The school year has officially started in Los Angeles and I’m incredibly excited for what the 2019-2020 year will bring. We are doing some incredible things in Watts, including working hard to improve and build a culture of literacy at our school site. We finally got a school librarian (thanks to the teachers’ strike last year!), just opened a dope new college completion center on campus which is the perfect place to read because it’s full of bean bags, high top seats and comfortable couches, and we’re working to embed common literacy instructional routines across content areas so that students can focus their brain power on making meaning.

All of these pieces will definitely support us in building a culture of literacy but what will it actually take? Is it about every student having access to texts that interest them and time in school to read those texts? Is it about educators sharing their passion for texts and facilitating spaces for students to do the same? Is it about ensuring teachers know how to best support striving readers in their classes? Is it all of these things or something entirely different?

If you’re also grappling with these questions or are interested in hearing more check out this episode of the All of the Above show where I discuss these ideas and many more with two other awesome educators. (Our conversation starts at minute 41:52.)

Readers, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic as well because we’re looking to learn from those who have been successful in this work and those who have struggled. What does it take to build a strong culture of literacy at your school? Check out our interview on AOTA Show and share your ideas in the comments section below or on Twitter with the hashtags #LitCoachinWatts and #AOTAshow.