Guide to Literacy Coaching

"A very hands-on approach to helping teachers, parents, students, and the community. Coaches are not only given the theory behind what they do, but also the knowledge of how to implement the research and theory."
—Emme Barnes, Literacy Facilitator
Hawk Ridge Elementary, Charlotte, NC

"This superior text clarifies the responsibilities, qualifications, and capabilities of the coach within and without the school and as a leadership partner."
—Connie Molony, Reading-Language Arts Specialist
Fargo Public Schools, ND

An essential guide to the "what" and the "how" of literacy coaching!

Literacy coaches regularly encounter practical and theoretical issues, ranging from decoding national and state coaching requirements to understanding how to work effectively with all students, including those with special needs. This practical guide presents effective coaching strategies and best practices for enhancing literacy instruction and student performance across all grade levels.

Ideal for individual or group professional development, this text covers skill requirements for coaching and describes four roles of effective coaches: facilitator, observer, colleague, and learner. Readers will find sample scenarios, advice from recognized literacy experts, and topic extensions for study groups, as well as:

• Information on NCLB, Reading First, and Reading Next requirements
• Insight into developing relationships with school administrators
• Tips for coaching difficult or noncompliant teachers
• Practical recommendations for first-year coaches

A Guide to Literacy Coaching illuminates the many practical strategies literacy coaches, mentors, teacher leaders, and staff developers can use to collaborate with multiple school constituencies to promote teacher development and schoolwide literacy success.

Annemarie B. Jay is an assistant professor of education at Widener University, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in reading. Her research interests include early literacy, comprehension, and literacy leadership. She spent most of her career as a K–12 language arts curriculum coordinator for a large school district. She also served as an elementary principal and as a supervisor of elementary education and federal programs during her 30 years of pubic school experience. A hands-on administrator, Jay spent a significant amount of her time coaching teachers about literacy practices. Jay is currently the president-elect of the Keystone State Reading Association (KSRA) and also serves on the Long Range Planning Committee. She is also the president of the Delaware County Reading Council, her local council in Pennsylvania, for which she writes a bi-monthly online newsletter. A reviewer for publications of the International Reading Association and the Keystone State Reading Association, Jay is also a frequent presenter at the local, state, and national levels about literacy teaching and learning. She is a graduate of the Governor’s Institute on Early Childhood Education. After earning her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, Jay served as an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia for many years. Mary W. Strong is an associate professor in the Center for Education at Widener University, where she currently teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in literacy and literacy leadership. Prior to coming to Widener University, she taught literacy classes at Iowa State University. Before entering higher education, she was a classroom teacher and reading specialist at the primary and middle school levels in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. She also served as an elementary school principal for 20 years in West Virginia, and the schools she led won a National Rural and Small Schools Consortium Award and the National Council of Teachers Award for Programs for Schools at Risk. Strong has given presentations on literacy education at conferences of the International Reading Association, National Reading Conference, College Reading Association, American Education Research Association, National Association of Elementary School Principals, and Association of Childhood Education International. She has had articles published in the Reading Professor, Reading Horizons, Journal of Reading Education, Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, and Day Care and Early Childhood. Additionally, she is on the editorial review board of Journal of Literacy Research and the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. In other leadership roles, currently she is a member of the International Reading Association’s Bylaws and Resolutions Committee and the former chair of the Teacher Awards and Grants Committee. She is the secretary/treasurer of the Language Experience Special Interest Group of IRA and has served as a board member to that group. As an active member of the Keystone State Reading Association (KSRA), she is on the editorial review board of Pennsylvania Reads: A Journal of the Keystone State Reading Association and is the chair of the Community Involvement State Committee. She has also served as president of the Pennsylvania Reading Teacher Educators, a special interest group of KSRA. Presently, she is vice president of the Delaware Valley Reading Council.