Tutoring & Volunteering
There is strong evidence to suggest that carefully supervised and well-implemented tutoring programs can make a difference to struggling readers. Read more about the role of literacy tutors and tutoring programs, and the evidence that tutoring works.
See additional sources of reading research.
Standards for Middle and High School Literacy Coaches
International Reading Association. (2006). Standards for Middle and High School Literacy Coaches. Newark, DE: Author.
The International Reading Association recommends that literacy coaches be 1) skilled collaborators who function effectively in middle and/or high school settings; 2) skilled instructional coaches in core content area; 3) skilled evaluators of literacy needs, able to collaborate with school leadership and teachers to interpret and use assessment data; and 4) accomplished middle and high school teachers skilled in developing and implementing instructional strategies.
The Literacy Coach: A Key to Improving Teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools
Sturvent, E.G. (2003). The Literacy Coach: A Key to Improving Teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.
A literacy coach is a master teacher who provides essential leadership for a school’s overall literacy program. This report, from the Alliance for Excellent Education and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, examines the role of the literacy coach and demonstrates why more of these coaches are needed in secondary schools to provide leadership for school-wide reading efforts. Leadership areas for coaches include attending meetings and professional development sessions to bring information and ideas back to their school; providing guidance to content-area teachers in teaching literacy; provide expertise to reading teachers; developing and administrating quality assessment systems; and liaising with stakeholders (school administrators, teachers, policymakers, university experts, community members) to help them understand the school’s literacy program and brainstorm solutions to problems. The report provides program examples, and looks at some pathways for becoming a school-based literacy specialist.
