This study examined the motivation, perceptions/future plans, and expectations of postgraduate students (referred to as literacy coaching candidates) enrolled in the first course of a Literacy Coaching Endorsement program at a large comprehensive institution of higher education. Results from data focus to: What motivates a licensed Reading…

The purpose of this single-site case study was to examine the experiences of graduate teachers enrolled in a Reading Specialist Certification (K-12) program who engaged in literacy-related action research that was woven throughout their coursework. Qualitative data included 24 graduate teachers' video self-analyses, reflection blog entries, and a…

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…

Over the past 65 years, the roles of the reading specialist have continually evolved. Historically, reading specialists have been hired by schools to work predominantly with struggling readers (Bean, Cassidy, Grumet, Shelton & Wallis, 2002; Bean, Swan & Knaub, 2003). Reading specialists today serve in a variety of roles within their…

South Carolina's Read to Succeed Law (RTS) is different than the other 15 states' literacy-based third grade retention laws. It mandates literacy intervention training for in-service and pre-service teachers. Research indicates academic gains from retention are short-lived, diminishing over time and increasing drop-out rates. Through a statewide…

Despite evidence that youths' literacy practices and identities are important contributors to literacy learning, studies of secondary literacy instruction often focus on understanding classroom storylines from the perspectives of teachers and schools. The purpose of this case study was to examine how one youth, Leo, shaped the storyline of his…

Oral language development can help English learners develop academic proficiency with the English language. In this investigation, at one middle school, teachers focused on improving oral language skills. Using a formative experiment process, the teachers developed an intervention to accomplish their pedagogical goal and then tracked data to see…

For the past 20 years, Dr. Jack Cassidy and his collaborators have surveyed leaders in the field about the issues in literacy that are receiving attention and those that are no longer in the limelight and presented the findings in the annual "What's Hot, What's Not" column. This tradition has continued into 2017 as 25 literacy leaders…

A Substantial body of research on "struggling" or "at-risk" readers has mostly focused on identifying children and developing and testing interventions aimed at remediating children's perceived deficiencies. Research has generally assumed that a reading (dis)ability is an intrinsic and hereditary condition that children embody.…

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…

The 2020-2021 school year has been like no other. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, most kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) schools across the United States have reduced in-person learning for students to a few days per week or have been physically closed for most of the school year. In this Data Note, researchers use surveys of teachers and…

This study investigates how the role of the reading specialist (RS) is defined and communicated by principals, and examines to what degree a common understanding of this role exists among teachers, building administrators and reading specialists. The principal's responsibility in defining and communicating role, and the effect these efforts have…

The Texas Literacy Initiative (TLI) was first implemented in Austin Independent School District during the 2012-2013 school year. This report summarizes Fall 2014 survey responses from administrators at TLI campuses.

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,…

In 1 urban Tennessee school, students in Grades 3 through 5 had not met adequate yearly progress in reading for the past 5 years. The purpose of this case study was to explore teachers' perceptions of current district-recommended teaching practice in reading. The research questions related to current instructional strategies, teaching practices,…