Here to support Montana educators

Writing Coaches of Montana is proud to partner with educators in public schools across Western Montana. We currently work in schools across Missoula, Ravalli, and Flathead Counties.

About the Program

Our coaches come into classrooms for a class period (or designated block of time for elementary students) and work one-on-one with each student in the class during that time. Our volunteer coaches will each work with 3–5 students for 20–30 minutes each during a class period.

Writing Coaches of Montana is flexible with our model to fit the needs of different teachers: some teachers bring us in for one visit, some for a first and second draft, and some for several visits over the course of a long assignment. We work with teachers across all subjects, from science fair projects or lab reports in science classes to book reports or literary analysis papers in English classes to English Language Learner classrooms.

Coaches not only support student literacy: they also build a network of local public education advocates, creating additional impact beyond the classroom for the schools we work with.

You can read some first-hand accounts from teachers and students who have worked with Writing Coaches of Montana here.

Montana Literacy Content Standards

Our program aligns with Montana literacy content standards through the best practice of conferencing individually with students on assignments. You can find more information on Writing Coaches of Montana’s alignment with literacy content standards here.

Get In Touch

For additional information, or to set up a coaching session, you can reach out to your Regional Coordinator at the email address below:

Teachers or administrators interested in more information can also contact Executive Director Shan Rao at admin@writingcoachesofmontana.org or by phone at (406) 529-5629.

Out of respect for our volunteer coaches’ time, we ask that all teachers reach out with at least three weeks notice to schedule a session.

“I appreciate the availability of the writing coaches to help my students succeed. They love having the coaches come help them, and the benefits go beyond improving their writing skills. The one-on-one attention is something the students need, and this is the best program with the most direct positive impact on students that I’ve ever seen in my 27 years of teaching.”

– Christa Handford
Kalispell Middle School teacher

What Educators Are Saying

“The coaches have been excellent in assisting our students individually with feedback, self-evaluation, and possibly most valuable is that the writing coach provides an outside audience.”

– Cammie Knapp
Corvallis High School Principal

“I have been raving about yesterday. Hearing the conversations that were happening between my writers and the coaches made my heart happy. The kids were so nervous to begin with, and when I checked in with them, they loved it. They said it was very beneficial.”

– Jennie Belcourt
Target Range Middle School Teacher