Coaching in context: the role of relationships in the work of three literacy coaches

In the United States and internationally, instructional coaching has been implemented as a mechanism to increase professional capacity, and in so doing improve student achievement. However, instructional coaches often face resistance from the teachers with whom they work; a manifestation of the egalitarian, isolated culture of teaching in many schools. In this paper, we analyze the daily roles of literacy coaches in three schools in one urban US school district. We explore how coaches’ responsibilities are shaped by the everyday realities of their school contexts. Further, we discuss how coaches manage those realities through the relationships that they build. We found that building relationships and establishing rapport are the foremost concerns for literacy coaches in their first months on the job and continue to be central throughout their time as coaches. Implications for the design, implementation and evaluation of district literacy coaching initiatives are discussed.