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I began my first year of teaching with 
enthusiasm and was excited to make a 
difference in the lives of my students. Ready 
to implement the strategies I learned in my 
teacher preparation program. I thoughtfully 
arranged my students’ desks in cooperative 
learning groups, organized my classroom 
library, adorned the reading area with 
comfortable pillows and soft lighting and hung 
student work to create an inviting classroom 
community.

Yet, my attempts to foster an engaging 
learning environment were quickly squashed 
with the harsh reality of teacher accountability 
and the pressure from testing mandates. 

Literacy Coaching:
Providing Leadership and Support for  
the Next Generation of Teachers

by Katie Stover,  
Furman univerSity

and CryStaL GLover,  
univerSity oF north  

CaroLina at CharLotte

With a population of students who scored 
close to the bottom percentile in the entire 
state, the school’s administration called for 
a standardized and scripted instructional 
approach and the shuffling of students to 
create ability grouped classes. As the new 
teacher, I was given the group with the 
struggling learners.

Teaching a classroom full of students 
who were all below grade level left me 
feeling vulnerable and scrutinized when 
administrators relied on student test scores 
to judge my teaching abilities. I was expected 
to use a skill and drill approach to teach to 
the test and put all of what I learned about 

Abstract
New teachers face a number of challenges as they begin their careers. In fact, many leave the profession 
for a range of reasons including an overwhelming amount of information and responsibility, pressures of high 
stakes testing, and lack of support. To counter these challenges, the authors discuss ways literacy coaches can 
provide leadership and guidance to new teachers through building relationships, creating a climate of trust, and 
developing individualized support to enhance the teacher’s success.



GEORGIA JOURNAL OF READING 9 VOLUME 37, NUMBER 1   2014

effective and engaging teaching on hold. I 
was told to use data to drive my instruction 
and teach to the test if I wanted to see results. 
This left me feeling discouraged, unsupported, 
and second guessing my decision to become 
a teacher. I felt like the little mole that pops 
out of the Whac-a-Mole arcade game only 
to be whacked by the enormous, ever-
present mallet just waiting to clobber me. 
The administrative mallet stripped me of my 
professional knowledge and enthusiasm for 
teaching and learning in an effort to create 
a factory-like setting of standardized test 
preparation. I wanted to quit. (Anne, fourth 
grade teacher)

Challenges of New Teachers
Like the teacher in the above vignette, new teachers 
face a number of challenges as they begin their 
professional careers. For 25% of first year teachers, 
these challenges prove too difficult and force them 
to abandon the profession after just one year. Almost 
half of all new teachers quit teaching within five 
years (Henke, Chen, & Geis, 2000; Ingersoll, 2003). 
Beginning teachers leave the profession for reasons 
such as inadequate pay, inadequate support from 
school administration, intrusions on teaching time, 
discipline problems, and limited input in decision 
making (DeAngelis, 2012; DeAngelis & Presley, 
2011; Sass, Flores, Claeys, & Perez, 2012). Unlike 
many professions which provide new hires with an 
introduction period complete with on-the-job training, 
new teachers are often isolated and left to fend for 
themselves. They are frequently given a set of 
teacher manuals and expected to provide meaningful 
instruction and produce savvy test takers with little or 
no outside assistance.

Information Overload
Research suggests that beginning teachers have 
difficulty managing the abundance of responsibilities 
they encounter in their first years of teaching 
(Chorzempa, 2011). In an effort to ensure their 
preparedness for teaching, beginning teachers are 
inundated with information. This information overload 
can lead to confusion and frustration for novice 
educators that are managing their own classrooms for 
the first time (Chorzempa, 2011). The massive amount 
of professional development and teacher training 
sessions leave new teachers unsure of where to place 
their focus. New teachers often complain of having 
so much information to sift through, that they neglect 
important aspects of their jobs (Chorzempa, 2011). 
In talking with four beginning teachers, the authors 
found that these new teachers felt unprepared to 
handle the expectations placed on them to manage a 

classroom, communicate with parents, and implement 
differentiated instruction for diverse learners.

Pressures of Standardized Testing
For many school districts, standardized test scores 
have considerable influence on the amount of state 
and federal funding schools receive. This can have 
a significant impact on low-performing schools or 
schools whose student populations come from poor 
or low-income families. For new teachers in these 
schools, the emphasis on testing adds an additional 
measure of stress and anxiety (Brookings Institution, 
2011; Tempel, 2012). Novice teachers are often 
required to attend professional development designed 
to assist them with such things as test preparation 
strategies, data analysis, and assessment techniques. 
Yet these training sessions often leave new teachers 
with more questions than answers. While these 
professional development measures may help ensure 
that teachers understand the importance of using 
data to drive instruction, such training fails to show 
beginning teachers how that concept translates into 
practice. This missing link represents a significant 
challenge for beginning teachers.

