
Why "Big Literacy Gains" Require Bold Leadership
If there's one truth every elementary principal knows, it's this: reading changes everything. It's the skill that unlocks every other skill, the passport to possibility.
But here's the hard part. Big, lasting literacy gains don't come from small, safe steps. They come from bold leadership.
Bold leadership means refusing to accept "good enough" when it comes to reading outcomes. It's looking at your school's data with clear eyes, naming the gaps, and rallying your team around a shared belief that every child can and will read on grade level.
It's not just about adopting the latest program or attending another training. It's about setting a vision so strong and clear that it pulls your teachers, specialists, and families forward together. It's about creating the conditions where high-impact instructional practices aren't optional; they're the norm.
Bold leaders are willing to…
- Challenge the status quo when it isn't producing results or data remains stagnant.
- Invest in teacher capacity through meaningful, professional development, coaching, and collaboration.
- Stay relentlessly focused on evidence-based practices in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
- Protect time for reading instruction like it's sacred, because it is.
Planning a 90-Day Literacy Leadership Sprint
Most leaders are familiar with creating longer, strategic plans. These plans are important and necessary. The benefit to writing a shorter 90-day plan helps teams see success more quickly and makes it easier to monitor progress toward the larger goal.
If you want to see a measurable shift in one semester, try this 90-day sprint:
Days 1–30: Diagnose & Align
- Review your most recent reading data, disaggregated by grade and subgroup.
- Meet with each grade-level team to identify one focus skill (e.g., fluency, vocabulary, comprehension).
- Communicate a clear literacy priority to staff. Explain why the priority is important and how it will be measured.
Days 31–60: Tighten Instructional Practice
- Schedule brief, frequent classroom visits to observe the priority skill in action.
- Offer targeted coaching or PD tied directly to what you see.
- Share weekly "bright spot" shoutouts to highlight effective practices.
Days 61–90: Monitor & Celebrate Growth
- Collect and compare short-cycle assessment data on the focus skill.
- Meet with teams to discuss progress and next steps.
- Celebrate every gain, whether it's big or small, with staff and students to build momentum.
As you take the Literacy Leadership Sprint Self-Reflection and you identify areas where you are not ready, identify actionable steps you can take to support your readiness. One of those steps could be to name a person to support you in that area. Literacy Sprint Free Tool
Bold leadership is about doing the hard, high-visibility work of keeping literacy front and center, not just when it's time for a literacy curriculum review. Big literacy gains aren't an accident. They're the outcome of leaders who decide to go big and bring everyone with them.

Dianna Kresovic, Director of CESA 6 Literacy, has over 30 years of experience in education and literacy development. She is a dedicated advocate for effective literacy instruction and comprehensive reading programs. Dianna's expertise includes curriculum design, professional development, and data-driven instructional strategies. She offers solutions that empower educators to enhance student literacy outcomes, fostering a love for reading and learning. She offers valuable insights and practical strategies on improving literacy instruction, making her an engaging and sought-after speaker for educational communities.
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