that in this age of overwhelming literacy research, we are NOT falling prey to the pendulum swinging back and forth, but that we are committed to staying the course so educators can dig in and refine, refine, refine their practice.We do, however, need to reserve the right to alter the course based upon the results we're seeing. This is not failure, but part of the plan.

Teachers need institutionalized professional development so that they do not have to go to a conference room in an airport hotel to gain professional knowledge, but they can show up at a staff meeting or attend a mini-session on an important topic during a grade level or department meeting.

Teachers need to realize that what they do each moment with their students is a direct correlation to student performance. Their teaching makes all of the difference in the world!If students were going to learn from their parents or their peers, they would have already done so.When we embrace and internalize the concept that the teacher's actions directly connect to the student's performance today and tomorrow and the next month, we can move beyond falling for fads, trust the data we analyze and avoid over-focusing on the elements of students' lives of which we have no control.

7)  How is morale out there in the trenches? What do we need to do about it?

 The morale varies, quite honestly.In schools where the instructional staff feels like they are a part of something and working toward a common goal, they might be fatigued but they press on.In schools where reform efforts are not expertly managed, the teachers feel like rag dolls, tossed one direction and another.

The biggest step we can make in improving and stabilizing teacher morale is to stay the course and protect teachers from those things that take their focus off of teaching.We also need to signal to teachers that we value quality instruction more than just volunteerism.This is the leader's job.

8) Do you have a web site where people can get more information?

I sure do.We launched www.jackson-consulting.com in March of this year to support the Prek-12 literacy community.You can visit the website to find out information about Jackson Consulting services, client profiles, feedback from teachers, principals and literacy coaches that are out there on the front lines, free resources and much more!Anyone can join the mailing list and receive regular updates from Jackson Consulting.

Clients have long been requesting that we hold national events that are accessible throughout the year, and we're excited about the launch of our leadership and coaching events that will be held in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and a special event held at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort in New Mexico.These are great opportunities for state, district and school teams to attend.Online registration is available now at www.jackson-consulting.com.

9) Can we get your contact information? I can be reached at 626.827.4469 or 626.584.6053 or via e-mail at jill@jackson-consulting.com

Published May 10, 2007