Implementation:
Getting Started

Getting Started: The Process of Establishing
a Teacher Training Site

1. Fact Finding

1. Bring together a decision-making team, which includes administrators from the central office, elementary school principals, and some primary-grade teachers.
2. Gather information about effective early interventions in literacy.
3. Invite a Reading Recovery trainer to explain the design of Reading Recovery and the implementation process.
4. Analyze the purposes, design, and requirements of Reading Recovery.
5. Compare innovations based on data and make choices.
6. Decide on the type of site you need:

• a teacher training site with a teacher leader within a single district,

• a teacher leader within a single district serving multiple districts, or

• a consortium/cooperative of several districts that creates an organizational structure with a teacher leader to serve all of the districts involved

    g.   Make decisions necessary for start-up: starting time, personnel, budget, facility,
          schools.

2. Assessing Need in District or Multiple District

1. Gather information about the number of children who will need Reading Recovery/Descubriendo la Lectura each year at the local school and district levels.
2. Consult building principals and school teams in the process.
3. Calculate number of teachers needed to serve all the children who will need the intervention.
4. Make conservative estimates of results that take into account mobility and low coverage in the initial implementation.
5. Make a plan for gradual implementation based upon an estimate of need and the level of interest among local schools and the building principals.

3. Cost of Establishing a Site

1. Create a long-range budget plan for Reading Recovery/Descubriendo la Lectura implementation. Costs will vary as to whether you are establishing a teacher training site with a teacher leader within a single district, setting up a single district serving multiple districts, or forming a consortium/cooperative of several districts.
2. Estimate costs, considering factors related to:

• teacher leader position

• number of children who will need Reading Recovery instruction

• number of teacher positions needed to teach those children

• initial and ongoing training

• materials

• facilities

4. Funding Sources (from A Principal's Guide to Reading Recovery)

Federal Funds

1. Title I (Federal Funds)

• Basic grants (Part A)

• Reading First grants (Part B)

• Grants for migratory children (Part C)

• Comprehensive School Reform funds (Part F)

    b.   Title II (Federal Funds)

• Title II funds to train highly qualified teacher

    c.   Title III (Federal Funds)

• Title III funds for limited-English-proficient and immigrant students

    d.   Other potential sources of federal funds:

• Twenty-First Century Community Learning Centers (21CCLC)

• Competitive grants under Title IV

• Innovative Program state grants under Title V

State Funds

1. Several states have appropriated early literacy funding from their state budgets.
2. Contact RRCNA for additional information.
3. Also check the department of education in your state for information or catalog of private foundations, community foundations, and corporate-giving programs that have an interest and commitment to education.

Local Funds

Community and local grants may be used as resources for implementation of Reading Recovery.

5. Timeline and Implementation/Development Plan (from A Principal's Guide to Reading
     Recovery)

A successful Reading Recovery implementation requires careful consideration of many factors before the training of teacher leaders and teachers begins.

    a.   Creating a fit within a comprehensive literacy plan

Reading Recovery provides the early intervention component essential in a school's comprehensive literacy plan. By intervening early, Reading Recovery helps close the achievement gap between the lowest-achieving children and their peers before the gap becomes too large to bridge. Both good classroom teaching and Reading Recovery are needed to prevent a significant number of children from encountering reading and writing failure by the end of the first grade.

    b.   Building ownership

If you plan to adopt Reading Recovery, the entire staff deserves to become knowledgeable and participate in the decision-making process; the more the ownership is shared, the greater the success will be. After Reading Recovery's initial adoption, broad ownership will still need to be supported and enhanced to promote continuous improvement.

    c.   Commitment from superintendent and school board to adopt and implement

This is a vital key at every level of interest to obtain a long-term commitment within the school system and local school level. Reading Recovery must have support at the local school level, but also the superintendent and school board must be part of the implementation plan.

    d.   Affiliation with university training center

Teacher leaders may be trained at any university training center, but after training every teacher leader is attached to one university training center for professional development and research support. The university training center also provides consultation to teacher leaders on training, implementation, and data collection.

