This document discusses the role and culture of literacy coaching in schools. It begins by defining the role of literacy coaches according to the International Reading Association as focusing on working with and supporting teachers through ongoing job-embedded professional development, rather than directly working with students. However, the document notes that the specific job responsibilities of literacy coaches can vary between schools and are influenced by political and social factors within each school. It explores how literacy coaches must navigate complex relationships with teachers and administrators and negotiate various roles and expectations, facing challenges such as pressure to influence teachers' practices. The document also questions whether school administrators and boards fully understand the recommended qualifications for effective literacy coaching.

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The Culture of Coaching:
Share Your Vision of The Role of the Literacy Coach
Dominica R. Felici-Skal
New Jersey City University

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Introduction
In public education, literacy or reading coaching has developed into a popular
and effective culture, unique to each school building. Although a literacy coach is
credentialed as a reading specialist, the role of a literacy coach and a reading specialist
differ yet overlap. ‘In fact, before literacy coaching became a trend, reading specialists
supported teachers and their literacy instruction’ (Hathaway, J.I., Martin, C.S., Mraz,
M., 2015). ‘According to the International Reading Association, reading coaches focus
their time working with teachers, as a provider of ongoing, job embedded professional
development’ (International Reading Association, 2004). Other than to model
instructional strategies or assessment procedures for teachers, literacy coaches spend
less of their time working directly with students. At the same time, precise descriptions
of reading coaches are unique to every school. Due to the fact that the job description
of literacy coaching shifts among schools, a universal definition of literacy coaching has
been developed through the International Reading Association. A well-accepted and
respected literacy leadership role description can be located in the Standards for
Reading Professionals, Revised 2003. The purpose and validity of a reading coach
position is to improve student achievement, teacher effectiveness and overall school
success. The role of a literacy coach has proven to be flexible and multifaceted due to
the social, political and educational culture communicated by expectations among
collegial relationships within each school building.
Political and Social Culture of Coaching
“Although the role of a literacy coach continues to be a debate, the International
Reading Association endorses these words as the definition of a literacy coach:

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Coaching provides ongoing consistent support for the implementation and instruction
components. It is nonthreatening and supportive- not evaluative. It gives a sense of
what good professional development is. It also affords the opportunity to see it work
with students” (International Reading Association, 2004). If this is the universal
definition, how do issues of power, persuasion and control emerge in the scene of the
literacy coach? ‘According to the research of Anagnostopoulos, Rutledge and Coburn,
school principals have the power to leverage the literacy coach to persuade classroom
teachers to understand important highlights of a new policy and thereby pressure
classroom practice to change due to politics. Likewise, reading coaches utilize pressure
and persuasion in both political and social settings, in order to influence teachers on
policy in relation to their classroom practice’ (Coburn, C. & Woulfin, S., 2012) ‘A
newly hired literacy coach was hired by the principal with grant funds to promote
scientifically-based reading research activities, the politics of Reading First or No Child
Left Behind. In doing so, this one year grant literacy coach project was terminated after
a year collection of veteran teacher complaints due to the reluctance to change
practices’ (Al Otaiba, S., Hosp, J.L., Smartt, S., & Dole, J.A., 2008). Due to the
political circumstances, the role of a literacy coach can become socially threatening and
evaluative when words such as law, school policy, Reading First and “the principal
said” are communicated through the reading coach. The actual power of the literacy
coach is likely to increase if the actual employment contract is voted as administrative
instead of teaching by the Board of Education. ‘However, most of the time teaching
contracts are administered. In other words, no explicit authority over teachers is
legal’(Coburn, C. & Woulfin, S., 2012). Yet literacy coaches are still placed in a

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difficult position between the principal and teacher’s union. ‘Ippolito’s research
reminds us literacy coaches are held responsible to support teacher’s self-directed
learning and influence teachers which specific instructional practices and assessments
must be administered in the classroom, advocated by policy, school or district
leadership’(Coburn, C. & Woulfin, S., 2012) ‘Furthermore, literacy coaches negotiate
issues of power, positioning and identity, in order to perform their diverse tasks and
roles. (Hunt, C. & Handsfield, L., 2013)’ So how can literacy coaches prepare
themselves to build strong trusting relationships with teachers while serving as
facilitators of reform and improve teacher effectiveness, in order to positively affect
student achievement and overall school literacy success? What kind of professional
development has helped literacy coaches with regard to obstacles and resistive
behaviors towards literacy coaches? “I don’t need your help!” may be a common
emotional response given to a literacy coach by a classroom teacher. ‘According to
Hargreaves’s notion of emotional geographies, literacy coaches consciously and
unconsciously enact various identities based upon the situation by shifting language
practices and social interactions’ (Hunt, C.S. & Handsfield, L.J., 2013). In other words,
literacy coaches need more than just the knowledge of literacy to withstand the daily
political and social stresses of building relationships with teachers as the role of a co-
learner, friend, knower, encourager, facilitator, demonstrator and colleague. ‘In fact,
the complexities of negotiating varying roles, job descriptions and expectations,
researchers such as Hibbert, Rainville and Jones have argued the need for literacy
coaches to receive professional development of their own related to the social stresses
of their frequently changing role as a literacy coach’ (Hunt, C.S. & Handsfield, L.J.,

