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ERIC Number: EJ950693
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Sep
Pages: 35
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1086-296X
EISSN: N/A
The Impact of Literacy Coaches on Teachers' Beliefs and Practices
Stephens, Diane; Morgan, Denise N.; DeFord, Diane E.; Donnelly, Amy; Hamel, Erin; Keith, Karin J.; Brink, David A.; Johnson, Robert; Seaman, Michael; Young, Jennifer; Gallant, Dorinda J.; Hao, Shiqi; Leigh, S. Rebecca
Journal of Literacy Research, v43 n3 p215-249 Sep 2011
The field of literacy education has long been concerned with the question of how to help classroom teachers improve their practices so that students will improve as readers. Although there is consensus on what characterizes effective professional development, the reading research on which this consensus is based most often is small scale and involves direct support provided by university faculty. The South Carolina Reading Initiative is an exception: It is a statewide, site-based, large-scale staff development effort led by site-selected literacy coaches. Although university faculty provide long-term staff development to the coaches, the faculty are not directly involved with the professional development provided to teachers. In this study we sought to understand whether site-based, site-chosen literacy coaches could help teachers' beliefs and practices become more consistent with what the field considers to be best practices. To understand teacher change, we used two surveys (Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile, n = 817; South Carolina Reading Profile, n = 1,005) and case study research (n = 39) to document teachers' beliefs and practices. We also had access to a state department survey (n = 1,428). Across these data, we found that teachers' beliefs and practices became increasingly consistent with best practices as defined by standards set by the South Carolina State Department of Education, standards that were consistent with national standards. This suggests that large-scale staff development can affect teachers when the providers are site-based, site-selected literacy coaches. (Contains 14 tables and 1 figure.)
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2814
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Carolina
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A