The purpose of this exploratory case study was to explore the ways in which one specialized literacy professional (SLP) navigated and reflected on coaching conversations with teachers. The participants for this study were one elementary school SLP and two classroom teachers at the same school. Coaching conversations the SLP held with teachers, the…

This is a practical article for teachers in the primary grades and for other teachers and reading specialists whose students experience difficulty responding automatically to high-frequency words. In this article, we will begin by providing some helpful information about vocabulary and high-frequency words in particular. You will learn why…

Specialized literacy professionals (specialists/coaches/coordinators) are enacting leadership roles that influence how school communities interact and collaborate to change instructional practices. These positions involve multiple responsibilities highlighted in the standards for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals (International Literacy…

In this multiple case study, the author analyzes the work of three elementary school teachers who served as instructional support specialists in reading, ESL, and gifted education.

Literacy coaches need support developing their professional capacities for coaching (Kern et al., 2018). This study explored the ways novice literacy coaches developed literacy coaching discourses during coursework in two reading specialist master's degree programs. Through qualitative and discourse analysis of transcribed coaching videos and…

Adding to the current body of research on inference making skills and young learners, this study examined the knowledge base of classroom teachers, speech-language pathologists, and other literacy specialists. Specifically, educator knowledge was considered in relation to the extant literature on the inference making abilities of young children.…

Providing appropriate reading interventions for older, adolescent students is a complex and multifaceted process. There are a multitude of factors that influence student reading outcomes and the researcher aimed to explore how awareness of morphological structures can facilitate reading growth in high school students who have reading disabilities…

Students who develop proficient reading skills are more likely to experience positive outcomes both in and beyond the school setting. If students start developing strong literacy skills at a young age, they are more likely to perform well in school and achieve academic success. Despite ongoing efforts to support students' development of reading…

This investigation focuses on a tool used in a reading methods course to introduce reading specialist candidates to text analysis as a critical component of planning for text-based discussions. Unlike planning that focuses mainly on important text content or information, a text analysis approach focuses both on content and how that content is…

This study examined the motivation, perceptions/future plans, and expectations of postgraduate students (referred to as literacy coaching candidates) enrolled in the first course of a Literacy Coaching Endorsement program at a large comprehensive institution of higher education. Results from data focus to: What motivates a licensed Reading…

The purpose of this single-site case study was to examine the experiences of graduate teachers enrolled in a Reading Specialist Certification (K-12) program who engaged in literacy-related action research that was woven throughout their coursework. Qualitative data included 24 graduate teachers' video self-analyses, reflection blog entries, and a…

This study describes and analyzes a field experience that has provided advanced literacy specialist candidates the context for advancing their understanding of professional leadership through the lens of a literacy coach. The field experience described was born out of the ongoing work of teacher educators at a small, independent, liberal arts…

Over the past 65 years, the roles of the reading specialist have continually evolved. Historically, reading specialists have been hired by schools to work predominantly with struggling readers (Bean, Cassidy, Grumet, Shelton & Wallis, 2002; Bean, Swan & Knaub, 2003). Reading specialists today serve in a variety of roles within their…

South Carolina's Read to Succeed Law (RTS) is different than the other 15 states' literacy-based third grade retention laws. It mandates literacy intervention training for in-service and pre-service teachers. Research indicates academic gains from retention are short-lived, diminishing over time and increasing drop-out rates. Through a statewide…

Despite evidence that youths' literacy practices and identities are important contributors to literacy learning, studies of secondary literacy instruction often focus on understanding classroom storylines from the perspectives of teachers and schools. The purpose of this case study was to examine how one youth, Leo, shaped the storyline of his…