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2013). ‘The Perceptions and Expectations for Literacy Coaching Survey, aligned with
the International Reading Association’s Six Standards for Reading Professionals, did
not generate political and social types of questioning’ (Hathaway, J.I., Martin, C.S.,
Mraz, M., 2015). Nevertheless, the International Reading Association’s definition of a
literacy coach and standards for reading professionals overlooked the political and
social culture of literacy coaching among collegial relationships within each school
building.
Educational Culture of Coaching
“According to the International Reading Association, reading coaches should
meet the minimum qualifications: (1) past history of an excellent teacher of reading,
preferably for grade levels coaching (2) in-depth knowledge of the reading processes,
acquisition, assessment and instruction from substantial graduate coursework in reading
(3) expertise literacy mentoring for teachers (4) ability to present and display
leadership skills (5) ability to provide instructional modeling and facilitation of
practices needed according the students’ literacy assessments” (International Reading
Association, 2004). ‘During this study of 104 elementary literacy coaches, which
examined similarities and differences in perceptions of their roles and responsibilities as
elementary literacy coaches, 16% of the 104 elementary literacy coaches taught less
than 10 years prior to becoming a literacy coach.’ (Hathaway, J.I., Martin, C.S., Mraz,
M., 2015) These percentages are examples of literacy coaches who were hired and did
not meet minimum qualifications. Yet the school administrator made the hiring
decision regarding the literacy coach. In these cases, does the principal know what
types of qualifications are recommended for the position of literacy coach? Does the

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principal clearly have the roles and responsibilities of the literacy coach defined? If so,
do administrators consult the International Reading Association or is the IRA an
organization that solely attracts reading specialists, literacy coaches or reading teachers?
In an attempt to answer my question, I found an example that stated this evidence:
‘One urban elementary school case study consisting of two coaches, two school
administrators and seven first and second grade teachers claimed that their attention
surpassed the educational culture of coaching to the political side’ (Coburn, C. &
Woulfin, S., 2012). Then I found evidence in another case study that valued education.
Although the education was in leadership and collaboration, where was the missing
literacy education component? ‘After a one year case study for the 2001- 2002 school
year, involving an urban, poverty-stricken elementary school of thirty-three teachers, a
newly hired reading coach with a doctoral degree in school psychology and an
elementary principal, the principal’s recommendation to spend monies from the reading
coach grant on a core reading program was denied’ (Al Otaiba, S., Hosp, J.L., Smartt,
S., & Dole, J.A., 2008). Although the reading coach possessed a doctorate degree, it
was not in the area in literacy. ‘Consequently, the elementary school principal of 17
years was transferred to a middle school within the district, with even more severe
literacy difficulties’ (Al Otaiba, S., Hosp, J.L., Smartt, S., & Dole, J.A., 2008) It makes
you wonder if the cancellation of the three year grant after one year of implementation
was due to the Board of Education’s disapproval of the reading coach’s role. Was the
reading coach skilled enough to gradually release the responsibility of working with
struggling readers to the classroom teachers? There was no mention of the reading
coach being a certified reading specialist. Credibility, especially of a newly hired

