"What Am I Supposed to Do All Day?": Three Big Ideas for the Reading Coach

This article addresses a critical question for reading coaches: How should they spend their instructional time in schools? Three big ideas are presented: First, effective reading coaches focus their attention on a set of primary goals—the teachers to whom they are assigned, the reading instruction taking place, and the student learning in the classroom. They should not focus on administrative tasks or meetings. Second, effective reading coaches ensure that they are in classrooms every day. They should spend most of their time in classrooms rather than in their offices. Third, effective reading coaches establish themselves as individuals who can help teachers with reading instruction. They become part of the teaching and learning community in the school—not separate from it.