Literacy Collaborative^® is a comprehensive school reform project designed to improve the reading, writing, and language skills of elementary children. The cornerstone of this project is dynamic, long-term professional development. School-based literacy coordinators are trained in research-based methods; provided with ongoing professional development as they continually implement research-based approaches in their own classrooms; and supported as they provide on-site training for the teachers in their schools. The goal of this comprehensive effort is to significantly raise the level of achievement for all students.

The Literacy Collaborative^® incorporates all of the elements of effective schools to support improved literacy instruction and student achievement through:

• Providing a research-based instructional model that is language-based, student-centered, process-oriented, and outcome-based;
• Creating in-school and in-district leadership through the training and support of school-based literacy leadership teams, administrators, and literacy coordinators;
• Establishing long-term site-based development for every member of the school’s literacy faculty; and
• Helping schools monitor the progress of every student through systematized assessment, data collection, and analysis.

Literacy Collaborative^® is a comprehensive model designed to provide a school-wide approach for improving the reading and writing achievement of children. Literacy Collaborative^® includes ten essential characteristics, which define a Literacy Collaborative^® school. The curriculum is based on a comprehensive language and literacy framework that includes a wide range of individual, small-group, and large-group reading and writing activities guided by ongoing assessment consistent with recommended national standards for K-6 literacy education. The language and literacy framework, the instructional core of the Literacy Collaborative^® model, includes components which address the five essential elements of reading instruction – phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension – as identified by the National Reading Panel. Literacy Collaborative^® schools have Reading Recovery^® as a safety net for first grade children experiencing difficulty with reading and writing.

Literacy Collaborative^® has been a service mark of The Ohio State University since 1998. Lesley University was granted use of the service mark in 1999 for the development of the intermediate model, and in 2004 for the development of the middle-school model. Schools that meet the Literacy Collaborative^® Standards are granted royalty-free use of the service mark on a yearly basis. National governance is provided by the Literacy Collaborative^® Trademark Committee. Current members of the Literacy Collaborative^® Trademark Committee are: Jill Eurich, Irene Fountas, Andrea McCarrier, Gay Su Pinnell, Diane Powell, and Patricia Scharer (chair).

To find out more, please visit the National Literacy Collaborative^® website at: http://www.literacycollaborative.org.

• Development of the Literacy Collaborative^® primary model (K-2) began in 1986 at The Ohio State University with a series of teacher study groups; formal primary literacy coordinator training began in 1993. Lesley University joined the primary-level efforts in 1994 and began training literacy coordinators in 1996. Georgia State University and Purdue University began training primary literacy coordinators in 1998 and 2000 respectively.
• Development of the Literacy Collaborative^® intermediate model (3-6) began with study groups at Lesley University and The Ohio State University in 1995; formal intermediate literacy coordinator training began at Lesley University in 1999 and at The Ohio State University in 2000. Georgia State University and Purdue University began training primary literacy coordinators in 2002 and 2003 respectively.
• Literacy Collaborative^® primary district training for districts to offer primary literacy coordinator training at the local level began in 1996 at Lesley University and The Ohio State University.
• Literacy Collaborative^® intermediate district training for districts to offer intermediate literacy coordinator training at the local level began in 2001 at Lesley University and The Ohio State University.
• Currently, Lesley University is piloting a Literacy Collaborative^® middle-school model (6-8).
• Training, research, and development continue at the four university training sites to refine both the understanding of children’s literacy acquisition and development and the implementation of effective teacher professional development programs.