ECPS School-Based Literacy Coaching Program Phase I Evaluation Report
Executive Summary
The Edgecombe County Public Schools (ECPS) School-Based Literacy Coaching Program (the Program) is a key component of the district’s broader literacy initiative, Building Science of Reading Capacity in Edgecombe County. This initiative aims to ensure all ECPS students achieve reading proficiency by the third grade, with a particular focus on addressing achievement gaps among historically underserved populations.
An effort to extend and amplify North Carolina’s statewide investment in the Science of Reading, the Program is designed to enhance teacher professional development and improve early reading instruction via a highly qualified literacy coach embedded in participating district elementary schools. The program features a comprehensive approach, incorporating professional development, evidence-based literacy curricula and family engagement, all underpinned by ongoing data analysis to drive instructional decision-making toward improved K-5 student literacy achievement outcomes.
2025 Phase I Evaluation Report
Key Findings
The findings summarized below are organized by evaluation question (EQ) and highlight the contextual factors, including pre-existing conditions and interventions; program resources; and the programmatic theory of change, including program goals, objectives and resource allocation that are shaping the Program. These findings emerged from qualitative data sources, including a logic modeling survey and facilitative sessions, transcripts from interviews and focus groups, and program documentation. ECPS district and school personnel as well as parents and caregivers of students at participating elementary schools shared their insights via these data sources.
EQ1. What are the contextual factors influencing the implementation of the Program?
Literacy champions across the district and broader Edgecombe County community have a shared desire for improving literacy outcomes for ECPS students. The Program capitalizes on state-wide momentum for evidence-based literacy learning in service of strengthening Tier 1 instruction to raise student reading proficiency scores in participating district elementary schools. District and school leaders, literacy coaches, teachers, parents and caregivers, funders and education and workforce development partners have expressed their support for the district’s broader literacy learning initiative.
Ongoing support is needed for teachers to deliver high-quality early literacy instruction. The Program provides crucial ongoing support to teachers by addressing varying levels of teacher expertise and responding to persistent student literacy challenges. Literacy coaches tailor their support with teachers, focusing on data-driven instruction, continuous professional growth and evidence-based literacy instructional practices. Teachers, literacy coaches and school administrators reported that literacy coach support helps teachers improve their literacy instructional practices and better address the evolving needs of students.
EQ1a. What pre-existing conditions and interventions may affect the program’s success?
The success of the Program may be affected by interrelated district programs, evolving literacy curriculum programs, staffing challenges and funding sustainability. The Program operates synergistically with other district initiatives, such as Advanced Teaching Roles, literacy tutoring and early learning (PreK). Additionally, ECPS school-level personnel have closely linked the Program’s identity to the rollout of the 95 Phonics Core Program®. Challenges like high teacher turnover and funding constraints may also impact the Program’s success. While ECPS personnel shared concerns over long-term financial support, they also expressed optimism that demonstrating the Program’s effectiveness will help secure future funding.
EQ2. What resources (financial, human, technological) are available to support the Program?
The Program is supported by a variety of financial, human and technological/material resources. The Program is supported by multiple funding sources, including federal, state and private funds, which support staffing, materials and training. Human resources, particularly the school-based literacy coaches themselves, play a central role in providing instructional support and strengthening teachers’ understanding and implementation of evidence-based literacy practices. In terms of technology and materials, the program leverages physical and digital resources available through the 95 Phonics Core Program® to enhance both teacher training and student learning.
EQ3. What is the Program’s theory of change?
ECPS developed a “living” logic model to guide the theory of change for the Program (See Appendix C in the report). The logic model was created through collaboration with district leadership, school personnel and the FI evaluation team, using interviews, surveys and direct questioning to identify the necessary resources, activities and outcomes for successful program implementation. This model is designed to help ECPS refine and sustain their literacy coaching programmatic eforts over time.
EQ3a. What are the goals and objectives of the program, and to what extent are they clearly articulated and achievable?
The goals and objectives of the Program are focused on improving teacher literacy instruction, enhancing student engagement and foundational literacy skills, fostering a collaborative school and district culture, demonstrating instructional leadership via school-based literacy coaches and increasing parent and community engagement. These goals are designed to strengthen teachers’ understanding of literacy practices, boost student proficiency in reading, create a culture of literacy learning within the district and improve communication with families. District leaders noted that teacher retention may be indirectly impacted by the Program, but it is not an explicit goal due to the many factors that influence teacher attrition.
The goals and objectives of the Program are generally well articulated at the district level but are less consistently communicated and understood at the school level. While district leaders have clearly defined and attainable goals for literacy instruction and community engagement vis-à-vis the Program, school-level personnel often focus more narrowly on specific literacy skills, such as phonics, or the implementation of a specific literacy curricular program. Despite this disconnect, many school staff feel confident that the goals for improving student literacy via the Program are achievable, provided there is enough time for implementation.
EQ3b. How sufficient are the resources allocated to the program, including funding, personnel and materials?
The resources allocated to the Program are generally sufficient with strong support from school-based literacy coaches. Teachers and school administrators highlighted that having a dedicated literacy coach and access to data-driven insights were key assets for supporting student and teacher growth in literacy learning and instruction, respectively. However, some teachers noted gaps in certain physical and digital resources, like the accessibility of online platforms and materials, and stressed the importance of sufficient time to effectively implement specific literacy curricular programs.
Recommendations
The findings from the Phase I evaluation of ECPS’s School-Based Literacy Coaching Program focus primarily on program implementation. Based on the aforementioned findings, recommendations include clarifying the literacy coach’s role, developing a family and community engagement plan, creating a plan for securing sustainable funding and conducting future evaluations to assess the program’s impact on student literacy and teacher efficacy. The following recommendations are interconnected and aim to address both current challenges and future evaluation needs:
- Clarify the role and responsibilities of the literacy coach. Reframe the literacy coach’s role to focus on supporting teachers’ professional learning in high-quality, evidence-based literacy practices, beyond just implementing the 95 Phonics Core Program®. Ensure clear communication with all stakeholders, including teachers, students and parents, and define a specific grade-level focus for literacy coaches (e.g., K-2 or K-5).
- Establish goals and develop an action plan for family and community engagement. Develop annual goals and action plans focused on increasing family and community engagement in literacy. This may include sharing resources like newsletters, apps and community events, such as Literacy Nights. Set measurable outcomes to help evaluate and strengthen home-school connections for literacy learning.
- Create a prospectus for securing and maintaining program funding. Co-create, with district and school leaders, a prospectus for securing funding to scale and sustain the Program across ECPS elementary schools. This serves as an actionable step toward ensuring the Program’s sustainability in alignment with the district’s goal of improving third-grade reading proficiency.
- Engage in ongoing evaluation to assess program impact. Conduct future evaluations to assess the Program’s impact on student literacy outcomes and teacher instructional efficacy. Future evaluations should gather comprehensive data, including student achievement scores, teacher and coach observational data, and parent and community engagement surveys, and consider examining the broader district literacy learning initiative to analyze the Program’s effectiveness in relation to other literacy learning programs in the district.
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