Case Studies
Calcasieu Parish School Board
& Glean Education
Building Literacy Coaching Capacity
Overview
Calcasieu Parish School Board (CPSB) partnered with Glean Education to support the district with Literacy Specialist Support. The goal of this initiative was to build literacy coach capacity regarding awareness of research-based best practices for coaching and Structured Literacy instruction.
Background
In 2019, Louisiana was one of several states that received federal funding for the Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant. Louisiana awarded competitive grants to local education agencies (LEAs) to advance literacy skills, including pre-literacy skills, reading, and writing, for children from birth through grade 12, with a special emphasis on disadvantaged children, including children living in poverty, English learners, and children with disabilities. In the few first years of the grant, Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) teamed up with with the Center for Literacy & Learning (CLL). As the initiative grew, LDOE opened the vendor guide up to more organizations and in 2022, Glean Education became approved on the Literacy Specialist Vendor Guide to support Louisiana parishes with literacy coaching training and support.
Details
From 2022 to 2025, Calcasieu Parish partnered with Glean Education to receive our Structured Literacy Coaching™ training and coaching support for their robust literacy coaching staff who supported elementary through high school teachers. Coaches received monthly in-person training on research-based coaching practices and literacy instruction practices grounded in the Science of Reading. Literacy coaches also received monthly in-person coaching to support their coaching moves where they happen — in their schools and in real-time.
Impact
Calcasieu Parish’s partnership with Glean Education is yielding significant positive outcomes. When coaches were surveyed on their satisfaction after trainings, 96% of coaches reported increased confidence in literacy coaching from trainings and shared that Glean’s Structured Literacy Coaching™ positively impacted their practice. Importantly, the teachers receiving coaching from Calcasieu literacy coaches shared increased engagement and student literacy achievement after engaging with coaches using our model.
Partnership Components
- Monthly In-Person Training
- Monthly In-Person Coaching
- Quarterly School Leader Support Sessions
What they're saying...
“Having a coach enabled me to stay grounded and perceive coaching from a fresh perspective. I received tools and strategies that simplified the process of coaching others.”
– A. Andrus, Literacy Coach, Calcasieu Parish
“I honestly could not have grown as a literacy expert or a coach without Glean’s assistance. In all, Glean was a sanity savior.”
– A. Meiburg, Literacy Coach, Calcasieu Parish
“Glean has made this journey of coaching meaningful. They challenged me to be more productive and purposeful and have helped me tremendously.”
– K. Gibson, Literacy Coach, Calcasieu Parish