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faculty member, will first be earned through the literacy leadership education and
earned certifications of the literacy coach. ‘According to Bean, literacy coaches are
hired without the degree of leadership skills required for their complex role as a literacy
coach and recommends additional training. In fact Walpole and Blamey agree that
additional “on the job” self-reflective training is necessary for the literacy coach. Due
to the complexities of the role, job descriptions and expectations, it is impossible for
any literacy coach to be hired fully trained and prepared’ (Hunt, C.S. & Handsfield,
L.J., 2013). The question becomes whether the minimum requirements are being
utilized as the floor versus the ceiling for the educational culture of the literacy coach?
Communication of Expectations
‘Existing research from Hathaway & Risko, Mraz, Algozzine & Watson, suggest
that reading coaches play a wide range of roles and responsibilities, which is dependent
on the school principal’s definition in each school’ (Hathaway, J.I., Martin, C.S., Mraz,
M., 2015). ‘According to Mraz et al., responsibilities of literacy or reading coaches are
dependent on their job title’ (Hathaway, J.I., Martin, C.S., Mraz, M., 2015). In other
words, is the reading coach also referred to as an intervention specialist or literacy
supervisor? The difference would be a partial role as a reading specialist, someone
working with students versus the additional role as a school administrator. ‘Likewise
differing perceptions regarding the role of a reading or literacy coach also exist between
teachers in various grade levels. Research shows the majority of lower grade teachers
prefer the role of a coach as a teacher trainer, whereas the upper grade teachers prefer
the role of a coach to be a reading specialist’ (Al Otaiba, S., Hosp, J.L., Smartt, S., &
Dole, J.A., 2008). This is why the principal’s definition of the reading coach’s role to

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the public is necessary for description. ‘When absent of an administration role, reading
coaches lack positional authority, which influences teachers’ practice. The effectiveness
of coaching is dependent on organizational factors such as principal leadership, budget
and climate of professional learning environment’ (Hunt, C. & Handsfield, L., 2013).
‘On the other hand, teachers will behave differently with an administrator because of
their employment. According to Goldstein’s research, coaching is not effective when
an administrator’s evaluation role is intertwined with the support role of a literacy
coach’ (Coburn, C. & Woulfin, S., 2012). Am I being given a coach because I am
struggling? If this feedback is counted in an evaluation, why would I want to
experiment and make mistakes in front of my coach? How can the coach be given the
role as a guide on the side as the support staff and sage on the stage as the evaluator at
the same time? Coaching roles vary and are dependent on the various perceptions and
expectations of the principal, teachers and literacy coach. In order to improve student
achievement, teacher effectiveness and overall school success, the role of a literacy
coach must be socially, politically and educationally defined and shared by the
principal, in order to maximize the role of an instructional literacy coach.
Communicating the expectations of the literacy coach to all involved is vital to the
success of the vision of lifelong learning for all, instead of the ignorance of attainment
or knowing it all.
Conclusion
‘According to research by Mraz, Otaiba, Walpole and Blamey, the roles of
literacy coaches are open to interpretation due to the diverse perceptions and
expectations of coaches, teachers and principals. As a result, the research of Hibbert,

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Heydon, Rich, Lynch, Ferguson confirms that role confusion causes frustration for
literacy coaches and impedes their work with teachers and principal’(Hunt, C. &
Handsfield, L., 2013) Therefore, administration must prepare to share their vision of
the role of the literacy coach by publicizing an outline of parameters of the literacy
coach’s role and responsibilities. If instructional coaching is the focus, administrative
tasks should be kept to a minimum in order to maximize collaboration with teachers.
Likewise, the administrator must hire a credible literacy coach with background in both
literacy and leadership. In other words, an effective literacy coach must have the team
player personality and expertise to grow, learn and problem solve with teachers. With
that thought in mind, should administration responsibilities be handed to the literacy
coach? If the coach is viewed as a staff evaluator, could a healthy coaching culture
among collegial relationships exist? Would coaching become nicknamed, “The Gotcha
Game!”, just as unannounced teacher observations are termed?

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References
Al Otaiba, S., Hosp, J.L., Smartt, S., & Dole, J.A., (2008). The challenging role of a
reading coach, a cautionary tale. Journal of Educational & Psychological Consultation, 18
(2), 124-155. Retrieved from: doi: 10.1080/10474410802022423
Coburn, C.C. & Woulfin, S.L. (2012). Reading coaches and the relationship
between policy and practice. Reading Research Quarterly, 47 (1), 5-30. Retrieved from:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/RRQ.008/epdf
Hathaway, J. I., Martin, C. S., & Mraz, M. (2015). Revisiting the roles of literacy
coaches: Does reality match research?. Reading Psychology, 1-27. Retrieved from:
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/urpy20/0/0 - /doi/full/10.1080/02702711.2015.1025165
Hunt, C. & Handsfield, L. (2013). The emotional landscapes of literacy coaching:
Issues of identity, power, and positioning. Journal of Literacy Research, 45 (1), 47-86.
Retrieved from: http://draweb.njcu.edu:2059/docview/1287959054?accountid=12793
International Reading Association. (2004). The role and qualifications of the
reading coach in the United States: A position statement of the International Reading
Association. Retrieved from: http://www.reading.org/Libraries/position-statements-and-
resolutions/ps1065_reading_coach.pdf