School board members, teachers, university faculty, school district administrators, and even literacy coaches themselves often have questions about literacy coaching. These questions generally focus on several major issues: What should literacy coaches do? What qualifications should they possess? Is the cost worth it? A key question often revolves…

Although literacy coaching means many different things, all coaching initiatives have one common commitment: the goal of building teacher expertise. In the authors' work as coaches and with coaches, they have relied on teacher study groups as a main strategy for accomplishing this task. Their understanding of the potential for study groups has…

In "Psychology in its place" (2008), John Radford considers "what is or should be the "place" of Psychology in education, more particularly Higher Education". In this article, the author looks at the possible inclusion of coaching psychology within undergraduate psychology programmes. Coaching psychology as an applied…

As members of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Task Force on Principal Preparation, the authors recently completed a study of the changing role of the secondary principal. One striking finding was that multiple roles and responsibilities leave today's principal feeling chronically harried and overworked. For…

This study examines the use of instructional coaching in one urban school as a form of professional development for teachers. The use of instructional coaches in the classroom has become more and more popular in many school districts across the nation as they look for ways to improve student performance by improving the performance of their…

The purpose of this study was to investigate how the instructional use of GPS through instructional geocaching activities engages students and promotes achievement in a middle school social studies classroom. The impact of instructional geocaching on addressing the needs of students with various learning styles was also examined. In addition, the…

This user-friendly book presents research-based best practices for serving families of children with special needs from birth to age 6. Expert contributors demonstrate how early intervention and early childhood special education can effectively address a wide range of family concerns, which in turn optimizes children's development and learning.…

This study examines the relationships between students' academic motivation, evidence of achievement as measured by assessments and the effects of feedback in mediating effort. Policy makers currently view student achievement is as synonymous with proficiency on standardized tests. Testing students as a means of determining educational…

Situated in the heart of the fertile San Joaquin Valley twenty miles north of Fresno, the city of Madera has a population of 56,710 people. Agriculture is the driving force behind the local economy; the area produces more than 100 crops including raisin grapes, almonds, figs, pistachios, alfalfa, corn, milk, cattle and poultry. The total value of…

This study examined elementary student literacy performance in Lancaster School District in kindergarten through 5th grades for 6 elementary schools implementing the Reading First program and 6 elementary schools not implementing Reading First. Subgroup data for English Language Learners, Hispanic, and African American students was closely…

A national report by The Teaching Commission (2004), entitled "Teaching at Risk: A Call to Action", highlighted the significance of professional learning by teachers. Requirements outlined by the Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) component of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2001) have emphasized the demands for high-quality professional…

Literature within HRD is reviewed that aides in the understanding of Coaching, Counseling, and Mentoring (CCM) as a strategic need. Published case studies are presented where CCM strategies have been put into practice in the workplace to foster an environment of performance improvement. By developing and implementing these approaches,…

This book presents case studies of schools' journeys towards effective CPD practice as part of a TDA national project. It tells the story of the goals set and achieved, and the challenges and successes along the way. Each case study makes specific reference to the nine factors or approaches to CPD identified in the book as underpinning effective…

Technological tools and the connections they offer represent a virtual podium to enhance coaches' roles. They can serve to support professionalism, minimize a sense of isolation, help develop content knowledge, keep coaches informed of innovations (and innovators) in practice, clarify coaches' roles and responsibilities, increase their…

Across the nation, from large urban centers to small rural districts, many schools have turned to literacy coaching as a means to improve teaching and learning. While much has been written about the advantages of having a literacy coach on staff and there has been some research on school-level coaching practices little attention has been paid to…