Abstract of

The Expertise of Literacy Teachers: A Continuum From Preschool to Grade 5

Cathy Collins Block

Margaret Oakar

Nicholas Hurt

Research has demonstrated that teaching expertise makes a significant difference in the rate and depth of students' literacy growth, and that highly effective educators share similar characteristics (Block, 2001a; Bond & Dykstra, 1967/1997; International Reading Association, 2000; Pressley, Allington, Wharton-McDonald, Block, & Morrow, 2001; Ruddell, 1997). The National Reading Research Panel (NRRP, 1999) and IRA (2000) recommended that "educators seek out teachers who best exemplify solid teaching, support their work, and consider their successes" (NRRP, p. 20). The purpose of this study was to identify the qualities of teaching expertise that distinguished highly effective instruction at different grade levels. The study occurred in four phases. In Phase I, 647 directors of literacy instruction, in K–12 institutions from seven English-speaking countries, analyzed highly effective instruction in action from preschool to Grade 5 through case study point-by-point Delphi procedures. In Phase II, the resultant 1,294 characteristics of teaching expertise were dimensionalized into 475 categories and interrater reliabilities were computed. In Phase III, 11 prominent researchers from the U.S., Canada, and Australia cross-validated the data. In Phase IV, the authors summarized the five most distinctive qualities per grade level, compared characteristics across grades, and analyzed commonalities and differences between literacy directors' and researchers' rankings. Preschool to Grade 5 literacy teachers were distinguished from one another by 44 indices of teaching expertise. Applications of these data for research, policy, and practice were described.

Abstract from Block, C., Oakar, M., & Hurt, N. (2002). The Expertise of Literacy Teachers: A Continuum From Preschool to Grade 5. Reading Research Quarterly, 37(2), 178–206. doi: 10.1598/RRQ.37.2.4