Building Teacher Confidence and Practice in Older Students’ Foundational Literacy: Asynchronous Online Professional Learning Findings

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Abstract

This mixed methods study examines the Improving Reading for Older Students (IROS) online course’s impact on educator confidence in and practice of foundational reading instruction as well as its educator learning experience. IROS aims to equip educators with research-based knowledge and practical strategies to more equitably support students grades 4–12 who read below grade level, especially multilingual learners and those historically underserved by traditional schooling. We find statistically significant growth in self-reported educator confidence across all literacy instruction indicators surveyed. Educators also shared rich reflections highlighting 1) their deepened understanding of literacy foundations and 2) strategies to implement in their own work. Further, the course also met the learning needs of diverse educators across geographic, role, and experience contexts.

Authors

• Claire E. Delcourt, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Diana Cordova-Cobo, Student Achievement Partners