Serving both teachers and students in a hybrid literacy professional role requires thoughtful planning and reflection. In this article, the authors reflect on their work over the course of one school year to determine how to manage time effectively to combine the job descriptions of reading specialist and literacy coach. Strategies are presented…

Collaborative Strategic Reading is an innovative new approach to teaching reading that weaves together two instructional programs: cooperative learning and reading comprehension strategy instruction. In small groups, students work through the four main steps-Preview, "Click and Clunk," Get the Gist, and Wrap Up-helping each other improve…

This research examined the relevance of professional associations to effective reading teaching in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). It looked at the performances of students in meets and exceeds in the Illinois State Achievement Test (ISAT) for third and eight grade students in selected schools in CPS between 1999 and 2004 and how the professional…

Reading First, the largest and most ambitious beginning reading initiative funded by the United States Department of Education, is entering its sixth and final year in Georgia. The author currently serves as a coordinator for the project as well as serve as a Regional Consultant to six schools near my home in South Georgia. She is one of fourteen…

Over the months of a graduate course in literacy education, the authors engaged in many conversations about their leadership roles in the district in which they both work. Their schools are actively engaged in school improvement with a focus on enhancing student achievement. The district and the provincial Department of Education have given…

What role must principals play in order to effectively support literacy coaching efforts? This is a question that many educators have begun to ask (Burkins, 2007; Casey, 2006; Kral, 2007; Shanklin, 2007; Steiner & Kowal, 2007; Toll, 2008). Some suggest that principals can establish close relationships with literacy coaches by offering a number…

Suggests free or inexpensive resources available for inservice reading programs. (DD)

Most schools recognize the need to conduct inservice training programs supervised by reading consultants in order to realize the potential of teachers during their preservice education. To be effective, an inservice training program for elementary reading teachers should first be viewed by the participants as an aid to improve the teaching of…

The conclusion shared by many studies of instruction--that the teacher is the most significant variable in the child's learning process--suggests that the major focus of the efforts of the reading consultant is the classroom teacher. In working with that teacher, the consultant will discover these assumptions about adult learning provide a viable…

Describes staff development and program development possibilities for secondary remedial reading programs. (MKM)

Presents ERIC documents that provide information about the competencies needed to become a successful reading specialist and about the manner in which those competencies might be gained. (FL)

Argues that limiting reading specialists to providing diagnosis and remedial instruction is not making full use of their knowledge and training. Asserts that reading specialists should take the lead in enhancing reading instruction by meeting with classroom teachers, doing demonstration teaching, providing inservice lessons, and suggesting…

Outlines the reading consultant's role in the efficient operation and management of a school reading program. (RB)

Clarifies the role of the reading specialist as it pertains to inservice education. (FL)

Increasing numbers of students now attending college lack the reading and study skills necessary for mastery of content area material. One approach to solving this problem is using learning assistance personnel as consultants to content area instructors. Some specific reading and study techniques that learning assistance instructors can help…