MLC Chair’s Initiative on Literacy: States are investing more in instructional coaches to improve student achievement

As part of broader initiatives to bolster reading scores and overall student achievement, states are increasingly investing in literacy coaches. Some recent examples from the Midwest:

• Ohio’s latest biennium budget (HB 96) includes $12 million a year for deploying these coaches to K-12 districts and schools where proficiency in English language arts (based on state assessments) is the lowest.
• In Wisconsin, a legislative agreement reached in June 2025 allowed for the launch of a new Early Literacy Coaching Program. With a $9 million appropriation, the Department of Public Instruction is placing trained literacy coaches in schools across the state. Statutory language (AB 321 of 2023) calls for one-half of these coaches to be assigned to schools with low levels of reading proficiency and high student achievement gaps.
• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is proposing to fund additional literacy coaches in Michigan, a state where this educational strategy has been increasingly used ever since a “Read by Third Grade” law was passed in 2016. Whitmer’s new budget calls for spending an additional $10.5 million on literacy coaches, which are employed by Michigan’s intermediate school districts. Her vision: Total state funding for literacy coaches reaches $52.5 million, enough to hire 420 coaches across the state’s 56 intermediate school districts. Less than a decade ago, Michigan had fewer than 100 coaches.

What is the role of instructional literacy coaches? How can they improve student achievement?

Casey Taylor, senior policy director of literacy at ExcelinEd, describes the coaches as individuals professionally trained in the science of reading and evidence-based instructional practices, as well as equipped with an understanding of state education standards and the principles of adult learning. They are then deployed to schools, collaborating with teachers inside and outside the classroom.

“If I invest in a literacy coach who works with a multitude of teachers, then I am improving practice in the core instruction of every student. And I should therefore be reducing the number of students who need intervention.” — Casey Taylor, senior policy director of literacy, ExcelinEd

“We perceive instructional literacy coaching to be a job-embedded approach to professional learning,” Taylor says. “So coaches spend time in classrooms working with teachers. They may at times work with students to model for a teacher. They might co-teach. They also might observe a teacher and provide feedback and reflective conversation. They might use data to guide conversations.”

‘Core instruction’ improves

In the Midwest, Taylor says, Ohio has one of the longest-running investments in literacy coaches, while Indiana has perhaps the most extensive program in place — due to a mix of new state laws and a public-private partnership with the Lilly Endowment. That partnership has led to a $170 million investment in early literacy, with much of it centered on instructional coaching for early-grade elementary teachers.

The Indiana Literacy Cadre (a collaboration between the state and the University of Indianapolis) embeds instructional coaches in schools to help educators learn and use evidence-based practices. Indiana also is requiring (or will soon require) all instructional coaches, along with early-childhood, elementary and special-education teachers, to have an endorsement in early literacy.

Other state approaches to improving literacy include strengthening teacher preparation, requiring universal screenings to identify students at risk of falling behind, fostering parental involvement, and funding interventions and tutoring. All of these approaches have value, Taylor says, but part of the power of instructional coaching is how many young people it can reach.

“If I invest in interventionists, they impact only the students they work with in that school; if I invest in a literacy coach who works with a multitude of teachers, then I am improving practice in the core instruction of every student,” she notes. “And I should therefore be reducing the number of students who need intervention because I’ve got quality instruction happening for everyone.”

The state of Georgia explored the impacts of its recent use of full-time literacy coaches, which were placed in 60 high-need elementary schools across the state during the 2024-’25 school year. The result: a 15 percent improvement in student reading after one year of implementation, with the strongest gains occurring in kindergarten.

“Literacy in Action” is the 2026 Midwestern Legislative Conference Chair’s Initiative of Minnesota Sen. Mary Kunesh. In support of this initiative, CSG Midwest is developing a series of articles, policy resources and programming for legislators.