Thesis (Ed. D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The focus of this study was to create a living portrait of the work life ofliteracy coaches, a new and evolving occupation for staff developers. Coaches with expertise in literacy curriculum, instruction, and assessment have been hired to work with teachers and administrators in urban elementary schools and help them to improve instruction for urban youth. Coaches, teachers, and principals in four northeastern cities participated in this study. Coaches were observed, interviews were conducted, and participants were asked to provide samples of student work, schedules, or other documents that were used to triangulate data obtained from observation and interviews. Of the five coaches in the study (three part-time, external coaches and two fulltime, internal coaches), reports indicate that two of the part-time coaches were most successful. Supervisory or administrative responsibilities, particularly identification and remediation of problematic teachers, created an obstacle for both of the full-time coaches. It created the perception among other members of the faculty that the coaches were forcing a top-down agenda for change. The effectiveness of the principal as an instructional leader, the coaches' ability to manage their daily work, the personality of individual coaches, and process by which they choose to engage teachers also had an effect on their ability to promote change. The successful coaches appealed to the intrinsic motivation of teachers to improve instruction by explicitly demonstrating how some practices are beneficial to students. Having gained the initial commitment of teachers, the successful coaches focused on helping teachers to internalize strategies that would allow them to become more reflective about their practice and better able to adapt instruction to the diverse needs of their students. The successful coaches were working in districts with organized reform initiatives, and were working in schools with principals who were knowledgeable about, and dedicated to literacy reform. Their principals had created time for teacher collaboration and professional development to be part of the teachers' workday. / 2031-01-01

Literacy coaches fulfill many roles that enrich the lives of teachers and students. In order for coaches to successfully build leadership capacity, teachers must know the purpose and role of the coach. In this chapter a model of coaching is presented as well as how the coach can facilitate activities that transform the culture of the school. In the model presented, the coach's agency influenced teachers to systematically inquire into their own teaching practices, regularly use data to drive instructional decisions, and reflect upon their decision making practices in ways that promoted literacy growth and success for all stakeholders. The agency included coaching roles of resource provider, data coach, demonstrator of classroom practices, observer of classroom practices, and job-embedded professional development. Additionally, the literacy coach served as a change agent and built teacher capacity taking on these roles.