A Need for Support
The isolated nature of teaching can leave beginning 
teachers with feelings of doubt about their decisions to 
become teachers (Chen, 2012). Many new teachers 
feel disconnected from other teachers in the school 
community. Veteran teachers, whose personal 
experiences have the potential to benefit beginning 
teachers, are often busy with the demands of their own 
classrooms and fail to offer much-needed support to 
the novice teachers in their school settings. This lack of 
support leads to further frustration and dissatisfaction 
on the part of beginning teachers. In many cases, 
these negative feelings affect new teachers’ ability to 
provide effective instruction to their students.

Research on the academic performance of students in 
classrooms taught by beginning teachers suggests the 
need for new teachers to receive on-the-job training 
and support during their initial teaching experiences 
(Sterrett & Imig, 2011). Early support for new teachers 
is crucial in order to foster a sense of confidence, 
develop knowledge and pedagogy, and enhance 
student learning. Researchers from the University 
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that students 
in beginning teachers’ mathematics classrooms 
performed 21 days behind their counterparts taught 
by veteran teachers on end-of the-year assessment 
measures (Henry, Thompson, Bastian, Fortner, 
Kershaw, Purtell, & Zulli, 2010). Having the support of 
literacy coaches and mentors to scaffold the learning 
experience for novice teachers can help ease the 
transition into teaching and enhance the academic 



GEORGIA JOURNAL OF READING 10 VOLUME 37, NUMBER 1   2014

performance of students in beginning teachers’ 
classrooms.

Literacy Coaching Offers Leadership and Support
To counter these challenges, it is essential that 
beginning teachers have a mentor or literacy coach 
who provides leadership and guidance as they 
begin their teaching journeys. Literacy coaches 
are commonly employed as instructional leaders 
within many schools. According to the International 
Reading Association (2004, 2006), a literacy coach 
works primarily with classroom teachers to improve 
instructional practices. However, literacy coaches 
wear many hats and are responsive to teachers’ 
needs beyond instructional support. For example, they 
may work with new teachers to discuss classroom 
management techniques, strategies for differentiating 
instruction for diverse learners, and ways to engage 
and motivate students to learn. Literacy coaches also 
work with teachers to examine a variety of assessment 
options and guide them in analysis of the data to drive 
instruction (Blamey, Albert, & Dorrell, 2008: Walpole 
& McKenna, 2013). In the state of Georgia, literacy 
coaches are expected to be fluent in the Common 
Core Georgia Performance Standards and standards-
based education (Stout, Jeffcoat, McSwain, Davis, 
Chauvin, & Throdore, 2010). Literacy coaches in 
Georgia are also required to have strong command of 
reading and writing within the content areas, Response 
to Intervention (RTI), assessment, the interpretation 
of data, differentiating lessons based on data, and 
selecting and implementing appropriate interventions 
(Stout et al., 2010).The ways in which literacy coaches 
support teachers is based on the strengths and areas 
of needed growth for each individual teacher. Building 
off of the teacher’s strengths, the literacy coach 
fosters reflection and assists the teacher with goal 
setting. The individual needs of each teacher drive the 
differentiated coaching conversations (Stover, Kissel, 
Haag, & Shoniker, 2011).

Building Relationships
In order to provide effective leadership, it is necessary 
for literacy coaches to foster trusting relationships 
by establishing rapport early on. Before the school 
year begins, the literacy coach should reach out to 
new teachers to introduce themselves and welcome 
them to the school. Showing the teacher around the 
physical space of the school building, where materials 
are kept, and how to gain access to supplies helps 
orient the new teacher to the structural aspects of 
the school. Planning a broad instructional timeline 
with new teachers to map out curriculum based on 
the grade-level and Common Core State Standards 
familiarizes the teacher with instructional goals and 
objectives. Topics such as classroom arrangement, 
management, assessment and grading expectations 

are important for beginning teachers to have a clear 
understanding. This work is crucial at the onset of 
the school year in order to provide the teacher with 
a foundational level of familiarity and comfort with the 
expectations and routines of the school so they are 
not left uninformed and guessing about what to do. 
Getting acquainted to a new school and a new career 
for many, amidst an overabundance of information is 
when the most support is needed from a mentor or 
instructional coach. 

Creating a Climate of Trust
It is important in the role of a literacy coach to remain 
neutral. Building trusting relationships by maintaining 
confidentiality and support is critical to the work of 
literacy coaching (L’Allier, Elish-Piper, & Bean, 2010). 
The role of the literacy coach is crucial to providing a 
non-evaluative liaison between the classroom teacher 
and the administration and ongoing demands of the 
nuts and bolts of teaching. Fostering relationships 
where teachers feel comfortable talking openly about 
concerns and struggles without being judged allows the 
literacy coach to better meet each teacher’s individual 
needs and create an ongoing support system. In order 
for the new teacher to accept feedback, they must feel 
valued and comfortable working collaboratively with 
instructional coaches. Building rapport and developing 
trusting relationships enhances the connection 
between the instructional coach and the new teacher. 
Fostering teachers’ personal, professional, and 
emotional well-being helps teachers feel appreciated 
and supported.

