Anyone who’s been in a classroom knows that students are at the heart of what we do — they are the focus of the district’s mission, they inspire and challenge us, and they are often engaging and funny (very, very funny). That said, if we want to ensure the best for students, we have to also focus on the adults in the classrooms. Educators influence school culture and systems, as well as design and lead the teaching and learning experiences for students. And, like students, teachers desire meaningful relationships with colleagues; they want spaces that cultivate learning and growth, where someone is actively listening to their ideas and questions. Knowing this, and knowing the current pressures on staff, leading many to leave the profession, schools and districts must co-create relationships that foster growth and effective change, that impact teachers as well as their students.
A recent Forbes article noted, “If the big challenge of 2021 was to get children back into the classroom, the challenge for 2022 is to keep teachers there.” With statistics showing a 66% rise in school-based departures and schools across the country scrambling to fill teacher and substitute shortages each week — all while working to bounce back from the pandemic — the need to support our teaching staff has never been greater.
For education leaders, much of what’s currently causing burnout for the teaching profession is outside of our direct control. But how we build teachers’ confidence and capacity, how we foster strong relationships among those on our campuses, and how we bring in moments of joy — these things are very much within our control, and they play a big part in whether teachers stay or leave.
There is wide agreement that rRobust instructional coaching is therefore good for teachers and for students.Coaching has proven to have a greater impact on student learning than most other school-based interventions. According to John Hattie’s seminal work, “Collective Teacher Efficacy” (the collective belief of teachers in their ability to positively affect students) is strongly correlated with student achievement. And, we have recently seen districts respond to the current challenges by using ESSER funds to hire instructional coaches to support their educators.
Blog: Secret Lessons and Common Pitfalls from a Former Instructional Coach
Blog: Facing the Great Resignation? Support Instructional Coaches
Based on our research and experience working with instructional coaches across the country, successful coaches build relationships with those they coach, create learning that “sticks,” focus on the right bite-size changes, and measure and scale learning. Here are the key six characteristics of good instructional coaching:
Share and Scale Learning. Educational challenges are so varied and broad that no one coach is going to have the first-hand experience needed to effectively address every instructional challenge they will encounter in their career. For this reason, building a practice that supports organizational learning is a key step in supporting successful coaching. These practices will enable people to learn from and with each other, in a loop of continuous improvement and feedback. The skills of great coaches can be used across multiple levels within a district. Successful coaches reflect on lessons learned and share best practices — with fellow coaches, teachers, and leaders of all levels. Reflection protocols and effective storytelling are two of the best ways to share and scale learning across your school building or organization.
Given what we know about the importance of providing teachers with quality instructional coaching, what sometimes makes it difficult for schools and districts to support coaches?
Too Much Change: Asking teachers to shift their practice at any time is not easy, but especially right now when teachers have been on the front line of navigating dramatic changes to teaching and learning from the pandemic. Giving critical feedback when people are already overwhelmed doesn’t feel good. That’s why coaches should focus on helping teachers build small habits that lead to big change. Check out our thoughts on that here.
Blog: Developing Yourself as an Instructional Coach
Video: Better than Lasso: Instructional Coaching for Teachers and Teams
If you are ready to kick off an instructional coaching program for your school or district, you can begin by:
Providing on-demand support. Tap into resources like Education Elements’ Learning Courses, which provide equitable, on-demand access to bite-sized professional learning with personalized feedback to build educators' capacity and transform school districts.
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