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LITERACY SPECIALISTS

Literacy Specialists

The phrase “literacy specialist” is a catch-all term for two important roles within schools

today: reading specialists and reading coaches. Reading specialists and reading coaches are the

backbone of literacy programs in schools today. These two roles are known to wear “many hats”

in the literacy field, as it seems there is always a job to be done.

Historical Roles of Literacy Specialists

According to Bean and Goatley, specialists began making their way into schools in the

1930s, when “they functioned as supervisors who worked with teachers to improve the reading

program” (Bean & Goatley, 2021, p.4). Not too long after, specialists were used as remedial

workers for those experiencing reading difficulties. The main role of these specialists was to

“work with individuals or small groups of children who were experiencing difficulty in learning

to read” (Bean & Goatley, 2021). Sounds familiar, right? This is what most people insinuate the

reading specialists still do to this day. However, the role continued to change.

Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act provided funding for

economically deprived students to receive support. This allowed more roles to be filled, which

eventually developed the “pull-out” programs that we have heard of today. Obviously, there

were many issues with this program, as Bean and Goatley state that some teachers assumed that

“reading specialists had sole responsibility for teaching these students to read” (Bean & Goatley,

2021, p.5). Also, some reading specialists were not as qualified or didn’t communicate well with

the classroom teachers.

There were also acts that suggested specialists should work alongside teachers inside of

the classroom to provide support. Other policies pushed for more qualifications of understanding

how reading works, alongside the response to intervention (RTI) initiative. Another “hat” was
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added on to reading specialists, as they became known as ones who also wrote “Tier 2” plans for

students. Standardized tests also played a role in molding who literacy specialists are today, as

they became the ones who worked alongside teachers to create specialized instruction to work

alongside those tests.

Today, there are two main roles: reading specialists and reading coaches. Reading

specialists mainly work with students, while reading coaches work with teachers. Reading

specialists are there to make lessons specialized for students and carry out those plans with them,

whether it’s individualized or small groups. Literacy coaches work alongside teachers and

relaying that information to the school system, while spending minimal time with students.

However, there is opportunity to overlap these roles into one. After all, literacy specialists wear

many “hats”!

Personal Reflection

Overall, the idea of being a literacy specialist can be somewhat overwhelming with all of

the responsibilities that come along. I think it’s interesting to see how the history of literacy

specialists has evolved and changed the responsibilities over time. I believe that there are some

roles of a specialist that I would find daunting, but there are also some that excite me!

For example, in our Module 2 work, we looked at “Voices from the Field”. We worked

together in our groups to discuss the differences in cases from different reading specialists and

leaders. In one of the cases, there was a reading specialist that listed off all of the things that he

did for his school system. As a person that can get overwhelmed easily, I feel that it can be hard

to take on so many responsibilities. From working with teachers, working with students,

performing assessments, and maintaining contact with other school officials, I feel like it seems

that it would be hard to leave work with everything on the “to-do list” checked off. I believe that
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would be the hardest thing for me, but with practice, it would come with time! Another issue is

that being a leader is also demanding as well. As a leader, you need to know when and when not

to do certain things. Also, being a leader means being in contact with people that don’t agree

with you. I think it will be challenging to work with those that have opposing views, but it will

be worth it in the end.

Even though it seems that being a reading specialist can be a challenging job, there are

some responsibilities that make me excited as well! My absolute favorite part about being a

specialist is the fact that I get to work with students. By working closely with the students, I am

able to track their progress and see how far they come after working with me. I believe that this

is by far my favorite responsibility, as I have a love for watching students succeed. Another

responsibility is working alongside other teachers. Even though collaboration can sometimes

cause issues, I love collaborating with others. I am looking forward to creating success for my

future students and working alongside others as a team!

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References

Bean, R. M., & Goatley, V. J. (2021). The literacy specialist: leadership and coaching for the
classroom, school, and community. The Guilford Press.

Parlier, T. Module 2: Voices From The Field.

https://canvas.longwood.edu/courses/1300950/assignments/5262580?
module_item_id=12870476.