Disciplinary Literacy Task Force

The start of a new year often invites reflection and intention. New York Times columnist Julia Rothman popularized the idea of a More/Less List: a simple, honest way to name what we want to lean into and what we hope to leave behind. Her lists often sound something like: More museums, writing, and dog fostering. Less stressing the small stuff and overprocessed food.

For those of us invested in disciplinary literacy, a similar list feels timely.

More authentic tasks that mirror how experts think and work. More student discourse, sustained inquiry, and critical thinking across content areas. More curiosity, meaning-making, and literacy practices that serve real learning goals.

And yes—less. Less reliance on long lectures that leave little room for student thinking. Fewer lessons where students are expected to tackle complex texts without scaffolds or support. Less busywork that appears productive but doesn’t actually deepen understanding.

This issue of the Disciplinary Literacy Newsletter leans into that More/Less mindset. We share updates from the Michigan Literacy Summit held in December, where Governor Gretchen Whitmer and incoming State Superintendent Glenn Maleyko reaffirmed the urgency of improving literacy outcomes statewide. While Michigan has made important investments in early literacy, the conversation around equitable, systemic support beyond third grade is just beginning—and how we pursue improvement matters deeply.

You’ll also find resources and invitations designed to support meaningful disciplinary literacy work: a Bridge Michigan opinion piece worth your time, a classroom-ready look at the Question Formulation Technique, professional learning opportunities, and research-based insights from leaders in the field. Together, these offerings reflect a shared commitment to more thoughtful, student-centered literacy practices—and less of what gets in the way.

As always, we’re eager to learn from you and alongside you.

• This year will be a busy one for our Task Force, so be sure to invite a colleague to join our mailing list as well!
• Want to access previous newsletters? No problem! Click here to access the archives.
• Looking to explore all that our website has to offer, including vetted resources? Click here!

Happy Reading!

As you may be aware, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and incoming State Superintendent Glenn Maleyko held a Michigan Literacy Summit in December 2025. During the summit, Governor Whitmer reiterated the importance of improving literacy outcomes in Michigan.

While there has been a necessary multi-year focus on improving literacy for students in kindergarten through third grade, Michigan has not yet dedicated funding to systemically improve literacy development beyond third grade.

In addition to equitable funding for literacy improvement efforts, HOW we go about making improvements matters. We offer this recently published Bridge Michigan opinion piece for your consideration: Opinion | Michigan schools need more than Mississippi.

One of the best ways to support students in developing literacy in all academic disciplines is to spark curiosity and make space for students to engage in sustained inquiry. A fantastic, easy-to-implement approach that aligns with these efforts is the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) from The Right Question Institute. To see an example of QFT in action, click here! Anyone is welcome to set up a free account with Right Question Institute to access a wealth of resources and examples to support effective use of QFT.

Are you interested in learning more about culturally sustaining disciplinary literacy approaches in Physical Education courses? If so, we invite you to RSVP for a FREE webinar offered by our friends in the Literacy in the Disciplines group on January 29 from 6-7 pm Eastern time.

Are you a middle- or high-school administrator or central office leader interested in developing an effective disciplinary literacy professional learning plan for the 2026-2027 school year? Or perhaps you are an ISD consultant or leader looking for ways to support leaders? If so, please consider joining one of 13 sites on Friday, February 13 for a day of shared learning, planning, and networking! Click here for more information and to register.

This video from Dr. Elizabeth Moje, Dean of the Marsal Family College of Education at University of Michigan, explores the research base supporting disciplinary literacy and was one of our most popular links in the December newsletter: https://vimeo.com/1018328315/85f0a1c23b/.

Click on our professional learning flyer to find more information and registration links for these upcoming professional learning events:

• Michigan Assessment Consortium Assessment Learning Network

• EduPaths online courses (they're free!)

• Disciplinary Literacy for Secondary Leaders online course

We are always interested to hear how educators are taking up the work of disciplinary literacy. Take a few moments to share your story here: https://forms.gle/Rbuqa6wZCkhy5bnT9.

The Disciplinary Literacy Task Force is comprised of consultants from across the state of Michigan, each of whom brings their own disciplinary expertise. We meet monthly, and our most pressing goal is to continue to scale this work statewide. We also prioritize equity in the delivery of our services as well as building and leveraging partnerships across the state in an effort to promote this important work. Our ongoing work includes planning for, creating, and implementing professional learning for secondary educators and using this newsletter, our blog, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and other publications to broaden awareness about this approach and its benefits to our secondary students. Click here to access an interactive map with Task Force member contact information. We look forward to increased opportunities to work with you!