Principal Literacy Series: Effective ELA instruction and High Expectations [Guest Blog: David Hardesty]

I have been in education for 19 years, 10 of those as an elementary building principal at Linford Elementary School in Albany County School District #1. Early on in my tenure at Linford, our district adopted a new English Language Arts program in 2017. I knew this would be a massive undertaking for our district and school community. However, it was a change that was needed for our students. I will also add, this was not a super popular idea among most teachers. 

The program was a significant shift from the prior programming and required new learning for teachers and, in some cases, a shift in philosophy. The most notable shift was the more intentional, repeated reading of the same text (close reading) and increased rigor within the writing portion. 

Let’s pause there ...

Fast forward to the fall of 2023. 

I was sitting in my office at Linford when I received our Wyoming Accountability Report. I was ecstatic to see that our school had achieved the designation of Exceeding Expectations for the third year in a row. This designation placed us in a category with only 11 other schools in Wyoming. 

David Hardesty at Linford Elementary, Laramie, Wyoming. 

I wholeheartedly believe that one of the primary reasons for our success at Linford was the work that took place during the years of that program adoption. Please note: I DID NOT say, “The program caused our success.” I said, “The work that took place during the years of the program adoption.” The difficult work that occurred during implementation within the Linford community to reflect, learn, and try new things allowed us to identify new teaching techniques that worked really well for our students. 

We also learned that some of those tried and true techniques from years past also worked. Most importantly, we began building a consistent set of practices and expectations for our students in the area of reading and writing. This consistency and collaborative approach to teaching and learning were essential components to the increase in student achievement.

The changes that took place between day one of adoption in 2017 and receiving that accountability report in 2023 were amazing to watch. As the building principal, I had a front row seat to every classroom, intervention group, and PLC meeting. This also allowed me to challenge my own beliefs around ELA instruction. I worked to learn the program by participating in lesson studies with teachers, modeling lessons in classrooms, and providing feedback on instruction. I enjoyed working alongside our staff, instructional facilitator, and other principals to lead these efforts.  

Again, it was not about the program! It was about the work of our school community learning about effective ELA instruction and holding students and staff to high expectations for learning. As a building leader, we must model what is expected of engagement. We must be in classrooms reading with students. We must be willing to take a risk to model a lesson for a teacher and learn something new and demonstrate it for the staff during a PD day or staff meeting. The staff must see (not hear) us being willing to learn and take risks, too. 

I am now in the role of Assistant Superintendent for Albany County School District #1. I was recently invited back to Linford to read to a class of 5th graders during Read Across America Week. Reading aloud, Oh the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss was such a rewarding experience for me. 

I had the opportunity to see students in 5th grade whom I had known since kindergarten. They were actively engaged in the reading and asked great questions. Once I finished reading, I spent a few minutes walking around the school and checking in with teachers. As I walked those halls, I was amazed at the level of writing posted outside of the classroom. It is moments like these that continue to make me thankful for those difficult but rewarding days of leading the efforts of a new ELA program adoption. 

In my new role, I have the opportunity to apply these same principles of engagement, and quite a few I still need to learn, with my colleagues. It is important to note the importance of being an actively engaged  literacy leader at all levels. Be willing to learn with your staff, be willing to take risks with your staff, be willing to question your staff, and be willing to be questioned by your staff. The greatest gift we can give our students is a quality education built on high expectations.

Keep promoting literacy by learning and working alongside your teachers!  

~ A 2023 Wyoming Principal of Year, David Hardesty has been an educator in Wyoming for the past 19 years. His first eight years were spent as a classroom teacher split between Beitel Elementary School in Laramie, Wyoming, and Bain Elementary School in Cheyenne, Wyoming. During his time as a classroom teacher, he taught second grade for three years and sixth grade for five years. Dave enjoyed every moment of his time as a classroom teacher.

After teaching, he transitioned to the position of principal at Velma Linford Elementary School in Laramie, Wyoming. During his time at Linford, the school earned the designation of Exceeding Expectations on the Wyoming Accountability and Education Act (WAEA) for three consecutive years. This has been accomplished by only 11 other schools in Wyoming. Dave will always cherish his time leading the Linford learning community.

David was also an active member on the Wyoming Association of Elementary and Middle School Principals (WAEMSP) executive board, and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) Resolutions Committee. 

David is currently the Assistant Superintendent for School Leadership and Performance with Albany County School District #1 and is looking forward to this new challenge.

He is a Laramie native, and his wife, son, and daughter are proud to call Laramie home. In their free time they enjoy watching their children play sports, golf, ski, and spend time with family.