Introduction: Growing Evidence to Support Coaching in Literacy and Mathematics

Autor: Nancy Shanklin, Misty Sailors
Rok vydání: 2010
Předmět:
Zdroj: The Elementary School Journal. 111:1-6
ISSN: 1554-8279
0013-5984
DOI: 10.1086/653467
Popis: I N N O V A T I O N and change are at the heart of educational movements to reform and improve the education of all students. Students who struggle with literacy and mathematics face severe academic challenges early in life and possible economic inequity in adulthood. In this introduction, we situate the growing body of literature referred to as coaching— or sustained classroom-based support from a qualified and knowledgeable individual who models researchbased strategies and explores with teachers how to incorporate these practices using the teacher’s own students—within the need for viable means of professional development for classroom teachers that lead to improved schooling for children. We argue for the timeliness of an in-depth treatment of literacy and mathematics coaching and then present a summary of the articles that were chosen, through a blinded peer-review process, for inclusion in this special issue. In a country where academic achievement has the potential to change social equity, it is imperative that all students achieve academically. To that end, scholars have agreed for some time that the single best safeguard against school failure is highly qualified teachers (Darling-Hammond, 2000; Laczko-Kerr & Berliner, 2002), although historically, students in high-poverty, high-minority, and lowachieving schools have had the least access to skilled instructors (Olson, 2003). Research has demonstrated that one way to improve instructional practices is through the professional development of classroom teachers. Keeping in mind the spirit of improving classroom instruction for the students who most need improved practices, we embarked on developing this special issue of The Elementary School Journal.
Databáze: OpenAIRE