This study explored the use of coaching as a way to bring research-based teaching practices into general education classrooms to improve the quality of reading instruction provided to students with learning disabilities. Project staff trained and mentored district special educators on the process of coaching. Qualitative research methodology was used to analyze the process of expert consultation and to better understand the process of change. Key issues that emerged included differences in the ways that special and general educators conceptualize teaching, the differing concerns and priorities between special and general educators, and the anxieties inherent in an observation and feedback process.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BallD. L. (1990). Reflections and deflections of policy: The case of Carol Turner. Educational Evaluation and Policy, 12, 247–249.
2.
BeckI. L.McKeownM. G., & McCaslinE. S. (1983). Vocabulary development: All contexts are not created equal. Elementary School Journal, 83(3), 177–181.
3.
BrophyJ., & GoodT. L. (1986). Teacher behavior and student achievement. In WittrockM. (Ed.), The third handbook of research on teaching (pp. 328–375). New York: Macmillan.
4.
CarnineD.SilbertJ., & KameenuiE. (1989). Direct instruction reading. Columbus, OH: Charles Merrill.
5.
CarterK., & RichardsonV. (1989). A curriculum for an initial-year-of-teaching program. Elementary School Journal, 89(4), 405–420.
6.
CrandallD. P., and Associates. (1982). People, policies, and practices: Examining the chain of school improvement (Vols. 1–10). Andover, MA: The NETWORK.
7.
CruickshankD. R. (1985). Use and benefits of reflective teaching. Phi Delta Kappan, 66, 704–706.
8.
DiminoJ.GerstenR.CarnineD., & BlakeG. (1990). Story grammar: An approach for promoting at-risk secondary students' comprehension of literature. The Elementary School Journal, 91(1), 19–32.
9.
DuffyG. G. (1994). Professional development schools and the disempowerment of teachers and professors. Phi Delta Kappan, 75(8), 596–600.
10.
FuchsD. (1993, April). Politics, myth making, research and collaborative consultation. Paper presented at The Council for Exceptional Children Annual Convention, San Antonio, TX.
11.
FuchsD., & FuchsL. (1992). Limitations of a feel-good approach to consultation. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 3(2), 93–97.
12.
FullanM. (1991). The new meaning of educational change. New York: Teachers College Press.
13.
FullanM., & MilesM. (1992). Getting reform right: What works and what doesn't. Phi Delta Kappan, 73(10), 745–752.
14.
GarciaG.PearsonP.JiménezR. (1994). The at risk dilemma: A synthesis of the reading literature (Special Report). Urbana-Champaign: University of Illinois, Center for the Study of Reading.
15.
GerstenR.CarnineD.ZorefL., & CroninD. (1986). A multifaceted study of change in seven inner city schools. Elementary School Journal, 56(3), 257–276.
16.
GerstenR.DarchC.DavisG., & GeorgeN. (1991). Apprenticeship and intensive training of consulting teachers: A naturalistic study. Exceptional Children, 57, 226–237.
17.
GerstenR., & WoodwardJ. (1990). Rethinking the regular education initiative: Focus on the classroom teacher. Remedial and Special Education, 11(3), 7–16.
18.
GerstenR., & WoodwardJ. (1992). The quest to translate research into classroom practice: Strategies for assisting classroom teachers' work with “at risk” students and students with disabilities. In CarnineD. & KameenuiE. (Eds.), Higher cognitive functioning for all students (pp. 201–218). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
19.
GlangA.GerstenR., & MorvantM. (1994). A directive approach toward the consultation process: A case study. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 9(4), 225–233.
20.
GlaserB. G., & StraussA. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Chicago: Aldine.
21.
GoodT. L. (1986, April). Training elementary teachers to implement effective teaching practices in mathematics. Report presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco.
22.
GuskeyT. (1986). Staff development and the process of teacher change. Educational Researcher, 15, 5–12.
23.
HardisonO. B.Jr. (1989). Disappearing through the skylight. New York: Viking.
24.
HawleyW. (1991). Toward a “revision” of education for teaching. Education Week, 10, 36.
25.
