Reading Coach Quality: Findings from Florida Middle Schools

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. Drawing on a statewide study of Florida middle-school reading coaches, this article examines what constitutes, contributes to, and is associated with high-quality coaches and coaching. Authors find that coaches generally held many of the qualifications recommended by state and national experts and principals and teachers rated their coaches highly on many indicators of quality. However, several common concerns about recruiting, retaining, and supporting high-quality coaches emerged. Estimates from models indicate that a few indicators of coach experience, knowledge, and skills had significant associations with perceived improvements in teaching and higher student achievement, although the magnitude of the latter relationship was quite small. Findings suggest that although possessing strong reading knowledge and instructional expertise may be important for coaching, it may not be sufficient. Introduction In recent years, much attention has been paid to defining and supporting the development of high-quality teachers. This often ideological debate about who to hire, retain, and promote, has sought to identify the specific experience, knowledge, skills, preparation, and attributes that make up an effective teacher. And while the empirical evidence on this topic remains somewhat inconclusive and incomplete (for reviews of this literature see Goe, 2007; Rice, 2003), policies have been forged at all levels with clear assertions about what matters most. Most notably, the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) relies on certification and content-area expertise to define high quality. However, a growing number of district policies are taking a different approach to thinking about quality—defining it either as a function of outcomes (as measured by student achievement) or an interaction between practice and outcomes. Although instructional coaches have become increasingly prevalent in U.S. schools and districts, there has been surprisingly little attention to similar questions about what defines an effective …