This was a qualitative case study that compared data across six district-level literacy coaches' epistemological and ontological beliefs about how to teach reading. All six coaches were working as a cohort of literacy coaches on the development and implementation of a secondary reading intervention program for seventh-grade struggling readers.…

Following a nationwide trend, reading scores at Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School in suburban Chicago began dropping with the entrance of the new millennium. However, through its newly created Reading Department, Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School is providing comprehensive, direct reading instruction throughout grade and skill…

This article reports on the results of a survey examining the perceptions of university faculty regarding the importance of graduate programs preparing reading specialists for a leadership role. The results of the survey indicate that slightly more that half of the programs require a leadership course and less than half of the reading specialist…

Clarifies the resource role of the reading consultant in providing inservice programs which are functional, timely, and interesting and in assisting teachers in everyday class settings through demonstration lessons, visits, and informal encounters. (MD)

Describes a resource teacher's efforts to implement a program to improve reading at the secondary level in a Florida school. Offers activities used in the program. (FL)

Examines issues related to organizing the teaching of reading in secondary schools, such as the lack of liaison between elementary and secondary schools and the confinement of reading instruction to only English or remedial classes. Suggests that secondary school faculty cooperate in using all available resources to produce literate adults. (AEA)

The purpose of this case study is to describe the challenges one coach faced during the initial implementation of a coaching initiative involving 33 teachers in an urban, high-poverty elementary school. Reading coaches are increasingly expected to play a key role in the professional development efforts to improve reading instruction in order to…

Intended for reading specialists who wish to become expert resource persons, this book provides a number of suggestions on how to bring about change in the attitudes of other educators concerning the place of the reading specialist in regular classroom settings. The nine chapters of the book provide the following information: (1) an overview of…

Against a background of declining student performance and fragmented programs, the Oakland (California) Unified School District reorganized its reading programs and instructional support personnel. This included reorganization of the central office, new positions, and a new department of curriculum and instruction. An instructional strategy…

Literacy coaching is a very hot topic (Cassidy & Cassidy, 2007) that has been spurred on by two opposite belief systems. On one hand, the Reading First schools can receive federal funding to hire coaches to raise test scores. This has led some teachers to characterize coaches as "test-prep enforcers." On the other hand, Bean, Swan…

Designed to identify and develop reading skills, stimulate the desire to read, promote an appreciation of literature, and encourage reading as a lifelong habit, the Department of Defense Dependents Schools Comprehensive Reading Program presented in this pamphlet outlines the major functions of the reading improvement specialist (RIS). These…

Reading teachers should be flexible enough to adapt to varying situations that they encounter when they are asked to develop school-wide reading programs. Under ideal conditions, the faculty and administration are enthusiastic volunteers who accomplish the bulk of the reading program's objectives in their classrooms, allowing the reading…

A successful content area reading program not only includes reading classes that teach specific skills, but also provides for the inservice training of teachers, offering activities that facilitate student reading comprehension in the content areas. For such a program to succeed, the financial commitment and time devoted to teacher training must…

What's involved in establishing a high-quality literacy program? This book outlines elements such as a schoolwide literacy vision, an involved staff, a strong sense of community, a top-notch resource collection, a plan for monitoring progress, and the right tools to work effectively with students and parents. Here the reader will find: suggestions…