Elementary Literacy Coaching in 2021: What We Know and What We Wonder

Abstract

AbstractAs schools continue to focus on elementary student achievement and literacy growth, the role of the elementary school‐based literacy coach is as imperative as ever. However, as a lever for reform and professional learning, the literacy coach role remains underspecified, variable, and often misunderstood in practice. This article aims to address what is currently known and what still needs to be learned about coaching effectiveness, roles and relationships, shifting practices and modalities, and preparation. The coaching “knowns” are framed by both research and practice literature published over the past three decades, whereas the “wonderings” cut across research, practice, and policy and point toward the future of coaching work. Together, these knowns and wonderings are intended to provoke district and school leaders, coaches, and preparation providers to reconsider the power and possibilities of school‐based elementary coaching as schools regain their footing following the COVID‐19 global pandemic.