This article describes experiences of a literary coach working with a first-grade teacher to make Pro-Black culturally relevant pedagogy foundational to the coaching relationship. Responding to the failure of mandated programs to support Black students' literacy proficiency and the success of culturally relevant pedagogies, they addressed the…

Viewing teacher vulnerability as a pedagogical tool, this comparative case study examined two secondary literacy teachers' use of vulnerability in relation to various instructional goals. Through the analysis of eight video-recorded lessons, we found that teachers demonstrated vulnerability through multiple ways within their literacy instruction…

This qualitative case study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of reading literacy teachers based on teacher perceptions. The case study was an examination of instructional practices, strategies, professional developments, and resources at they relate to effective reading instruction. Reading is the core to education because it is…

This quantitative research was conducted to analyze three questions about self-efficacy related to elementary school teachers. First, research was analyzed to determine what effect years of experience have on teachers' self-efficacy related to teaching, if any, at three Title 1 schools in the southeastern United States receiving mandated LETRS…

Researchers have known for several years that when a child is reading below proficiency by the end of third grade, it is likely the child will continue to struggle learning to read through the child's academic career (Dickinson & Porche, 2011; Wasik & Hindman, 2011). Yet, the problem of children falling below third grade reading…

There is an interconnected issue of lack of student achievement in reading and professional training around reading for teachers. This study sought to understand if self-reflective professional development in the area of the science of reading improves teacher confidence in teaching reading. The participants of the Cycle 1 process consisted of K-2…

Purpose: In the Fall of 2019, Marietta College and Marietta City Schools, in Marietta, Ohio, piloted a program to improve literacy knowledge and pedagogy through completing LETRS training, a two-year literacy professional development based on the science of reading, as peers. Design/methodology/approach: This project was aligned to effective…

Not all children enter school with the same skill set. Teachers of young children know this. Despite this, schools prescribe curriculum and pacing guides as well as assessments that may fit only a subset of students' instructional levels. Teachers are left to determine the best way to meet the student and mandated requirements. Teachers from two…

Abstract America's traditional public schools are facing challenges that may ultimately lead to their extinction. From their beginnings, some criticized them for being secular schools when much of the country was religious and wary of government. Today, the Internet has amplified conservative voices, swaying public opinion against government-run…

The recasting of education as an economic rather than a social good means that governments around the world will continue to pursue agendas to show that schooling systems are effective in raising standards. Literacy is a key area of comparison on the world stage, placing literacy educators under enormous pressure to perform in this culture of…

In this mixed-methods explanatory sequential design study, we examined the self-efficacy of elementary-grade reading literacy teachers in two urban public-school districts in Alabama. In Phase I, 312 elementary classroom teachers (20.0% response rate) completed the "Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale" (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy,…

In this mixed-methods explanatory sequential design study, we examined the self-efficacy of elementary-grade reading literacy teachers in two urban public-school districts in Alabama. In Phase I, 312 elementary classroom teachers (20.0% response rate) completed the "Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale" (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy,…

Schools are becoming increasingly diverse; yet, most elementary teachers are White, middle-class females (NCES, 2021; Urrieta, 2009). Principals are charged with support all students' literacy instruction, not just those whose cultural background aligns with school leaders and teaching staff. In this study, an elementary principal designed a…

The authors discuss the tension between the science of reading and adaptive teaching. The discussion focuses on the ways in which the science of reading emphasizes the teaching of reading as decontextualized and compartmentalized aspects of literacy acquisition that are distant from culturally sustaining and relevant pedagogies and restrict…

Students need proficient literacy skills if they are to be successful in school and in life. Students typically master foundational literacy skills in the primary grades, and their abilities continue to develop throughout middle and high school as they encounter increasingly difficult academic work. Unfortunately, a substantial percentage of…