Roles / Responsibility Essay 1

ROLES / RESPONSIBILITY ESSAY

Roles / Responsibility Essay

Brooke Harris

Longwood University
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Roles / Responsibility Essay

Historically, in the 1930s reading specialists worked with teachers to improve the reading

program. Eventually, reading specialists began working on remediation with struggling readers,

however, they were not permanently in all schools until after World War II but even then, they

were only to work with those students who were identified as economically deprived (The Role

of Literacy Professionals). When working with these students, the reading specialist had to use

the “pullout” program which eventually was found to lead to many issues such as confusion for

the struggling student who was receiving two literacy programs (one from the reading specialist

and one from their classroom teacher). There were also issues with complaints from classroom

teachers about too much disruption and a negative stigma amongst the classroom toward the

struggling student from their peers (The Role of Literacy Professionals).

Due to these issues, a new approach evolved that focused on collaboration with reading

specialists, classroom teachers, and special educators. Furthermore, reading specialists were now

permitted to work with any students that were struggling rather than just those of low-income

families. With this being said, a reading specialist, has evolved to a role known to be filled by

someone with interpersonal, leadership, and communication skills who is responsible for small

groups and whole class instruction for students having difficulty with reading or writing from

elementary through the secondary level. Once again, this role eventually evolved yet again to a

position that was responsible for also increasing teacher knowledge and each of their

understandings of reading instruction. Due to this additional responsibility another role emerged

to known as a reading coach.

A reading coach is in charge of leading professional development workshops, modeling

strategies or techniques for teachers, and conducting lessons all while advocating for their
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school’s literacy program. By the creation of this position, schools became increasingly more

capable of reducing the number of struggling students in need of immediate intervention thanks

to the ability of classroom teachers to now identify students so as to get them help earlier on in

their school experience. Moving forward, beliefs regarding assessment, instruction, data

collection, and data tracking continued to shift for both reading specialist and reading coaches,

thus shifting their roles as well.

I feel that the evolution of literary leader to where they are today was something that

greatly needed to happen within the education system and I feel as though I can look forward to

what the role of a literacy specialist has become and what the role will continue to evolve into in

the future. I feel that the collaboration of the reading specialists, classroom teachers, and special

educators is what is best for the success of struggling students as well as all students in general.

Small group and whole class instruction for students helps to remove any negative stigma and

provide for a more welcoming and comfortable learning environment for students just as school

should be.

My only concerns that remain as I work towards one day obtaining a role such as these are

the challenges that accompany being in charge of leading professional development workshops

and effectively modeling strategies or techniques for teachers in order to teach teachers that are

at my same level or perhaps in some cases even more experienced.

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References

Bean, R. (2021).  The literacy specialist:  Leadership and coaching for the classroom, school,

and community  (3rd ed.).   New York, NY:  Guilford Press.