ERIC ED530299: Reach for the Stars: Visions for Literacy Coaching Programs

2012·0.29 MB·English

by  ERIC

Reach for the Stars:
Visions for Literacy Coaching
Programs
Diane DeFord, Professor, University of South Carolina
with Debra Green, Paula Miller, Ricky Millwood, & Diane Stephens
This brief by the Literacy Coaching The South Carolina Reading Initiative began,
Clearinghouse is about reaching for the then, as a systematic commitment on the part
stars—stories of vision and commitment from of the SC State Legislature to improve literacy
educators in small and large schools. Everyone education for K-5 children. It was a collaborative
knows of people who are held up as ‘visionaries’ effort involving not only the state legislature but
throughout history: Leonardo Da Vinci, Mahatma also the State Department of Education, the
Gandhi, Jules Verne, Thomas Edison, Susan National Council of Teachers of English, K-5
Anthony, or John Dewey, to name a few. We and university faculties. Now, eight years later,
hope the stories told here are just as useful SCRI has expanded to include middle and high
to you as the accounts of any of these world- schools across the state. SCRI K-5 is now funded
renowned visionaries. Those who reach for the by schools districts, using a combination of
stars give us hope, inspire us, and teach us what federal and state (lottery) monies. SCRI Middle
is possible if we but dream. Level and SCRI High School are funded by the
state legislature. South Carolina Reading First is
Ideals, Visions, and Realities of the South funded with federal (NCLB) monies.
Carolina Reading Initiative
(Diane Stephens, Professor, University of The overarching goals of SCRI are:
South Carolina, co-principal investigator SCRI • To enhance teacher and administrator
and Diane DeFord, Professor, University of knowledge about reading research, theory,
South Carolina, member SCRI team) and practice.
• To encourage reflective practice through
December 1999 marked the beginning of continuous examination of beliefs in
a monumental educational change effort in relation to practice.
South Carolina. Jim Hodges, governor at the • To explore with teachers and
time, called for stakeholders from across the administrators the knowledge and the tools
state (educators, legislators, business leaders) to assess students, to create appropriate
to join him in a reading summit, where a contexts for them, and to instruct them in
discussion began about how to create a dynamic ways that nurture them as fluent, flexible,
professional development program for K-5 and engaged readers.
teachers in South Carolina. This endeavor would • To engage teachers and administrators
be funded for three years by the state legislature. in personal and collaborative inquiry into
Each of those who decided to participate in what reading so that they may consider reading
became the South Carolina Reading Initiative as a complex and strategic problem
(SCRI) dedicated themselves to Governor solving process.
Hodge’s call “to make a difference” for children in • To assist in the development of strategies
South Carolina. These efforts began as all visions that can be used for continuous inquiry
do: as an image or concept in the imagination and the improvement of teaching
that has the potential to change the world, one practices.
person, one classroom, one school, and one • To create a network of teachers, principals,
community at a time. and consultants who have a shared
knowledge base about the teaching and
1
learning of reading. • Effective professional development is
• To develop structures within individual context specific, long term, addresses the
schools so that educators can engage in
needs of the participants in a school-wide
an independent and ongoing process of
setting; it is collegial in nature and based
change.
upon researched best practices. It must
be well funded. (Richardson and Placier,
Professional development (see Figure 1) is
2001; Anders, Hoffman & Duffy, 2000)
offered to cohort groups of literacy coaches
two days a month during the academic year for
This year, 2007-2008, SCRI is providing
4 years. These cohorts also meet for 2 weeks
professional development to more than 180
every summer. Coaches receive graduate credit
school based literacy coaches. They, in turn,
for this professional study; since an M.Ed. is
provide professional development for almost
a pre-requisite to becoming a coach, most
4000 teachers. Over the 8 years of SCRI, literacy
earn an EdS through SCRI. The professional
coaches have supported approximately 8500
development team for each cohort is made up of
teachers. Assuming an average per year of 20
a university faculty member, a state department
students per K-5 teacher and 80 for the middle
liaison, and three to four regional coaches. Each
level and hjgh school level teachers, SCRI
coach is supported in the field by the regional
teachers have helped almost 200,000 SC K-12
coaches. Within their districts, the coaches
students.
