Reading Specialists and Literacy Coaches in the Real World

Book excerpt: Now more than ever, the roles and responsibilities of today’s literacy professionals are expanding. Many recent developments require a closer look at the changing careers of reading specialists, coaches, and administrators leading to an emphasis on increased collaboration and coaching, integration of standards, and student improvement initiatives. Both scholarly and practical, Reading Specialists and Literacy Coaches in the Real World provides the support and guidance both literacy and content area teachers need. The learning goals and outcomes in each chapter are aligned with ILA’s Standards for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals 2017, providing opportunities for group inquiry and new perspectives on professional learning. The authors examine the historical, political, and social forces that shape evidence-based practice and incorporate significant developments in intervention, assessment, and adolescent literacy. Their impact on instruction and the needs of students are studied in conjunction with RtI/MTSS programs, progress monitoring and differentiation, instructional technologies related to twenty-first century literacies, updated information about effective academic language instruction for English learners, and a moral imperative for fostering equity, social justice, and global perspectives. The Fourth Edition also provides Resource Materials to support the text, giving it a great deal of flexibility to explore projects for portfolios and self-assessment. In the real world, as learners among learners, literacy professionals use their experiences and voices for advocacy to help prepare students for success in their lives and careers.