    e.   Recruit and select site coordinator

The site coordinator is an administrator who is responsible for overseeing and managing the implementation of Reading Recovery. It is best if the site coordinator is an administrator in the district's administrative center, so that the person can support the teacher leader in communicating with other administrators in the district. The site coordinator and teacher leader work together serving at the district level, multiple districts, or consortium/cooperatives. While the site coordinator is responsible for overseeing and managing implementation of Reading Recovery at the training site level, some multiple districts or consortium/cooperatives sites recruit a district coordinator to serve as a link between the school district and the Reading Recovery training site.

    f.   Recruit candidates for teacher leader (from Standards and Guidelines of Reading
         Recovery in the United States, available from RRCNA)

The primary responsibilities of Reading Recovery/Descubriendo la Lectura teacher leaders are to work with students, train teachers, provide continuing professional development of school teams, disseminate information, and participate in the Reading Recovery network to maintain their own professional development. The teacher leader also works closely with district administrators to achieve effective program implementation, operation, and evaluation.

• A teacher leader must be employed in a school district or school system that has a commitment to implement Reading Recovery/Descubriendo la Lectura.

• Arrange for training a teacher leader or leaders:

1. Gather information from university training center in your state or at the nearest location if your state does not have a university training center.

2. Make a plan with the university for training teacher leaders and for continuing professional development.

3. Analyze costs of training over time.

4. Select teacher leader or leaders.

5. Make plans for teacher leader training and for including the teacher in ongoing planning in the district.

    g.   Teacher recruitment, selection, and training

Recruiting high-quality teachers is of critical importance. The primary responsibility of Reading Recovery/Descubriendo la Lectura teachers is teaching children in their schools. The teacher also works closely with building administrators and faculty as well as the parents of Reading Recovery/Descubriendo la Lectura students. The Reading Recovery/Descubriendo la Lectura teacher must be employed in a school system that has a commitment to implementation. Refer to key points in A Principal's Guide to Reading Recovery, Staff Selection for Reading Recovery, page 21.

    h.   Create an evaluation plan

The creation of a complete evaluation plan may take place after more is understood about the program and when the teacher leader is trained and ready to assist in designing the evaluation. It is wise, however, to recognize the need for evaluation in the initial implementation plan. Reading Recovery is a rigorously evaluated program. Data are collected on every child, Reading Recovery teacher, and school. In addition to the regular program evaluation data, many districts conduct their own long-term studies. The following suggestions can guide long-term studies:

• Bring together program implementers and evaluators.

• Examine the data collection process that is required for Reading Recovery.

• Consider studying the results of the program over several years.

• Avoid making quick decisions based on data from the first year of implementation.

• Make budget allocations to provide for evaluation.

    i.   Compile all information into a written implementation plan

• Plan for 3 years beyond the initiation of the program.

• Include tasks to be performed during the year that the teacher leader is being trained.

• Consider the plan a working document.

• Be sure that all members of the planning committee have an opportunity to carefully consider and discuss the plan.

• Share your plan with the university training center for suggestions.

• Make budget allocations necessary to support the plan.
   

Establishing a Multi-District Teacher Training Site
(Consortium/Cooperatives)

Example:

1. Conduct fact finding information on Reading Recovery/Descubriendo la Lectura with a strong advisory or governing team composed of stakeholders from multiple districts to be served by a single district or the districts that make up the consortium/cooperative.
2. Assess the needs of the multiple districts or districts in the consortium/cooperative.
3. Establish the cost for the teacher training site. Within the long-range implementation plan include the position of the teacher leader and determine who will be responsible as the fiscal agent for the multiple districts or consortium/cooperative. Secure the yearly budget for the training site.
4. Secure the funding sources through a variety of resources. Develop budgetary and administrative agreements. Ensure that the agreements provide assurances for not only initial training, but also for ongoing professional development for teachers and teacher leaders over the next several years. Ensure that all agreements are in writing and that all systems involved receive a copy of the agreements.
5. Make sure every member of the multiple districts or consortium/cooperative fully understands the implementation of Reading Recovery/Descubriendo la Lectura and the roles and responsibilities of members. Place all agreements in writing and keep minutes of meetings.
6. Develop a timeline and implementation plan for 3 years with an advisory team made up of key stakeholders from the multiple districts or consortium/cooperative districts. Variations of multiple districts or consortium/cooperatives may exist.

It is vital as part of the implementation process that every day Reading Recovery/Descubriendo la Lectura training sites maintain high quality and fidelity.