“I never thought about it that way.” Jan Knight hears that a lot as a literacy coach in Walnut Creek, Calif. As she models lessons, observes instruction, and coaches, Knight’s job is to help teachers re-evaluate how they’re teaching literacy and help them try new strategies. Districts investing in literacy coaches say Knight and other coaches are making a difference. Literacy coaches — classroom teachers who are released from teaching students to model lessons, observe classroom instruction, and coach teachers one-on-one or in grade-level groups — are a growing trend in the answer to a national call to focus on improving literacy, despite the fact that no current federal or California state funding is specifically designated to support coaches. In California, districts as large as