Sharing the

Wisdom of Practice

by Suzie Boss

In the diverse landscape of today’s public schools, there’s no one road map that leads all children toward academic success. Rather, teachers are drawing on research and tapping their own creativity to design classrooms that serve the particular needs of the students they teach.

Sharing the Wisdom of Practice: Schools That Optimize Literacy Learning for All Students looks at the beliefs and practices of four Northwest schools. Authors Rebecca Novick and Amy Fisher paint rich, revealing portraits of these effective schools by weaving together interviews with teachers, parents, and students, along with classroom observations. Classroom strategies for promoting literacy among culturally diverse learners are explained within a research framework of principles common to high-performing learning communities. This new book expands on concepts Novick introduced in an earlier publication, Many Paths to Literacy: Language, Literature, and Learning in the Primary Classroom.

The four schools profiled include:
Helen Gordon Child Development Center in Portland, Oregon—Teachers at this preschool encourage children to use words—aloud and in writing—to express their thoughts and feelings. Emotional literacy and language skills develop simultaneously.
Whittier Elementary School in Pasco, Washington—Teachers help children, most of whom are learning English as a second language, to develop language skills and expand their vocabularies through a literacy program that promotes active learning.
Cherry Valley Elementary School in Polson, Montana—While Cherry Valley enrolls many Native American children, the staff is predominately white. Ongoing professional development has encouraged teachers to examine personal values and create a school environment that reduces cultural discontinuities.
Tulalip Elementary in Marysville, Washington—The school has teamed with Tulalip tribal members to deliver a curriculum that teaches Tulalip language, literature, and culture to satisfy state benchmarks in reading.

To order Sharing the Wisdom and Many Paths to Literacy , see the Document Order Form .