Literacy Coaching in the Secondary Grades

Jade Wexler, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education at the University of Maryland. Her current research focuses on designing reading interventions to support adolescents with reading difficulties and disabilities in the content-area and supplemental intensive intervention settings. She also designs and evaluates professional development and schoolwide service-delivery models to support the implementation of evidence-based literacy practices in middle schools. Dr. Wexler has published over 45 articles focusing on adolescent literacy interventions. She is a former high school special education and reading teacher.

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Elizabeth Swanson, PhD, is Research Associate Professor at The University of Texas at Austin, and has served the field of education since the 1990s as a special education teacher, researcher, public speaker, and writer. Currently, she focuses on improving educational opportunities for struggling readers and students with disabilities. Dr. Swanson has worked closely with teachers to co-create and test the effects of multiple sets of instructional practices focused on infusing the content areas with vocabulary and comprehension practices to improve outcomes for struggling readers. She has published more than 55 articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Alexandra Shelton, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Special Education at Johns Hopkins University. She focuses on professional development for middle school teachers aimed at improving literacy instruction and intervention for students with and at risk for reading disabilities. Dr. Shelton is the author of multiple publications related to secondary literacy instruction and intervention. A former high school special education teacher, she served students in general and special education settings in English language arts and science.