facilitate a bi-monthly study group for 10-12
classroom teachers and their principals. They
The University of South Carolina received federal
are in classrooms at least four days a week
funding to study the impact of the original SCRI
helping teachers put into practice what they are
K-5 cohort. Reports from coaches, interviews
learning about in study groups.
and observations of teachers, student data,
and surveys helped us understand some of the
SCRI professional development is guided by
outcomes of this professional development effort.
several research-based beliefs:
SCRI leaders wanted to know, “Did we make a
• States, districts, and schools need to
difference?” Here is a bit of what we found:
invest in teacher knowledge and improve
• Changes occurred in the beliefs and
decision-making power in order to make a
practices of the teachers. Self report
difference for children. (Allington, 2002)
surveys collected by the State Department
• Principals must be part of the endeavor
of Education at the end of the project,
to ensure adequate support and follow-
teacher responses to research tools
through. (Richardson & Placier, 2001)
(Theoretical Orientation to Reading
Teaching Team 1
State Department 1 3-4 Regional Coaches
Literacy Coach 1 Literacy Coach 2 Literacy Coach 20-22
Teacher 1... Teacher 10 Teacher 1... Teacher 10 Teacher 1... Teacher 10
Principal Principal Principal
Figure 1. Professional Development Model for the South Carolina Reading Initiative
2
Profile (TORP) and the South Carolina • The students who benefited most from
Reading Profile), and observations of SCRI were the struggling first and third
39 case studies of teachers showed graders who remained in classrooms of
that SCRI impacted the beliefs and teachers in the initiative for the duration
practices of participating teachers. From of the professional development. The
their perspective and ours, their beliefs children identified as low readers in year
and practices shifted toward increased one who remained in SCRI classrooms
consistency with stated SCRI tenets drawn (in SCRI schools) for three years read at
from research-based state and national higher text levels than did their low peers
standards. who had not been in SCRI classrooms (in
• Our case studies of teachers showed us SCRI schools). The struggling readers in
the complexity of the change process— SCRI had 5.14 years of reading growth
teachers changed in different ways as a across three years as compared to 2.18
result of different factors that interacted years of growth for struggling readers who
with their particular strengths and were in non-SCRI classrooms for three
interests. As our research team discussed years.
these observations, we informally noted • In order to control for cross-classroom
some factors that seemed to impact spread of ideas in SCRI schools, we
different teachers: studied children’s progress in matched
The support teachers had within the schools without SCRI. We identified 55
o
contexts in which they worked fifth grade students who had been in
The knowledge, ability, and SCRI classrooms in SCRI schools for
o
availability of literacy coaches three years and matched them (using
What was occurring in teachers’ initial English Language Arts scores on
o
lives (inside and outside school) the state proficiency test at the end of
The amount of reading the teachers the first year of SCRI in 2001, along with
o
did ethnicity, gender, and SES) with 55 fifth
The degree to which teachers grade students who had been in non-SCRI
o
reflected on practice classrooms in non-SCRI schools for three
The teachers’ stances--how years. Fifth graders in SCRI classrooms
o
teachers viewed their roles in who had been labeled as struggling
the classroom (for example: to readers in third grade (N=30) scored
give information vs. to provide higher on the English Language Arts
opportunities; self as learner, for portion of the state proficiency test than
example: do it for me or show me, did matched children (N=30) from non-
help me reflect or think about this, SCRI schools. Pre and post demographic
tell me what to do) data showed that the percentage of
The learner stance—how teachers students needing an IEP in third grade
o
took on new information (from was cut in half for the same children in
reading, from demonstrations, etc.) SCRI classrooms as fifth graders (from 11
The teachers’ willingness to try to 6, or 20% to 10.9%). The percentage of
o
something new non-SCRI students needing an IEP in third
Conversations teachers had with grade remained the same for the same
o
coaches, other teachers, and students as fifth graders in non-SCRI
administrators classrooms (from 11 to 11, or 20% to 20%)
Materials and resources (e. (Stephens, et. al, in press).
