Current practices of elementary instructional coaches in a Northwest school district

This study examined the role of the literacy/instructional coach as perceived by the literacy/instructional coaches themselves. The study sought to reveal the current practices of literacy/instructional coaches in their efforts to support the work of classroom teachers. Currently, research in this area is extremely limited. The purpose of this study was to provide research to help literacy/instructional coaches define their roles and discover ways in which school districts can best support their work. The following research questions were examined in this study. 1. What are the perceived roles and responsibilities of literacy/instructional coaches? 2. What perceived challenges are faced by literacy/instructional coaches as they work with principals and classroom teachers? 3. How can these challenges be overcome? 4. What constitutes current practices for literacy/instructional coaches to be successful in their school districts?;This study was qualitative in nature and employed survey and research methods in order to obtain data surrounding role definition and current practices for literacy/instructional coaches. It was a case study, therefore not generalizable across other school districts. Literacy/instructional coaches from a school district in the Northwest region of the United States responded to a set of survey questions. Responses to these questions provided insight into possible themes surrounding varying perceptions of job description and roles of literacy/instructional coaches.;Survey responses for literacy/instructional coaches can be summarized as follows: the role of the literacy coach is to promote a school culture of collaborative support, constantly keeping the goal of student achievement in mind. This researcher believes that the literacy/instructional coach's role and teacher empowerment are important areas for future study. Focused research needs to be conducted surrounding the collaborative work of teacher leaders and literacy/instructional coaches with an emphasis on their influence on student achievement.;This study has attempted to show that school districts can promote a culture of continuous learning by clearly defining the role of the literacy/instructional coach, thus supporting their work with teachers in the continuous endeavor of raising student achievement.