Muddy Waters: The Micropolitics of Instructional Coaches’ Work in Evaluation

2021 ◽  
pp. 000-000
Author(s):  
Sarah Galey-Horn ◽  
Sarah l. Woulfin
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Coaches

Coaching Co-Teachers: Increasing Specialized Instruction in Inclusive Settings

2021 ◽  
pp. 004005992199747
Author(s):  
Sara Cothren Cook ◽  
Lauren W. Collins ◽  
Jennifer Madigan ◽  
Kimberly McDuffie Landrum ◽  
Lysandra Cook
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
Service Delivery Model ◽  
Instructional Coaches ◽  
Delivery Model ◽  
Effective Professional Development ◽  
Inclusive Settings ◽  
Need Support ◽  
The Individual

Although the co-teaching service delivery model is the most commonly used service delivery model used to support co-teachers in the inclusive setting (Cook et al., 2017), research indicates that co-teachers may need support in order to increase the use of specialized instruction to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities (Scruggs et al., 2007). In this manuscript, we provide a process for instructional coaches to use to (a) develop and deliver effective professional development and (b) coach co-teachers. This process maximizes the potential of the co-teaching service delivery model in improving educational outcomes for students with disabilities.

Literacy instructional coaching for inservice teachers through a community-engaged partnership

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tala Michelle Karkar Esperat
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning ◽  
Instructional Coaching ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Inservice Teachers ◽  
Engaged Scholarship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Instructional Coaches ◽  
Coaching Model ◽  
Community Engaged Scholarship

PurposeThe purpose of the study was to provide an example of instructional coaching for inservice teachers within the context of community-engaged scholarship (CEP), involving professional learning communities (PLCs). This study seeks to encourage policymakers to allocate budgets for instructional coaches, as well as resources for schools.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory case study design was used to examine the factors that contributed to the partnership and how the PLC sessions impacted the inservice teachers' practices. Data sources included interviews, focus groups, written reflections, observations of grade-level teachers' meetings and administrative meetings.FindingsThe study uncovered important factors that impacted the community-engaged partnership (CEP) positively, such as partners having a unified agenda, a common focus on the school's needs and an understanding of the culture of the school. Principals are the gatekeepers in such partnerships.Research limitations/implicationsThis study yielded the description of a model of instructional coaching within a CEP that other universities around the world could replicate. The limitations of this study include the length of the study and the time frame in which the PLC content was planned. The study was conducted over 1 year to limited funding. The instructional coach developed the PLC content during the ongoing academic year and that impacted the teachers' initial perceptions and their commitment to the PLCs.Originality/valueThis study offers a new coaching model for CEPs that focuses on closing the gap between theory and practice by integrating PLCs, content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and face-to-face visual support.

Supporting quality social studies instruction: the social studies practices continuum

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Erickson ◽  
Kerry A. Dunne ◽  
Christopher C. Martell
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Inservice Teachers ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Instructional Coaches ◽  
College Career ◽  
The Social ◽  
Improving Instruction

PurposeThis article presents the social studies practices continuum, which is a tool that supports social studies teachers in implementing inquiry-based practices in their classrooms. It was designed by the authors based on similar instruments found in science education and informed by the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies Standards.Design/methodology/approachThe article describes the instrument's creation and describes its use with preservice teachers in teacher preparation programs, inservice teachers during district-based professional development.FindingsThe continuum has been used as a reflective tool for teachers and curriculum developers, and as a tool for instructional coaches and administrators to improve teaching practices.Originality/valueThis article offers a new tool for teachers and supervisors to use in improving instruction.

