N SCHOOLS ACROSS the country, there is increased emphasis on coaching-a process whereby seasoned teachers provide instructional support, professional development opportunities, feedback, and materials to classroom teachers-as a central means to improve instruction and build the capacity of school staff members. Currently, a number of districts with low-performing schools have adopted coaching as a vehicle for the professional development of their teachers, a step that theoretically will translate into improved student performance and achievement. While the rationale for bringing a coach into these schools is rooted in research on creating effective professional development environments for teachers-i.e., providing ongoing supports and forming a community of practice focused on instructional methods, curricular components, and new formats for instructional delivery-there is more to a coaching model than meets the eye. After a year of researching coaching as a vehicle for professional development in the context of a comprehensive school reform model, we found that the coach/teacher relationship is more complicated than expected. We examined coaching as a professional development tool on two fronts: the in-class support that coaches provide to individual teachers and the group-focused professional development activities that coaches lead. Group-focused activities include all-staff meetings, teacher meetings, and study groups. Both the individual and group approaches seek to help teachers effectively implement new instructional formats and practices in their classrooms. In this article, we will share the overarching themes and nuanced insights we identified in
This paper examines how high‐stakes, standardized testing shapes language and literacy instruction for emergent bilingual students in a public high school on the U.S./Mexico border. Drawing from discourses of citizenship education and language and literacy theory and scholarship, this paper finds state‐mandated exit exams overwhelming guide instruction and shape language and literacy education in ways that are antithetical to critical and participatory citizenship.
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