Indiana Regional Literacy Coaching Specialist

Location - Indiana; regionally based with regular travel to assigned schools

AIM Institute for Learning & Research is partnering with the Indiana Department of Education to support a statewide K–8 literacy coaching initiative designed to strengthen educator capacity and improve implementation of evidence-based literacy instruction. The initiative may serve up to 75 participating schools. School-based instructional literacy coaches are employed by participating school corporations, while AIM Regional Coaches provide the sustained coaching, professional learning, oversight, feedback, and regional support that help translate evidence into practice.

The Indiana Regional Literacy Coaching Specialist provides direct, job-embedded coaching and professional learning to school-based instructional literacy coaches participating in the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) Literacy Coaching K–8 initiative. The role helps coaches translate the Science of Reading and structured literacy into high-quality classroom practice, strengthens coaching quality and fidelity, and builds sustainable school-level capacity. Each Regional Coach is assigned to a geographic area and supports an anticipated caseload of approximately 10 instructional literacy coaches through regular on-site engagement, frequent communication, actionable feedback, and data-informed problem-solving.

This is a highly field-based role. Regional Coaches build trusted partnerships with instructional coaches and school leaders while maintaining the documentation, communication, and implementation discipline required for a statewide initiative.

• Provide direct coaching, supervision, and ongoing support to an assigned portfolio of school-based instructional literacy coaches.
• Conduct at least one on-site visit each month during the school year with every assigned instructional literacy coach.
• Maintain multiple touchpoints each week with assigned coaches through virtual meetings, email, phone, or in-person support based on need.
• During monthly site visits, meet with the instructional literacy coach and a building-level administrator to review implementation progress, coaching priorities, barriers, and next steps.
• Build trusting, growth-oriented relationships while maintaining clear expectations for coaching quality, implementation fidelity, and follow-through.
• Identify emerging concerns related to coach performance, school conditions, implementation barriers, or urgent needs and follow established escalation protocols.

• Support onboarding and orientation of instructional literacy coaches and deliver ongoing professional learning aligned to the Science of Reading.
• Use approved professional learning resources, including sequenced Excelin Ed Fundamentals of Literacy Coaching modules and AIM coaching tools, to support coach development.
• Guide coaches in structured coaching cycles that include goal setting, co-planning, modeling, observation, feedback, reflection, and follow-up.
• Model evidence-based literacy instruction, co-teach when appropriate, observe coaching and classroom implementation, and provide clear, actionable feedback.
• Help coaches use student, instructional, and implementation data to identify needs, select priorities, monitor progress, and adjust support.
• Differentiate coaching and professional learning based on coach experience, school context, educator needs, and implementation data while maintaining fidelity to program expectations.
• Complete accurate documentation of site visits, coaching interactions, implementation observations, progress, and next steps.
• Prepare a written summary after every on-site visit for submission to IDOE within one week, using the approved format and discussion points.
• Provide and document standardized monthly feedback to each assigned instructional literacy coach and maintain records of key interactions with school leaders.
• Monitor coaching effectiveness and implementation fidelity using approved observation, feedback, and data tools.
• Contribute field-based evidence, trends, risks, and…