Instructional Coaching

Teacher quality is one of the most important factors that contributes to student success. There is a growing body of research that points to coaching as a powerful way to support teacher effectiveness. As such, 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.

In 2017, with the goal of increasing educational equity and impactful use of technology in the classroom, we partnered with Google and EdTechTeam to launch the Dynamic Learning Project pilot (DLP). Through this classroom-based coaching program, teachers were coached to use technology in more powerful ways that enhance their teaching practices and their students’ engagement and learning. We also led a corresponding research study to assess the impact of DLP coaching on teachers. During the three years of the pilot program, we found that teachers who participated in the DLP used technology more frequently and in more powerful ways with their students. Moreover, teachers who received DLP coaching reported greater skills and confidence in leveraging technology in their teaching, which resulted in increased student engagement and learning.

Coaching Resources

• Our Instructional Coaching Playbook, based on our research on the DLP, is a resource to help schools and districts build sustainable and scalable coaching programs.
• Learn more about the Google for Education Certified Coach program, which is based on the Dynamic Learning Project pilot.
• In fall 2019, we conducted a national survey of coaches, educators, and administrators to learn about coaching trends across the country. While the prevalence of coaching in the U.S. is promising, our findings led us to make several recommendations for improvement.
• To help address inequities in math proficiency for Black and Latinx students, as well as students experiencing poverty, Digital Promise has received a five-year U.S. Department of Education grant to support the Instructional Coaching for Tech-Enhanced Approaches in Mathematics (iCoachTEAM) project. Our team will design, implement, and evaluate a school-based, one-to-one teacher coaching program to improve the quality of middle school mathematics instruction through meaningful use of technology.