Leading Between the Lines: ELA Through a Leadership Lens

A Professional Learning Series Designed to Support New and New-to-ELA Leaders

How do we lead and sustain the effective implementation of Georgia’s K–12 ELA Standards?

When leaders see the throughline, they can create the conditions for strong teaching and meaningful student learning. You may be new to ELA leadership, but you don’t have to navigate the work alone. Designed for new district and school leaders, new instructional coaches, and leaders or coaches who are new to ELA, Leading Between the Lines is a six-session learning series focused on building a coherent ELA system that translates Georgia’s K-12 ELA Standards into meaningful student experiences. Participants will move from understanding the standards themselves to examining how standards, curriculum, instruction, assessment, learner supports, and professional learning work together—developing practical leadership moves for strengthening implementation and sustaining the work over time.

Session 1 | Tuesday, October 6, 2026 (9-9:45 a.m.) | Reading the Lines: An Introduction to Georgia’s K–12 ELA Standards for Leaders
Build the foundational knowledge needed to understand the structure, language, key shifts, and supporting resources of Georgia’s K–12 ELA Standards.

Session 2 | Tuesday, November 17, 2026 (9-9:45 a.m.) | Tracing the Lines: Connecting Standards to Learning and Evidence
Examine how the intent, language, and cognitive demand of the standards should remain visible from planning through evidence of student mastery.

Session 3 | Tuesday, December 8, 2026 (9-9:45 a.m.) | Aligning the Lines: Connecting Curriculum, Planning, and Classroom Instruction
Explore how curriculum, instructional materials, planning processes, and classroom practice work together to support the intended learning.

Session 4 | Tuesday, January 19, 2027 (9-9:45 a.m.) | Mapping the Evidence: Aligning Assessment and Instructional Response
Consider how aligned evidence of student learning can inform instructional decisions and strengthen coherence at the classroom, school, and district levels.

Session 5 | Tuesday, February 9, 2027 (9-9:45 a.m.) | Connecting the Lines: Designing Access, Support, and Challenge
Examine how leaders can maintain grade-level expectations while ensuring appropriate access, support, and challenge for every learner.

Session 6 | Tuesday, March 2, 2027 (9-9:45 a.m.) | Leading the Throughline: Sustaining a Coherent ELA System
Bring the pieces together to identify strengths, address fragmentation, build educator capacity, and establish sustainable structures for continued implementation and refinement.

Primary Contact: Sarah Welch - sarah.welch@doe.k12.ga.us

Secondary Contact: Cara Lindsey - cara.lindsey@doe.k12.ga.us