CHAPTER 2
Serving as an Elementary, Secondary, or District-Level Literacy Coach
Vignette: At a rural elementary school, a newly hired reading specialist is struggling with a very different perception of her position than her principal's. The reading specialists envisions working collaboratively with her peers and worries about managing her normal teaching responsibilities in addition to her new reading specialists duties. On the other hand, her administrator wants the new reading specialist to solve problems with new teachers. As the principal put it, "get in there and see what is being done with those kids".
What is a Literacy Coach?
The term literacy coach has been used interchangeably with reading specialist and reading coach. Whichever term you prefer, the role of a literacy coach has evolved significantly in the last 50 years. Whereas reading specialists used to work with individual children outside of the classroom, new models embody a literacy coach supporting the teacher in the classroom. There are several different roles of a literacy coach but all roles hold a few common traits. The primary role of a literacy coach is to support the teacher. The subsequent role is to provide continuous professional development designed to advance a school’s reading performance.