The Literacy Coach: A Key to Teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools

Author: Sturtevant, E.G.
Publisher: Alliance for Excellent Education
Publication Date: 2005
Publication City: Washington
Publication State: DC
Full text available online at: http://www.all4ed.org/publications/LiteracyCoach.pdf

Abstract (written by WestEd)

After identifying the increasing need and demand for literacy coaches in secondary schools, this document defines what a literacy coach is, explicates the many roles a literacy coach plays, outlines literacy coach training opportunities, and suggests next steps for including literacy coaching in any literacy improvement program.

According to the author, a literacy coach:

• is a master teacher who provides leadership for the school's literacy program;
  
• supervises a long-term staff development program for literacy program development and implementation;
  
• works with content teachers across the curriculum to help them use strategies to improve students reading, writing, and success in content courses;
  
• is incorporated into the school's process for improvement and change;
  
• works with teachers and teams on an ongoing basis, reviewing student data, guiding lesson planning, and continuing professional development;
  
• helps teachers choose appropriate teaching strategies to combine literacy instruction with content area instruction and their own teaching styles; and
  
• is highly collaborative.