o
g., professional books and
materials for classroom libraries, SCRI has been enthusiastically received by
opportunities to attend conferences teachers, principals and superintendents across
or observe other teachers) the state. The following vignettes highlight some
3
of the stories that have come from the newest what she is reading. The word has gotten around:
group of coaches to join our ranks—the High “Miss Greene has some good books!” Not only
School SCRI. In their first two years, these 28 have my former students come to me for books,
literacy coaches from 24 districts are coaching but also students I have never taught. They have
over 400 high school teachers. Together, the come to me to complain because they either
coaches, teachers, and administrators have cannot find a good book or their teachers will
reached nearly 30,000 high school students. The not give them time to read! To say the least, to
commitment they have made to improve literacy respond to their requests, the media specialist
for high school students in our state, and their helps me provide “good books,” and the principal
enthusiasm, is clearly evident in these vignettes. has instituted Sustained Silent Reading time, not
just in English classes, but for all ninth and tenth
Vignette #1. To the summit: Lessons in grade core classes. Today, students are given
survival (Deborah A. Greene, SCRI Literacy time to read in math, science, history, and English
Coach, Union County High School, South classes! This reading time is followed by writing
Carolina) or oral response to the reading. In seven months,
library circulation has more than doubled the
I must be honest and state that in the beginning amount of books checked out during the 2005-
I was truly clueless about the literacy coach 2006 school year. The number of patrons has
position that I had been asked to assume. I had more than quadrupled!
attended the grant meeting with the Assistant
Superintendent of Secondary Instruction, But, Year II (2006-2007) school year did not
and I was exuberant about the possibilities begin as promising as I had envisioned because
provided by such a position. When I began the I began with rosy-tinted glasses and unrealistic
journey in August 2005, I was still a full-time goals in three key areas—support, providing
classroom teacher who was ‘receiving invaluable evidence, and buy-in. In terms of support, I
professional development.’ In other words, the believed that having a new principal, one who
district had not yet committed to my becoming had been involved with SCRI at the middle-
a full-time literacy coach, so Year I (2005-2006) school level, would be a plus. Unfortunately, his
my training was spent learning Best Practice experience had been negative, so I found I had
engagements at what we called ‘State Study’ and to overcome the misgivings brought on by those
experimenting with my own students. At the time, negative experiences. Consequently, I have
I had no idea that I was merely an experiment learned how to build trust and to make myself
myself. Fortunately for me, there was a change useful and supportive. I volunteered whenever I
at the administration level in March, 2006. could and I attempted to be proactive. In terms
Suddenly, the district administration was fully of providing evidence, I learned that successes
committed to creating a literacy coach position need to be documented, and becoming a
for me. Whether my enthusiasm for the role had researcher was a new role for me! Because test
anything to do with the creation of the position, scores are of ultimate importance at the district
I do not know. All I am certain of is that my own level, in January 2007, I found myself answering
students were flourishing. Struggling readers questions about what I had done first semester
were reading and writing. Parents were amazed to improve End of Course (EOC) results.
at the changes in their children. One parent Luckily, I had provided sample EOC tests, High
whose child had never read at home because School Assessment Program (HSAP) materials,
of comprehension difficulties noted: “What have professional articles, integrated lesson plans,
you done for Kristie? I cannot talk to her anymore and weekly tips to improve reading and writing
because her head is always in a book!” skills to the three area high school faculties. In
response to district inquiries, I created a survey to
Today, that same parent drives thirty miles to evaluate the effectiveness of the information that I
Barnes and Noble to buy her daughter books! provided for teacher use during the first semester.
