Effective Literacy Coach
Build your literacy coaching expertise.
In this 10-day training designed for literacy coaches, instructional leaders, teacher leaders, and administrators, learn how to better understand your role and how to coach teachers at your school.
- Literacy Coaches & Teacher Leaders
- District & School Leaders
- Includes professional texts and materials
- Literacy Collaborative Affiliation Discount available
This 10-day training that takes place over four months is for literacy coaches and instructional leaders who want to better understand their role in schools. We’ll support you as you gain expertise in supporting teachers in achieving equitable student outcomes in literacy.
Develop your partnership with school administrators to support teachers. Gain techniques to help develop coaching sessions for teachers and monitor progress over time. We’ll discuss how to use language with teachers that promotes trust and learning. Also, you’ll learn how to create a healthy, professional learning community in your school.
Course Outcomes
- Identify the critical attributes of a healthy, professional learning community for adult learners and how to build it in your school
- Examine the coach-administrator partnership in supporting teacher development
- Design an effective coaching session with a teacher: pre-lesson conference, classroom visit, post-conference/coaching session
- Employ generative coaching to support teacher independence
- Learn how to use language that opens conversation and promotes trust as well as the analysis of teaching and its effects on learning
- Use observational tools to sharpen the analysis of the teaching of reading and writing
- Discover methods of organizing effective ongoing note-taking by setting up coaching notebooks and monitoring teacher development over time
- Select particular kinds of coaching to meet the needs of specific teachers: intervention, collaborative, and cluster coaching as well as individual coaching
- Link coaching sessions to professional development to get a shift in teaching
- Analyze your coaching conversations with colleagues before and after a lesson to get immediate and thoughtful feedback
- Examine the use of a variety of technological tools to enhance literacy coaching and support the professional learning of teachers in virtual and face-to-face contexts
You’ll earn 60 professional development hours upon completion of this training, or you may enroll for 3 or 6 graduate credits.
Cynthia Downend, Assistant Director, Literacy Programs
Cynthia Downend has worked at the Center for Reading Recovery and Literacy Collaborative for over 10 years, serving in the roles of primary level literacy trainer and currently as the assistant director for primary literacy programs.
Cynthia has worked with many school districts across the United States to train and develop district level literacy staff developers, literacy coaches, classroom teachers, literacy interventionists and school administrators on a variety of topics related to improving literacy instruction.
Prior to her work at Lesley University, Cynthia held positions as a literacy coach, Reading Recovery teacher, and classroom teacher for over 20 years working in a variety of school settings including urban, suburban, and international schools.
Cynthia holds licenses in both elementary education and school administration, and achieved National Board Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Linda Murphy, Literacy Trainer
Linda has worked in school districts in New York in a variety of roles and settings. Prior to her joining the center at Lesley University, Linda held positions as a principal of an intermediate school, a Director of English Language Arts, Social Studies and Reading, a district trainer for Literacy Collaborative Intermediate, a Reading Recovery Teacher Leader and a classroom teacher. Linda holds licenses in Elementary Education and School District Administration.
Cancellation Deadline & Refund Policies
Non-credit
You must cancel in writing two weeks before the start of the course to get a refund, minus a $50 processing fee. Email CRRLC@lesley.edu to cancel. If you are unable to attend, you may send a substitute at any time. Regardless of weather conditions, if the event is held but you cannot attend, you will be billed for the full amount.
Graduate Credit
Review the university’s cancellation and refund policies for credit bearing courses.
Registration Deadline & Shipping Policies
The registration portal closes two business days before the first day of training to allow the minimum amount of time to ship training materials.
If you register within two weeks before the registration portal closes, you may incur additional fees for expedited shipping. You may still experience delays in receiving your materials.
Requirements for Participation
After the training, you will receive a certificate of attendance for your participation. To receive a complete certificate, participation during the specified times is required. Additional work may be assigned to meet the professional development hours.
Graduate Credit Option
With additional assignments and fees, this course can be taken for 3 or 6 graduate credits. Contact CRRLC@lesley.edu to register for credit.
- 3 graduate credit option: $5,490 ($3,500 + $650/credit + $40 registration fee)
- 6 graduate credit option: $7,440 ($3,500 + $650/credit + $40 registration fee)
- Course number: EEDUC 6159.30
With Your Colleagues Option
We can deliver the Effective Literacy Coach training to your school/district. This option can be delivered virtually or in-person for a group within your school/district (as COVID-19 social distancing guidelines allow).
Fees & Policies
- Fees are determined by the number of participants and the duration of training.
- If applicable, travel expenses for each trainer (airfare, hotel, meals, and rental car) are an additional cost to be paid by the district.
- Professional development sessions that require extensive travel or overnight stays (if applicable) may incur an additional surcharge.
- If the number of participants exceeds the maximum, another trainer may be needed. This will increase training costs and travel expenses.
- Unless otherwise noted, fees do not include the cost of any required books or materials. The faculty trainer will consult with the district to select books based on the topics and the district’s needs.
- School districts in the same geographic area participating in the same training may combine their resources to meet participant minimums. Payment must be on one district’s purchase order.
For detailed costs, complete our online form to request this training for your school/district and we will contact you.
Interested in professional learning at your school or district? Schedule a meeting with one of our faculty trainers.
“The networking with other experts has been very helpful. I found [the faculty’s] facilitation and presentations very strong and applicable to my current role.”
Stephen Metzger, Literacy Specialist,
Erie 2 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES, NY
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