Instructional Coaching

Effective teaching drives student success. Instructional coaching is how districts help teachers get there.

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Teacher quality is one of the most important factors contributing to student success. There is a growing body of research showing coaching to be a powerful way to support teacher effectiveness. Because of this, coaching is becoming more prevalent in schools and districts in the U.S., and districts are increasingly using federal, state, and local funds to support coaches and coaching programs.

The Case for Instructional Coaching

Coaching improves teachers’ and students’ effective use of technology.

Coaching Transforms Teacher Learning: Professional development designed around how the brain learns — like coaching — can be more effective at supporting teacher learning than one-time workshops.
Coaching Improves Teachers’ Practices and Students’ Achievement: Coaching, which provides personalized support to teachers, can support teachers in applying their learning to improve student outcomes.
Coaching Increases Teacher Retention: Coaching can support three areas related to teacher retention: job-embedded professional development opportunities, strength of administrative support for teachers, and a culture of professional collaboration.
Coaching Improves School Culture: Coaches are ideally positioned to strengthen school culture by facilitating teacher collaboration and openness to growth.

A special education teacher working one-on-one with a student, using adaptive learning tools

What is Instructional Coaching?

Instructional coaching is a job-embedded form of professional development in which coaches partner with teachers to identify a classroom challenge; select and implement strategies through co-teaching, modeling, and observation; and reflect on progress until the challenge is met. Though coaching roles vary widely from district to district, nearly all instructional coaches work at the intersection of content and pedagogy—and often technology—to strengthen teaching and improve student learning.

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Create a Coaching Program

If you are starting a coaching program, consider these five recommendations as a starting point to guide your approach to funding, staffing, and setting up a program. If you have already established your coaching program, these recommendations can help you reflect on the systems you have in place.

Identify available funding resources.
Adopt a coaching model that supports district/school goals.
Select an effective coach.
Consider a pilot stage.
Provide additional support to coaches working in multiple schools.

Launch a Coaching Program

Whether launching a new coaching program or starting a fresh school year, defining clear roles for coaches and administrators is essential.

Use these recommendations to establish and communicate each role across your school and district:Specify coaches’ roles and duties.
Engage school administrators to actively support coaching

Maintain and Expand a Coaching Program

Coaching programs thrive when leaders build a supportive culture, invest in ongoing learning, and track progress.

Use these recommendations to guide your program throughout the school year.

Build and foster a culture of coaching.
Plan for ongoing professional learning for both coaches and administrators.
Measure continuous improvement and impact.

Develop Effective Coach-Teacher Collaboration

Effective coach-teacher collaboration is at the heart of any successful coaching program. It takes time, planning, and sustained support from both coaches and administrators. To succeed, coaching must be built on the four key principles of effective teacher professional development. Explore below how coaches and leaders can bring these principles to life in their schools.

Partnership: Actively involve teachers as co-owners of their professional learning experience.
Active Learning: Directly engage teachers in designing, trying, and reflecting on new teaching strategies.
Personalization: Design coaching support to fit with what each teacher needs in their current teaching assignment.
Sustained Support: Provide teachers with ongoing support to learn and practice new strategies.