Kristie comes by my room regularly to show me This survey showed that few of the teachers had
4
read, much less incorporated, the strategies we road to the ultimate summit.
had talked about into their instruction! However,
I found that the younger teachers were more Vignette #2. A vision of new teachers reading
open-minded and they had experimented more with special learners (Paula G. Miller, SCRI-
than the seasoned teachers. Overall though, only HS Literacy Coach, Lexington School District
my study group members seemed to be making Two, South Carolina)
a paradigm shift. This became the third area in
which I needed to rethink goals within: Buy-in! Our vision was born out of a basic need and
I realized I had underestimated the amount of one new opportunity. We needed to increase
buy-in I would achieve with my fellow colleagues. the reading ability, reading comprehension,
However, I am beginning to see the pay-off of my reading fluency, vocabulary and overall English
dogmatic determination to succeed! language fluency for two of our lowest performing
(and socially isolated) groups on our school’s
Today, not only are students coming to me, but report card—our Special Education students and
teachers are also beginning to ask for my advice our English Language Learners. We felt that if
and for assistance. My principal and the three we could create appropriate peer interactions,
assistant principals now rely on my advice, from these students would have positive educational
curriculum design to hiring/rehiring to sometimes experiences in an academic area where they
venting frustrations. The Summer Reading have a history of limited success. Then an
program has been given to the district’s literacy opportunity presented itself that was a perfect
coaches to develop. I am a member of the way to support these students. Our teacher cadet
district’s instructional development team. We are teacher approached me at the end of last school
finally entering the 21st century, and I am proud to year and said, “I need your help and I know with
serve in such an integral position. The district is your new role you can help me pull this together.
still willing to fund my position, we have a newly I would like for my teacher cadet students to work
beginning study group as well as a second-year with high school students on reading. Currently
study group for the 2007-2008 school year! I they only get to intern in elementary and middle
have reached a summit, but there is still much to schools, and I want them to work with high school
do. students, too. Could they do book clubs?” Our
school’s need and this new opportunity fueled
I have never truly considered myself a trailblazer, our new vision to provide the teacher cadets with
but in reflection, I realize that I always have realistic teacher interactions by pairing them with
been and that is probably the reason that I was high school special needs students and English
chosen for this journey. The only regret that language learners (ELLs) to promote increased
I have is that the training and experiences of reading and positive peer interactions.
SCRI-HS were not available to me when I began
teaching thirty-one years ago, for these have After that initial conversation, I met with the
been the most rewarding two years and the best special education department and the ELL
professional development opportunity of my teachers. They agreed that it would be a positive
career. With much of the rocky road behind me thing for their students, so I approached my
and a powerhouse of inspiration from my cohort principal, district ELL, and English Language Arts
colleagues, I eagerly await Year III. With the (ELA) (write out?) coordinators with a tentative
impending consolidation of the three area high plan. All of them were enthusiastic about the idea,
schools from which members of my study group and felt that it would be a good way to improve
were selected, I have already created a bridge our students’ reading abilities and social skills.
of professional collegiality. Year III will present its
own challenges, but my vision has been honed. So in the fall, prior to beginning the book clubs,
I have removed the rosy-tinted glasses. I have we planned a big breakfast, so the special
broken down the barriers and laid the foundation. education & ELL students and teacher cadets
Year III will be a time to build, and to cement the could meet one another. Lynn Summer, the
5
Teacher Cadet instructor, helped her students state education lottery money to fund my position
select their book buddies so when they came to as a literacy coach, our school began this new
the mixer they could focus on getting to know journey. I knew that if we had success in our
each other. That meeting was exciting, with 27 school, it would go a long way toward promoting
Teacher Cadets, 54 Special Education students, SCRI across the state of South Carolina.
and 15 English Language Learners attending.
Our first school-wide effort was to increase book
The Cadets in Action book clubs met every circulation by encouraging students to read more.
