Maryland will hire more than 60 teacher-coaches to support classroom instructors, State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carey M. Wright announced on Monday.
That’s after more than $14.2 million in state funds were approved for instructional coaching in Maryland public schools.
“Coaching works as well for teachers as it does for athletes. Both teachers and athletes rely on practice, feedback and continuous improvement,” Wright said in a statement. “Whether on the sports field or in the classroom, a coach helps to refine your skills and strategies for optimal performance. When teachers have access to strong, high-quality, effective instructional coaching, students win.”
Wright is no stranger to the concept. As Mississippi’s longest-serving state superintendent, she is known as the architect of the “Mississippi Miracle,” which used coaching to identify areas in need of attention, train educators, and improve classroom performance.
During her nine-year term there from 2013 to 2022, Wright is credited with transforming Mississippi into a national leader in literacy instruction and outcomes.
Mississippi was 49th in the country on national tests in 2013. Now, the state is among the top 10 for fourth graders learning to read, The New York Times reported in January.
The Maryland State Department of Education piloted literacy coaching in Prince George’s County Public Schools earlier this year.
In January, PGCPS interim superintendent Dr. Shawn Joseph said teacher-coaching would create more equitable access to effective instruction.
“High-quality coaching is one of the most powerful levers we have to accelerate student achievement—especially in early literacy—while strengthening teachers’ practice and confidence,” Joseph said in a statement at the time. “By building coherence across classrooms and schools, we are ensuring every child in Prince George’s County has access to excellent, evidence-based instruction, no matter their zip code.”
The Maryland General Assembly established the statewide teacher-coaching program in 2025 to set “a gold standard for teacher support while addressing both student achievement and educator retention,” according to a news release.
The state’s education department will recruit, hire, train, and lead 61 teacher coaches, including 52 school-based literacy coaches, five regional literacy coaches, and four regional mathematics coaches who will support local school systems this fall. Among the coaches focused on literacy skills, 35 will be assigned to schools across the state, while 18 coaches (including one regional coach) will support the department’s expanded literacy coaching pilot program in Prince George’s County Public Schools.
Working weekly with teachers in Maryland schools, coaches will be assigned by the state education department based on third-grade students’ performance on the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program tests in English language arts and mathematics over the last three years; a school’s percentage of conditionally-licensed teachers among faculty and staff; and the performance of special education students and Multilingual Learners.
Job postings for the coaching positions are listed on the MSDE website.
The salary for School Based State Literacy Coaches is listed as $53 per hour, while the Regional Coordinator of Literacy Coaches will make $64 per hour (or the equivalent to the school district’s salary, for both listings).
The deadline to apply for these positions is May 8 at 11:59 p.m.
