Review
"What a wealth of information is included in this book! It has so many resources, all pulled together in one volume. In addition to literacy coaches, administrators and classroom teachers will also find helpful information. Whether just beginning to initiate school reform and unsure of where to start, in the midst and trying to stay focused, or well on the way to ensuring that lasting changes are made, readers will find what they need in these pages. I will most certainly refer to this volume again and again."--Cece Tillman, MS, Literacy Coach, Davis Elementary School, Trenton, Georgia

"A 'must read' for literacy coaches and administrators, this handbook defines the role of a literacy coach in a schoolwide, research-based reading improvement system. It not only describes what coaches need to know and do, but also provides guidance in how to do it. Valuable insights from practicing literacy coaches are provided, as well as practical suggestions for addressing the obstacles coaches may face in implementing and supporting change. This book has much to offer for use as a text in any degree program in reading, with particular value for graduate-level reading specialist programs."--Marie Mancuso, MEd, Director, Arizona Reading Initiative

"It is with great pleasure and excitement for the reading field that I recommend Walpole and McKenna’s book. Schools throughout the country are currently hiring coaches as part of their literacy reform efforts, yet relatively little is known about what a literacy coach does, and more importantly, how to be one. This unique book is filled with state-of-the-art research as well as practical and useful information about how to be a literacy coach. There is currently nothing like it in the field. It is an absolute 'must read' for all those involved in literacy reform at the school and district levels. As a text, the book can be used in graduate-level courses related to training reading specialists, and in graduate-level internships in reading and special education. It can also be used directly in the professional development of literacy coaches."--Janice A. Dole, PhD, Department of Teaching and Learning, University of Utah



Review
"What a wealth of information is included in this book! It has so many resources, all pulled together in one volume. In addition to literacy coaches, administrators and classroom teachers will also find helpful information. Whether just beginning to initiate school reform and unsure of where to start, in the midst and trying to stay focused, or well on the way to ensuring that lasting changes are made, readers will find what they need in these pages. I will most certainly refer to this volume again and again."--Cece Tillman, MS, Literacy Coach, Davis Elementary School, Trenton, Georgia

"A 'must read' for literacy coaches and administrators, this handbook defines the role of a literacy coach in a schoolwide, research-based reading improvement system. It not only describes what coaches need to know and do, but also provides guidance in how to do it. Valuable insights from practicing literacy coaches are provided, as well as practical suggestions for addressing the obstacles coaches may face in implementing and supporting change. This book has much to offer for use as a text in any degree program in reading, with particular value for graduate-level reading specialist programs."--Marie Mancuso, MEd, Director, Arizona Reading Initiative

"It is with great pleasure and excitement for the reading field that I recommend Walpole and McKenna’s book. Schools throughout the country are currently hiring coaches as part of their literacy reform efforts, yet relatively little is known about what a literacy coach does, and more importantly, how to be one. This unique book is filled with state-of-the-art research as well as practical and useful information about how to be a literacy coach. There is currently nothing like it in the field. It is an absolute 'must read' for all those involved in literacy reform at the school and district levels. As a text, the book can be used in graduate-level courses related to training reading specialists, and in graduate-level internships in reading and special education. It can also be used directly in the professional development of literacy coaches."--Janice A. Dole, PhD, Department of Teaching and Learning, University of Utah



Book Description
This comprehensive guide presents information and strategies to help literacy coaches meet the demands of designing and directing an elementary reading program. Step by step, the book provides the knowledge needed to ensure that teachers and students benefit from the concepts and methods emerging from scientifically based reading research. Invaluable reproducible figures and many detailed examples illustrate best practices for:

o Collecting and analyzing school-level achievement data
o Selecting and organizing new curricula, texts, and resources
o Conducting ongoing professional development
o Providing feedback and assistance to individual teachers
o Engaging the whole school community in supporting positive change



About the Author
Sharon Walpole, PhD is Assistant Professor in the School of Education at the University of Delaware, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in literacy education. Upon graduation from the University of Virginia, she spent 3 years as a full-time school administrator working with elementary teachers to develop schoolwide reading programs. She has worked with literacy coaches in Iowa, Virginia, Georgia, and Delaware as part of the Reading Excellence Act and Reading First Reforms. She was a member of the Center for Improvement of Early Reading Achievement research team studying the characteristics of Beat the Odds schools. Her research interests include the design, implementation, and evaluation of schoolwide reading programs.

Michael C. McKenna, PhD, has been Professor of Reading at Georgia Southern University since 1989. For 12 years prior to that, he was Professor of Reading at Wichita State University. He has authored, coauthored, or edited 12 books and more than 80 articles, chapters, and technical reports on a range of literacy topics. He recently coedited the [i]Handbook of Literacy and Technology[/i], and was awarded both the National Reading Conference's Edward Fry Book Award and the American Library Association's Award for Outstanding Academic Books. His research interests include comprehension in content settings, reading attitudes, technology applications, and beginning reading.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

This comprehensive guide presents information and strategies to help literacy coaches meet the demands of designing and directing an elementary reading program. Step by step, the book provides the knowledge needed to ensure that teachers and students benefit from the concepts and methods emerging from scientifically based reading research. Reproducible figures and many detailed examples illustrate best practices for: collecting and analyzing school-level achievement data; selecting and organizing new curricula, texts, and resources; conducting ongoing professional development; providing feedback and assistance to individual teachers; and engaging the whole school community in supporting positive change.

SYNOPSIS