Promoting Quality Assurance in Literacy Instruction: The ...

Promoting Quality Assurance in Literacy

Instruction: The Preparation, Inquiries and

Practices of Literacy Professionals

Mary W.

Strong

Annemarie B.

Jay

Co-Editors

New Foundations Publishing

Philadelphia, PA

()

Copyright ? 2012 by Mary W. Strong and Annemarie B. Jay

All rights reserved. When forms and sample documents are included, their use is authorized only by

educators and/or noncommercial or nonprofit entities.

For information:



Mary W. Strong, Ed.D.

Widener University

1 University Place

Chester, PA 19013

mwstrong@widener.edu

Annemarie B. Jay, Ph.D.

Widener University

1 University Place

Chester, PA 19013

abjay@mail.widener.edu

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Foreword

Literacy coaching is a term that first gained prominence in the early years of the new millennium,

and the overwhelming majority of literacy professionals heralded the introduction of this phrase to the

educational lexicon. Long before the advent of the term, those in the reading field had advocated that

those trained, as reading specialists should have major responsibility for the professional development of

classroom teachers in their schools. The federal allocation of monies for the Reading First initiative made

this long-sought goal a reality. Schools began hiring educators whose main responsibility was to train

teachers in how to implement effective reading and writing strategies with their students. Originally, the

schools focused on providing coaches for the primary grades. Later, as their effectiveness became

apparent, literacy coaches began to appear at the secondary level as well. Unfortunately, some of those

hired did not have adequate training to function most effectively. Thus a, a number of books and staff

development opportunities were developed. Literacy coaching became a ¡°very hot topic¡± on the annual

survey that my colleagues and I have conducted for over 15 years. Today, almost all those surveyed agree

that literacy coaching should still be a very hot topic.

In 2008, with the start of the global recession and a cutback in federal funding, many literacy

coaching positions were eliminated. However, a series of national summits held in 2009, 2010, and 2011

showed that literacy coaches were still an important and vital part of the national landscape. The last of

these conferences was held in Philadelphia and was hosted by Widener University. Chairs of the

conference were Widener faculty members, Dr. Annemarie Jay and Dr. Mary Strong. Both of these

educators had much experience training and ¡°coaching¡± literacy coaches. Their first book A Guide to

Literacy Coaching published by Corwin press has become an important resource for supporting literacy

coaches and those who prepare educators to be literacy coaches.

This volume of works, entitled Promoting Quality Assurance in Literacy Instruction: The

Preparation, Inquires and Practices of Literacy Professionals is based on some of the papers presented at

the 2011 literacy coaching summit. Fittingly, Dr. Annemarie Jay and Dr. Mary Strong, who are fast

becoming among the nation¡¯s pre-eminent authorities on literacy professionals, edit this book. Also, most

appropriately, the opening chapter, ¡°Leadership: Keystone of Literacy Coaching¡±, is written by Dr. Rita

Bean from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Bean¡¯s research and writings on literacy coaches/reading

specialists have been a major resource in the field for over 25 years. She was among the first reading

experts to advocate strongly for the leadership role of the literacy professional. Other chapters in this

volume deal with some of the current issues that literacy professionals must know in order to work

effectively in the schools. Among those issues are technology, response to intervention (RTI), and

common core state standards. Working with adolescent readers, teachers of special education, and middle

school educators are the focus of other chapters. Drs. Jay and Strong also write about a topic rarely

addressed in the professional literature: ¡°Working with the Inflexible Teacher.¡±

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Inevitably, this volume will be an important resource for all K-12 professionals as well as the

teacher educators who prepare them. The literacy professional was, is, and will be a crucial part of the

educational milieu.

Jack Cassidy

April 2, 2012

iii

Acknowledgements

Without the financial support of Widener University, the Third International Literacy Coaching

Summit would not have occurred. The chapters for ¡°Promoting Quality Literacy Assurance in

Literacy Instruction: The Preparation, Inquiries and Practices of Literacy Professionals¡± were a

result of the papers that were presented at this meeting.

Dr. Rita Bean and Dr. Jack Cassidy were both contributors to this volume and keynote speakers

for the Third International Coaching Summit. They also provided wise advice to the co-chairs of the

meeting and editors of this book. We are very grateful for their participation and support.

Mary W. Strong and Annemarie Jay

Editors

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