This qualitative study examined coach-teacher interactions among eight teachers, one administrator, and three university-based coaches in one rural elementary school. Framed within a theory of agency, we examined videos of coaching interactions as coaches and teachers debriefed and co-planned vocabulary instructional ideas stemming from a…

It is well documented that literacy coaches engage in a wide variety of tasks related and unrelated to their role. However, little is known about their efficacy beliefs related to performing these tasks. In this article we describe the development and initial testing of the Literacy Coaching Self-Efficacy Scale that was designed and created to…

The purpose of this research was to examine the ways in which the principal and literacy coach collectively developed and maintained relational trust in order to establish school literacy reform efforts. Drawing from a larger set of data, we employed qualitative methods to explore interviews and surveys from the principals and literacy coaches at…

Because the role of literacy coach as a transformative change agent is a goal of many literacy programs, we set out to examine the process by which a literacy coach becomes a leader and transforms the learning environment of an "underperforming" high school being monitored by the state education department for low test scores. In the…

Many high schools in the United States are contending with modest student writing achievement and looking for ways to enhance teachers' writing instruction. This is especially the case for schools deemed to be "underperforming" and struggling to reform writing pedagogy against an accumulation of teacher and leadership turnover, limited…

Despite a focus on interactive read alouds (IRAs) in literacy methods courses, many teacher candidates (TCs) need support translating instructional recommendations into practice. Practice-based approaches can help TCs begin to embody knowledge, techniques, and dispositions necessary for teaching. This qualitative study investigates two literacy…

This case study examined an approach for sustaining the Targeted Reading Intervention (TRI) in rural schools. Researchers, teachers, and district-level partners collaboratively implemented the TRI Certification Process in order to sustain the TRI in one rural school district once researcher-based support ended. Primarily drawing from…

This study describes and analyzes a field experience that has provided advanced literacy specialist candidates the context for advancing their understanding of professional leadership through the lens of a literacy coach. The field experience described was born out of the ongoing work of teacher educators at a small, independent, liberal arts…

This study explored the year-long development of 159 (N = 159) novice K-2 teachers' self-efficacy for literacy instruction, within a literacy-specific induction initiative with sixteen high-need, predominantly rural school districts. Findings reveal novice teachers' self-efficacy for literacy instruction grew significantly throughout the year.…

A techno-rational perspective of teaching and learning is common as teachers are increasingly inundated with messages of measurement, standardization, and accountability. Within this perspective, teacher development is seen as mastery of skills, teachers' learning is conceptualized as linear with a predetermined and predictable trajectory, and the…

This study investigated how a high school literacy coach provided coaching to support teachers' understanding and implementation of disciplinary literacy instruction. With a focus on collaborations between the literacy coach and teachers in the disciplines of social studies, math, and English, this article presents three case studies that…

Literacy coaching has become a prevalent model of professional development (PD) that embodies the characteristics of high-quality teacher learning. At the same time, many literacy coaches have experienced the practice as fraught with tensions, both for coaches and teachers. This paper focuses on the relational dynamics in literacy coaching,…

This paper describes findings from the first cohort of an ongoing longitudinal study investigating the impact of master's coursework and related coaching experiences on in-service teachers' coaching skill development leading to literacy specialist identity. The study follows literacy specialist candidates through coursework and into their first…

Lead writers and co-chairs of the International Literacy Association's "Standards 2017" provide a hands on guide to using updated standards for the preparation of reading/literacy specialists. Authors share key changes in content, supporting explanations with updated references, and implications for program faculty, state policymakers,…

When the editors of "Literacy Research and Instruction" invited Donna Alvermann and Glenn Jackson to respond to "Beyond the Common Core: Examining 20 Years of Literacy Priorities and Their Impact on Struggling Readers," they both instantly recognized the strengths and limitations in their collaboration. In the strengths corner,…