Exploring Colleagues’ Professional Influence on Mathematics Teachers’ Learning

2014 ◽  
Vol 116 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Sun ◽  
Anne Garrison Wilhelm ◽  
Christine J. Larson ◽  
Kenneth A. Frank
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Teacher Learning ◽  
Instructional Practices ◽  
Mathematics Teachers ◽  
Mathematics Instruction ◽  
Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
National Council ◽  
School Factors ◽  
Instructional Coaches

Background/Context This article contributes to the literature on how teachers learn on the job and how schools and districts can support teacher learning to improve student learning and incorporate changing standards and curricular materials into instructional practices. The findings in this study are relevant to the implementation of ambitious mathematics instruction reform through changing teachers’ knowledge and instructional practices. Focus of Study This study examines how middle school teachers’ networks influence their mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) and instructional practices. We also examined how mathematics coaches’ expertise, in the form of MKT, plays a role in augmenting the extent to which teachers learn through interacting with close colleagues. Research Design The article draws on data from a larger NSF-funded study in four large, urban districts that responded to accountability pressures by attempting to implement ambitious mathematics instruction aligned with the recommendations of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and by supporting implementation with a significant investment in teacher learning. The analysis in this paper involves 89 focal participants who were middle school mathematics teachers in 29 schools, the focal participants’ close colleagues, and their instructional coaches. Measures include mathematics teachers’ professional networks, MKT, classroom practices, individual background characteristics, and school factors. We used hierarchical linear models with cross-level interaction effects and in-depth sensitivity analyses of the effects of close colleagues and coaches. Findings/Results Our results show that changes in teachers’ instructional practice were positively related to their access to instructional expertise through interactions with close colleagues. But, we did not find a similar significant relationship between changes in teachers’ MKT and access to their close colleagues’ MKT expertise. Rather, coaches’ MKT expertise positively moderated the extent to which teachers learned MKT from their close colleagues through seeking advice on teaching mathematics; that is, having an expert coach in the school enhanced the MKT learning opportunities that teachers had from interacting with close colleagues. Conclusions/Recommendations Results from this study shed light on how to support teachers’ on-the-job learning and successfully implement ambitious instructional reforms in schools. It is important for schools and districts to consider ways to encourage the development of teacher networks that can promote instructional changes. For example, schools and districts can purposely provide common planning time and common workspaces that facilitate sharing expertise among teachers. They can also support teachers with instructional coaches who have content expertise and know how to facilitate interactions among teachers.

scholarly journals Learning to Become Instructional Coaches in Health and Physical Education

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 313-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Fletcher ◽  
Ken Lodewyk ◽  
Katie Glover ◽  
Sandra Albione
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Value Theory ◽  
Expectancy Value ◽  
Instructional Coaches ◽  
Health And Physical Education ◽  
Coaching Model ◽  
Or Practice ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
Context Specific

Purpose: To examine the experiences of a cohort of health and physical education teachers and consultants who were learning to become instructional coaches. Methods: Three surveys and three focus groups were administered to 14 participants over 9 months to consider their experiences of learning to become instructional coaches. Concepts from expectancy-value theory guided analyses of both quantitative and qualitative data. Results: Participants reported positive experiences learning to become instructional coaches. Understanding and importance-utility value increased significantly between the administration of initial and end surveys. Focus group data generally supported quantitative findings while enabling more specific insights to be gained, particularly regarding specific moments of participants’ learning that led to a shift in thinking or practice. Conclusions: Participants valued their experiences learning to become instructional coaches and identified the instructional coaching model as a powerful form of job-embedded professional learning based on teachers’ context-specific needs.

Virtual Mentoring

2010 ◽  
pp. 173-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas T. Peters ◽  
Terrie R. Dew
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Middle Schools ◽  
Classroom Environment ◽  
Reflective Practices ◽  
Instructional Coaches ◽  
Virtual Mentoring ◽  
Mentoring Practices ◽  
Reflective Practitioners ◽  
Ongoing Support ◽  
Mathematics And Science

In this chapter mentoring is defined as a sustained relationship between reflective practitioners. The purpose of this relationship is to build capacity to manage the complex classroom environment in ways that bring about instructional improvements. Where there is a difference in experience between these practitioners, what matters for the mentor’s effectiveness is expertise with applying reflective practices. Reflective practices within a virtual (distance) mentoring setting are identified and explored. Developing trust from a distance and understanding representational preferences are essential virtual mentoring practices. These practices were developed as ways to provide ongoing support to field-based instructional coaches charged with improving mathematics and science instruction in South Carolina middle schools. They are applicable in any P-12 classroom mentoring setting.

