Secondary Literacy Coaches as Critical Agents of Change

The author examines how four secondary literacy coaches both initiated and interacted with change over an 18-month period of time within one school district. A critically oriented approach to leadership and literacy was utilized in order to understand what it means for coaches to function as critical agents of change within their buildings and districts. Critical epistemologies are grounded within the assumption that existing structures, policies and discourses privilege some students and marginalize others, particularly students of color and students coming from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Subsequently, this study explores the ways that coaches can promote change that supports students who have traditionally been marginalized within the institution of school.;Two layers of analysis were applied to the data within this study. Ethnographic methods of data collection and analysis enabled the author to identify common beliefs and actions that the coaches demonstrated; these beliefs and actions reflect a critical consciousness that the coaches brought to their roles. In addition, the application of critical discourse analysis to one critical incident in the data, a conversation about a proposed district reform, allowed the author to explore the discursive strategies the coaches used to advocate for critical change at the district level. Implications for practicing coaches, the preparation of literacy coaches, and districts that implement coaching roles are discussed. Because she was one of the participants within this study, the author also addresses the affordances and constraints associated with being a participant-researcher.