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Dare County Board of Education rolls out teaching-and-learning facilitators to boost literacy and teacher coaching
Summary
The board heard a district presentation on a new three-tiered teaching-and-learning facilitator structure aimed at improving early-literacy instruction through coaching cycles and the Walk to Read framework; the district is pursuing grant funding to sustain the positions.
Dare County Schools on Aug. 12 presented a new districtwide teaching-and-learning facilitator program designed to give teachers ongoing, in-school coaching and to expand a summer "Walk to Read" literacy model into the regular school year.
District presenters said the facilitator roles are scaffolded into three tiers to fit teacher needs: intensive supports for beginning teachers (BT1), targeted supports and opt-in coaching for more experienced teachers (BT2/3), and on-demand or PLC support for curriculum planning and short-term needs. The model centers on coaching cycles—"identify, learn, improve"—that teams use to diagnose instructional gaps, model strategies and practice improvements in a low-stakes setting before teachers return to full classrooms.
Officials said the approach incorporates research-based curricula and tools already used in summer programs, including Hegarty Phonics and UFLI, and aims to preserve gains made with prior ESSER-funded intervention positions. District staff told the board they have trained principals and facilitators together to create a common coaching language and accountability tools, including portfolio templates and coaching trackers tied to evaluation.
District staff said they are piloting the program this year and pursuing competitive grant funding (application due the week of the meeting; decisions expected by December) to support sustainability. Presenters emphasized that the roles are new to the district and will include ongoing professional learning so facilitators—who will be embedded across buildings—remain connected and accountable.
Board members welcomed the plan as a way to retain early-career teachers and improve instructional consistency. The presentation noted that the Walk to Read summer framework placed students into small skill groups for focused phonics instruction, and staff reported measurable reading gains from the summer pilot.
The district will return with implementation details and any funding updates as the grant process moves forward.
