The Specialized Literacy Professionals Special Interest Group (SIG) of the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) are conducting a survey to obtain information about the current roles and responsibilities of reading specialists/literacy coaches across the United States. The SIG invites current reading specialists and literacy coaches to complete the online survey by March 21, 2012, at the following URL: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L7XVFLR

The survey will take about 20 to 30 minutes to complete. It is not necessary to be a member of IRA or NCTE to complete the survey. Educators who provide a similar service as a reading specialist or literacy coach but who may not have those specific titles are encouraged to complete the survey.

The purpose for conducting this survey is to provide information to various stakeholders to assist with decision making, including: (a) institutions that prepare reading specialists/literacy coaches, (b) agencies and organizations (International Reading Association, National Council of Teachers of English, State Department of Education) that provide professional development for reading specialists/literacy coaches, (c) policy-makers and legislators, and (d) school districts that employ such professionals. They believe this information will also be helpful to individual reading specialists/literacy coaches who are seeking information about how others function in their schools and recent educational policies (e.g., RTI).

IRA will use the survey data to update the position statement on The Role of the Reading Specialist (2000) and The Reading Coach (2004).

The IRA Specialized Literacy Professionals SIG is chaired by Rita Bean, Professor Emerita, University of Pittsburgh, and Jack Cassidy, Professor Emeritus, Texas A & M, Corpus Christi.

International Literacy Association Position Statements

International Literacy Association Special Interest Groups

International Literacy Association Membership