Each year, educators with a variety of roles and titles turn to Literacy Collaborative for training. The program’s foundations are rooted in evidence and work to support school improvement to reach high literacy outcomes for each child.

Fostering a responsive literacy culture

Julie Frey's literacy coaching journey

Julie Frey, who works as a district wide literacy coach for Chillicothe City School District in Chillicothe, Ohio recently completed her yearlong training for intermediate grades.

The training involved intensive professional learning (230 hours) across 12-15 months and prepared her to implement the Literacy Collaborative Framework in her school or districtwide.

She also developed the capacity to train other teachers on-site at the building level through professional development and coaching.

Question: What made you want to become a literacy coach?

I attended some optional Literacy Collaborative trainings presented to us by our building coach, and I just fell in love with all things Literacy Collaborative! I then wanted other teachers to know about it.

Question: What did you enjoy most about the experience?

Oh gosh, there were so many things that I enjoyed about my first year of training. I loved going through this experience with my students. They knew I was training to be a coach, and I loved getting feedback from them.

I especially loved that, for the first time ever, I really felt like I knew where each student was performing at academically as far as their reading and writing skills.

It’s amazing how the Literacy Collaborative framework allows for so much individualization which helps to meet students’ needs through word study, guided reading groups, individual conferencing and so much more.

Finally, I loved that there was time for students to think deeply and share that deep thinking through conversations, writing responses, and sharing time.

I have many takeaways from my learning journey as a coach.

• Be kind.
• Be open.
• Be an active listener.
• Be a think partner.
• Learn how to 'read a room.'
• Most importantly — stay curious!

Question: What’s next for you?

I’m looking forward to working with teachers and students next year, and I also hope to get into the classroom to fine-tune what I learned this year.

In the meantime, I plan on doing some educational reading this summer to gear up for my second year which focuses on the coaching aspect. I can’t wait!