Meeting Individual Needs
Like the diverse students in our classrooms, the 
type of support teachers need varies based on each 
individual teacher. Stover, Kissel, Haag, and Shoniker 
(2011) discuss the importance of differentiating support 
offered by literacy coaches based on the individual 
needs of teachers. This is particularly relevant to 
the support of novice teachers. Some new teachers 
need development of classroom management skills 
while others need strategies to meet the needs of 
struggling learners. By meeting with new teachers on 
an individual and regular basis, the literacy coach can 
create a safe setting where the teacher will more likely 
share questions and challenges allowing the coach to 
better meet his/her individual needs.

Teachers and their students benefit from the 
leadership of literacy coaches. Teachers can improve 
their instructional practice by including higher-level 
thinking questions, actively engaging students, and 
differentiated instruction (Bean, Belcastro, Hathaway, 
Risko, Rosemary, & Roskos, 2008). Through 
collaborative partnerships between the teacher and 
the literacy coach, opportunities for focused self-



GEORGIA JOURNAL OF READING 11 VOLUME 37, NUMBER 1   2014

reflection and reflective professional development 
can lead to enhanced instructional decisions and 
improved student achievement (Stover et al., 2011; 
Taylor, Pearson, Peterson, & Rodriguez, 2005). It 
is critical that teachers are reflective practitioners in 
order to navigate the complex field of teaching in an 
era of policy mandates and teacher accountability 
(Moore & Whitfield, 2008). With the leadership of a 
literacy coach, new teachers no longer have to feel 
isolated within the four walls of their classroom.

Final Thoughts
With the ongoing support and leadership of a literacy 
coach, new teachers can become more adept at 
meeting the complex demands and challenges of 
teaching. Literacy coaching can fulfill a vital role in 
helping new teachers meet the demands of teaching 
without succumbing to the pressures associated 
with the profession. If new teachers such as the one 
mentioned in the opening vignette of this article are to 
conquer the world of high stakes testing and teacher 
accountability, they must be armed with the tools to 
accomplish this task. A literacy coach can provide 
the much needed leadership and support necessary 
for new teachers to meet the wide range of needs of 
students in their classrooms.

References
Alliance for Excellent Education (2004). Tapping the 

potential: Retaining and developing high-quality new 
teachers. Washington, DC. Retrieved  from http://
www.all4ed.org/publications/tappingthepotential/
tappingthepotential.pdf

Bean, R. M., Belcastro, B., Hathaway, J., Risko, V., 
Rosemary, C., & Roskos, K. (2008). A review of the 
research on instructional coaching. Paper presented 
at the American Educational Research Association 
Conference, New York.

Blamey, K., Albert, L., & Dorrell, B. (2008). C is for 
coach. What is it like to be an early childhood 
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wordpress.com/2008/10/c-is-for-coach.pdf

Brookings Institution. (2011). New assessments 
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Chen, L. (2012). Improving teachers’ teaching with 
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Chorzempa, B. (2011). Don’t get left behind! Improve 
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DeAngelis, K. (2012). The effects of turnover: What 
we know about teacher attrition. School Business 
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DeAngelis, K. J., & Presley, J. B. (2011). Toward 
a more nuanced understanding of new teacher 
attrition. Education and Urban Society, 43(5), 598-
626.

Henke, R., Chen, X., & Geis, S. (2000). Progress 
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graduates and elementary/secondary school 
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Henry, G., Thompson, C. L., Bastian, K. C., Fortner, 
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Ingersol, R. (2003). Is there really a teacher shortage? 
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reading_coach.pdf

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Moore, J., & Whitfield, V.F. (2008). Musing: A way to 
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Sterrett, W. L., & Imig, S. (2011). Thriving as a new 
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Stout, M., Jeffcoat, K., McSwain, G., Davis, M., 



GEORGIA JOURNAL OF READING 12 VOLUME 37, NUMBER 1   2014

Chauvin, R., & Throdore, K. (2010). Georgia’s  literacy 
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Curl up with
a good
 group

You live to read. You can hardly wait to get cozy in 
your favorite spot and crack the pages of a good 
book. You’re also an educator. Why not curl up with a 
good group, too? Membership in the Georgia Reading 
Association will connect you to others like you who 
inspire and teach others about reading.

Visit us at
www.georgiareading.org

The Georgia Reading Association is a membership organization whose mission 

is promoting literacy in Georgia. Services include annual conferences featuring special speakers 

and authors, professional publications, grants and scholarships, and involvement in special 

projects. College students and retirees are encouraged to join and receive membership at a 

reduced rate. So, from one reading enthusiast to another, we invite you to  

join the GRA and curl up with a good group.


