Lindsay Clare Matsumura

Reading comprehension is critical to academic success, employment in the modern workplace, and to lifelong learning. Large numbers of students, however, are unable to read beyond a basic level of understanding. Recent studies indicate that comprehensive literacy-coaching interventions that combine formal learning opportunities for teachers (e.g., coursework) with individual coaching to support teachers' implementation of new instructional strategies can successfully increase the quality of ...

Results of national assessments show that a large percentage of students in the United States do not advance beyond basic levels of reading comprehension, and this is especially the case for minoritized students, English learners (ELs), and students living in poverty who are consistently and disproportionately represented within the lowest levels of reading achievement. The purpose of this project is to test the efficacy, implementation, and cost-effectiveness of a web-based professional dev...

In this project, the research team planned to study a structured coaching program designed to improve reading comprehension instruction in the upper elementary grades. At the time of this study, findings showed that 69 percent of fourth graders scored below a proficient level in reading and 36 percent in the below-basic category. In response, some school districts hired "instructional coaches," but there was no agreed upon definition of coaches, so performance varied widely.