Wednesday during first block. The groups It was a simple idea that began in one school
consisted of one Teacher Cadet student working and it grew into a real movement in our state. We
with one or two special education or ELL have about 1,600 students at Spartanburg High,
students. The students selected any books they but in 2005, before the Literacy Initiative began,
wanted to read. We had all different levels of we had only 7,999 books in circulation. Half of
books available. The teacher cadets, supported our students ride buses and don’t have time to
by Lynn, guided the students in ways that took come to the library. My idea began with wanting
into account their special needs. The special to see more books in the classrooms and to get
education department chair, Roger Smith, and I more books into the hands of our students.
received a $1,000 Mid-Carolina Electric Company
“Bright Ideas Grant” which we used to purchase Our solution was to create a rolling library and
audio books, book sets, and compact disk (CD) theme carts. By creating these rolling carts,
players. The CD players had audio splitters so teachers could have these books in their
the book buddies could listen to a book together. classrooms and make books readily available
The district also provided leveled books for us for students to check out. Teachers now request
to use. The groups kept reading logs. These a cart of books on a topic, and the books are
students loved being involved in the book clubs delivered to them. We have seven theme carts
and they independently read, read with support, into service. For example, we had haunted theme
or listened to and discussed over 100 books! carts for Halloween and in February we had
Black History theme carts. In the first year, 16%
Although we do not have standardized test of our total circulation came from these carts, and
data yet to see if this improved our reading our total circulation jumped from 7,999 to 9,428.
scores, we believe the benefits of these book Interestingly, we found that we lost no more
clubs were numerous. The Special Education books using the rolling library than we did through
and ELL students have increased language regular check out circulation.
fluency, improved reading comprehension, and
gained positive educational experiences, while With our rolling library a real success and based
also increasing socialization skills. The Teacher on feedback from our students, we decided to
Cadets certainly gained valuable knowledge have a summer reading program in the summer
regarding special needs students with varying of 2006. We had students telling us that they
abilities and academic needs. had never been given a book to keep! So, our
summer reading program had a goal of getting
Vignette #3. Dreams, plans, and elbow grease! books into students’ homes. With summer
(Ricky Millwood, SCRI-HS Literacy Coach, reading, every student received a free book. We
Spartanburg High School, South Carolina.) invited selected authors and one entire school
day was devoted to literacy. One company
Spartanburg High is the 8th largest school in donated their billboards to promote summer
South Carolina with 60% minority enrollment. reading. The mayor and celebrities from the
When the new South Carolina Reading Initiative local news assisted us, too. We had over 90%
for High Schools (SCRI-HS) started, as a history of our summer students reporting that they read
teacher, I wanted to be involved and wanted our books. We had so many folks thanking us in the
school to participate. So, in the fall of 2005, using community for bringing this vision to the school,
6
too. People have donated money now to help us year, including four administrators. We want to
fund another summer reading program in 2007. expand the SCRI program into more classes next
Four schools in my region met with us in the fall year. My greatest challenge has been getting
to plan summer reading programs for their high SCRI into such a large school. We have made
schools for the next summer. tremendous progress.
In the 2006-2007 school year, we created a I think vision is critical, but outreach may be
school literacy flier, and I promoted the major even more important. This past summer, our
ideas that were central to our study group in the regional literacy coaches’ group made it a priority
flier within our school and our community. Our to get full state-level funding for our high school
library circulation has topped 14,000 books, with initiative. We organized ourselves, divided up
the rolling carts representing 18% (3,000) of that the state, and wrote letters to every legislative
total volume. There were only 11 books lost from member in South Carolina. Just last week, we
these rolling carts. Our staff now realizes that it is found out that the SC State Legislature voted to
our responsibility to increase literacy skills across fully fund this initiative, so we are guaranteed to
the total high school curriculum. Our next goal have professional development support through
is to increase our English Language Arts scores the SC State Department of Education for two
on our high school proficiency test (HSAP) by more years. If you dream big enough, plan well
focusing on improved reading strategies across enough, and work hard enough, your dreams can
the curriculum. The last two months of the 2006- come true!