HollyP. (1991). Action research: The missing link in the creation of schools as centers of inquiry. In LiebermanA. & MillerL. (Eds.), Staff development for education in the ‘90s (2nd ed., pp. 133–157). New York: Teachers College Press.
26.
IdolL., & CrollV. (1987). Story-mapping training as a means of improving reading comprehension. Learning Disability Quarterly, 10, 214–229.
27.
Idol-MaestasL., & RitterS. (1985). A follow-up study of resource/consulting teachers. Teacher Education and Special Education, 8(3), 121–131.
28.
JenkinsJ., & LeicesterN. (1992). Specialized instruction within general education: A case study of one elementary school. Exceptional Children, 58(6), 555–563.
29.
KameenuiE. J.CarnineD. W., & DixonR., (Eds.). (in press). Effective teaching strategies that accommodate diverse learners. Columbus, OH: Charles Merrill.
30.
KauffmanJ. M. (1993). How we might achieve the radical reform of special education. Exceptional Children, 60(1), 6–16.
31.
KennedyM. M. (1991). Following through on follow through. In RampE. A. & PedersonC. S. (Eds.), Follow through: Program and policy issues (pp. 57–71). Washington, DC: Office of Education Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education.
32.
LarriveeB. (1992). Strategies for effective classroom management: Creating a collaborative climate. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
33.
LittleJ. W. (1987). Teachers as colleagues. In KoehlerV. (Ed.), Educator's handbook: A research perspective. (pp. 491–518). New York: Richardson-Koehler.
34.
MastropieriM. A.BakkenJ. P.ScruggsT. E., & WhedonC. K. (1995, April). The effectiveness of strategy training on reading comprehension of students with learning disabilities: A research synthesis. Paper presented at the annual conference of AERA, San Francisco, CA.
35.
McDonaldJ. P. (1989). When outsiders try to change schools from the inside. Phi Delta Kappan, 71(3), 206–212.
36.
McLaughlinM. (1990). The Rand Change Agent Study revisited: Macro perspectives and micro realities. Educational Research, 19(9), 11–16.
37.
MilesM. B., & HubermanA. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: A sourcebook of new methods. (2nd ed.). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
38.
MorvantM. (1984). The role of resource teachers in the elementary schools: Models and realities. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Oregon, College of Education, Eugene.
39.
NolanJ.VenderL.AndrusisianK., & CorkillC. (1992, April). Transforming supervision into self-directed professional development. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, New Orleans.
40.
O'ConnorR.JenkinsJ.LeicesterN., & SlocumT. (1993). Teaching phonological awareness to young children with learning disabilities. Exceptional Children, 59(6), 532–546.
41.
PalincsarA. S., & KlenkL. (1992). Fostering literacy learning in supportive contexts. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 25(4), 211–225, 229.
42.
RichardsonV. (1990). Significant and worthwhile change in teaching practice. Educational Researcher, 19(7), 10–18.
43.
RichardsonV. (1994). Conducting research on practice. Educational Researcher, 23(5), 5–10.
44.
RosenholtzS. J. (1989). Workplace conditions that affect teacher quality and commitment: Implications for teacher induction programs. Elementary School Journal89, 421–439.
45.
RousseauM. K.TarnB. K. Y., & RamnarainR. (1993). Increasing reading proficiency of language-minority students with speech and language impairments. Education and Treatment of Children, 16(3), 254–271.
46.
SchummJ. S., & VaughnS. (in press). Getting ready for inclusion: Is the stage set?Learning Disabilities Research and Practice.
47.
SimmonsD. C.FuchsL.FuchsD., & MathesP. (1995). Effects of explicit teaching and peer tutoring on the reading achievement of learning disabled and low-performing students in general education. Elementary School Journal, 95(5), 387–408.
48.
SparksG. M. (1988). Teachers' attitudes toward change and subsequent improvements in classroom teaching. Journal of Educational Psychology, 80(1), 111–117.
49.
Sparks-LangerG. M., & ColtonA. B. (1991). Synthesis of research on teachers' reflective thinking. Educational Leadership, 48(6), 37–44.
50.
SprickR. (1981). The solution book. Chicago: Science Research Associates.
