In 2014, instructional coaches Katrina Litzau and Vicki Murray designed professional learning to support teachers and principals in developing a deeper understanding of the cognitive processes of leadership. Steeped in the Common Core State Standards and building on quality literacy instruction, they designed the professional learning based on anchor texts. The anchor text process focuses learning on a central theme by using one text as an anchor and supplementing with other readings or video clips. "The idea behind an anchor text is that it serves as a foundational text along with other texts that can be used to enhance complex thought around critical themes," Litzau and Murray (2014) write. Teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators from Adams 12 Five Star School District in Thornton, Colorado, participated in the professional learning, and it is their work that serves as the centerpiece for this article.