2007 school year, I have worked on high school
Advance Placement test taking strategies with Further Evidence
10th grade teachers--our hope is that we will get
a boost on scores. We are planning our second A recent doctoral dissertation looked at three
Summer Reading Program, too. I’ve begun high school literacy coaches across their first two
meeting with companies who have started to years in this role (Clary, 2007). It echoed many of
donate support dollars for the 2008 program (we the findings of the first SCRI. There were several
already have $5,000!). We just had our Southern points that provide additional insights as to
Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) factors that facilitated success in carrying out the
visit this week and the chair of the committee, a visions of coaches, administrators, and teachers.
superintendent from Chester County, wrote that • Teachers who felt supported in their
our school has a “strong emphasis and priority learning and in implementing classroom
on literacy.” I certainly agree with him! Recent practices reported a higher level of
Advanced Placement scores show that 82% of commitment. They felt empowered, and
the students are now passing this end of year they were prepared to take risks to try
test, which is up from 70% in each of the past new things. They reported sharing new
two years! There was also a 22 point increase in knowledge more often with other teachers
SAT scores this year, with Spartanburg High one in their buildings.
of seven schools in South Carolina to exceed the • Professional learning communities (e.g.,
national mean composite score in critical reading, study groups) in high schools broke down
mathematics and writing. barriers and feelings of isolation. Since
teachers struggled with reflection, study
One of our math teachers, someone who was groups offered opportunities for reflection
unable to attend our study group last year, has and sharing to grow. The supportive
studied and tried all the strategies I sent out climate of mutual respect and trust
this fall. At Christmas she had a flier made for among members was key. It took time to
the whole faculty on literacy strategies that build these learning communities, and it
she is using in her math classes. I created and required particular facilitation skills on the
expanded a literacy team, and now have about part of the coach.
fifteen people who will be on the team for next • High school teachers who were not trained
7
in reading were not resistant to new References
approaches, as the literature of change
suggests. In fact, teachers were desperate Allington, R. L. (2002). What I’ve learned about
for strategies and eager to experiment with effective reading instruction from a
the support of a coach acting as ‘a guide decade of studying exemplary elementary
on the side’ or ‘an extra set of hands.’ classroom teachers. Phi Delta Kappan,
• Supportive leadership was a differentiating 83(10), 740-747.
variable. Where administrative presence
and support was felt, expanded Anders, P., Hoffman, J., & Duffy, G. (2000).
professional commitment was noted Teaching teachers to teach reading:
among teachers. Paradigm shifts, persistent problems,
and challenges. In M. L. Kamil, P. B.
Reaching for the Stars Mosenthal, P. D. Pearson & R. Barr (Eds.),
Handbook of Reading Research (Vol. 3,
To realize the dream that brought about the South pp. 719-742). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Carolina Reading Initiative (SCRI), in all of its
different phases since 1999, has taken amazing Clary, D. (2007). The South Carolina Reading
commitment and vision on the part of South Initiative - High Schools: The lived
Carolina educators and the State Legislature-- experience of literacy coaching.
but then, commitment and vision are both key Unpublished doctoral dissertation,
ingredients of lasting change. Nanus (1992) University of South Carolina.
maintains that a vision has five characteristics:
Nanus, B. (1992). Visionary leadership: Creating
• attracts commitment and energizes people
a compelling sense of direction for your
• creates meaning in people’s lives
organization. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• establishes a standard of excellence
• bridges the present to the future
Richardson, V., & Placier, P. (2001). Teacher
• transcends the status quo
change. In V. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook
of research on teaching (4th ed.). (pp.
The vision to make a difference for the children
905-950). Washington DC: American
and teachers in South Carolina and to hold high
Educational Research Association.
standards of excellence within all state agencies
have made an impact. The national report card
Stephens, D., Morgan, D., Donnelly, A., DeFord,
“Quality Counts,” published by the respected
D., Young, J., Seaman, M., Crowder,
magazine Education Week, ranked South
K., and Hamel, E. (in press). The South
Carolina No. 1 in the nation for improving teacher
Carolina Reading Initiative: NCTE’s
quality in both 2003 and 2004, and No. 2 in the
Reading Initiative as a State-wide Staff
nation for teacher quality improvement in 2005
Development Project. Urbana, IL: NCTE.
and 2006. Collaboratively, we have sought to
make these changes one person, one classroom,
one school, and one community at a time.

8