Focus on Literacy Coaches and Literacy Leadership:
IRA Programs and Resources

One role of the reading professional is to provide support to colleagues as they incorporate best practice in literacy teaching and learning across the subject areas.

IRA offers many resources to support literacy coaches, administrators, supervisors, and other professionals in their work within the whole school community. Advanced search will help you find materials to share on any topic in literacy instruction. The resources listed below will help you in your own growth as a literacy leader.

News

Literacy Coaching Clearinghouse opens online
A joint product of IRA and NCTE, the Literacy Coaching Clearinghouse provides access to research and best practice, enhancing the knowledge base coaches rely on as they work within schools and districts to create excellent reading instruction in all classrooms. Among the site’s features are professional standards for literacy/instructional coaches, issue briefs, a library, and a blog. Watch for upcoming events in an ongoing, online forum series, available to all interested parties through a free log-on. Each forum will focus on one topic and will be hosted by a member of the Clearinghouse’s National Advisory Board.

Position statements

The Role and Qualifications of the Reading Coach in the United States

Teaching All Children to Read: The Roles of the Reading Specialist

Excellent Reading Teachers

Resolutions

On Reading Specialists, Coaches and Other Reading Leaders

Meetings and events

IRA’s annual convention always includes numerous sessions on literacy leadership and professional growth. The following sessions appeared on the program for the 2007 convention.

Institute 2: “Literacy Coaching: Processes and Perspectives on Learning and Leading,” Gail Robinson et al., presenters

Institute 3: “Leadership of Literacy Programs in Classrooms, Schools, and the Community,” Dorothy Strickland et al., presenters

Institute 16: “Content Area Reading Instruction for Teachers and Literacy Coaches: Helping Students Develop Content Area Reading Strategies to Help Them Succeed in a Competitive World,” Roger Farr et al., presenters

Microworkshop: “Just Right Coaching!,” Pamela Young-Groach et al., presenters

Session: “Facilitating Content Area Literacy in the Secondary Classroom Through Literacy Coaching and Embedded Professional Development,” Dolores Smith and James Barton, presenters

Symposium: “Building Capacity While Supporting Learning and Change: Our Learning Journey as Literacy Coaches,” Julie Kozisek et al., presenters

Session: “Effective Literacy Coaching: Strategies and Resources for Coaches Working With K–12 Teachers to Improve Reading Instruction,” Suzanne Rose and Claudia Balach, presenters

Microworkshop: “Literacy Coaching: Developing Highly-Skilled Teachers Through Instructional Dialogue,” Katie Moeller et al., presenters

In addition, IRA’s biennial world congress and annual state/provincial and regional conferences routinely include sessions on leadership.