scholarly journals The Adaptive Challenges of Curriculum Implementation: Insights for Educational Leaders Driving Standards-Based Reform

AERA Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 233285842093282
Author(s):  
Katie Pak ◽  
Morgan S. Polikoff ◽  
Laura M. Desimone ◽  
Erica Saldívar García
Keyword(s):  
Language Arts ◽  
English Language Arts ◽  
English Language ◽  
Curriculum Implementation ◽  
Educational Leaders ◽  
District Leaders ◽  
Instructional Coaches ◽  
Standards Based Reform ◽  
Adaptive Challenges ◽  
Problems Of Practice

The ambitious goals of standards-based reform call for both technical and adaptive leadership to address problems of practice involving the technical and adaptive alignment of teachers’ instruction to the standards. Thus, standards-aligned curriculum implementation necessitates both types of strategies; otherwise, adaptive challenges will persist. In this study, we analyze case studies of four districts where new English Language Arts and math curricula were recently adopted to help align teachers’ practice with their state’s English Language Arts and math standards. We draw from interviews with district leaders, principals, instructional coaches, and teachers to illustrate how mostly technical strategies for curriculum implementation do little to address the adaptive challenges that prevent teachers from fundamentally shifting their practice to be more aligned to the standards and to meet the needs of all learners. We conclude with a set of insights and implications for educational leaders approaching curriculum implementation in both technical and adaptive ways.

scholarly journals Relationships Between Instructional Coaches’ Time Use and District- and School-Level Policies and Expectations

2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 1718-1768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Britnie Delinger Kane ◽  
Brooks Rosenquist
Keyword(s):  
Time Use ◽  
Instructional Coaching ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
School Level ◽  
Urban School District ◽  
District Leaders ◽  
Whole School Reform ◽  
Instructional Coaches ◽  
District Policy ◽  
Whole School

Whole-school reform models frequently include instructional coaching, yet instructional coaches typically spend relatively little time working with teachers on instruction. Using survey and interview data from district leaders, school administrators, and instructional coaches in one urban school district, this mixed-methods analysis asks how district- and school-level policies and expectations were related to coaches’ time use. Coaches accountable to district leaders spent more time working with teachers on instruction than their school-hired counterparts, who devoted more time to administrative and teaching duties. However, all coaches had limited opportunities to work with teachers in ongoing ways. Also, as district accountability systems became more robust, all coaches engaged in more administrative work. Implications for school and district policy are discussed.

School Leader Perceptions: Coaching Tool and Process

2019 ◽  
pp. 194277511986825
Author(s):  
Sharon J. Damore ◽  
Barbara Stacy Rieckhoff
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
School Leader ◽  
Instructional Leaders ◽  
Teacher Growth ◽  
Instructional Coaches ◽  
Interview Process ◽  
Leader Perceptions ◽  
Professional Conversations

This study extends previous work and builds upon the use of a prescribed coaching tool in an effort to build the capacity of school leaders in the role of instructional coaches. By using a reflective interview process and structured protocol, the authors present findings to suggest administrators need more intentional training to strengthen their role as instructional leaders. The results were organized under three themes: (a) instructional leadership growth, (b) teacher growth, and (c) professional conversations. Historically, minimal training that utilizes explicit tools and strategies to strengthen administrator’s roles as instructional leaders has been provided.

Perverse incentives? A cautionary tale about coaching evaluation

2020 ◽  
Vol 101 (6) ◽  
pp. 47-51
Author(s):  
Evthokia Stephanie Saclarides ◽  
Sarah Theule Lubienski
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Evaluation System ◽  
Cautionary Tale ◽  
Evaluation Tool ◽  
Teacher Improvement ◽  
Urban District ◽  
Instructional Coaches ◽  
Perverse Incentives

Little attention has been given to better understanding how to effectively evaluate the work of instructional coaches. This study by Evthokia Stephanie Saclarides and Sarah Theule Lubienski illustrates how a new evaluation system for coaches was implemented in one mid-size, urban district. They describe two ways in which the Evaluation Tool detracted from the coaches’ work to foster teacher improvement. Furthermore, they provide suggestions for school districts to consider when evaluating their coaches.

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