Instructional Coaching Research Articles

A Case Study of Rural Elementary Teachers Integrating Social Studies with the Science of Reading

This study presents a qualitative case study that occurred in a rural school and was bound to the seven second and third grade teachers who taught English Language Arts, their instructional coach, and their 106 students over the 14 weeks they participated. The researchers provided professional development around supporting linguistic comprehension with interactive social studies read alouds. Data sources included professional development materials, lesson plans, videos/transcripts of lessons, grade-level debriefing interviews, individual teacher exit interviews, student artifacts, and instructional materials. The data coding process utilized a priori and open coding. Findings indicate teachers a) recognize social studies aligns with the Science of Reading, b) had a high level of implementation when pairing social studies content knowledge with textual knowledge, and c) implemented strategies aligned with active-self regulation the least. Implications for linguistic comprehension instruction and professional development within the context of Science of Reading are discussed.

Implementation of Coaching Leadership Style by Principals to Enhance Learner Success

In this empirical study, the researchers argue that immediate attention is required to ensure that principals successfully implement Coaching Leadership Style (CLS) to enhance the sustainability of learning experience learner success. The problem underpinning this study is that the principals face difficulties in implementing CLS. The study is based on in Instructional Coaching Leadership Theory. The major assumption of this theory is that Instructional Coaching Leadership Theory is viewed as a method of providing sustained and personalized support to the principals and emphasizes the fundamental role of active learning, reflection, and feedback in the learning process. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the challenges facing principals in successfully implementing CSL and how principals can mitigate these challenges. This study used qualitative methodology to gather data from three secondary and two primary school principals in Bloemfontein through structured interviews. The findings of the study revealed that principals lamented the lack of training to implement CLS. In the discussion with the participants, the researchers concluded that necessary steps should be taken to empower the principals on CLS. Recommendations for further research and implications for principalship and training programs are provided. This empirical study contributes to the body of knowledge by exploring how can principals practice CLS to achieve the objectives of the study of successfully implementing CLS to enhance learner success and of devising means of mitigating challenges experienced by the principals. Keywords: Implementation, Coaching Leadership Style, Instructional Coaching Leadership Theory, learner success.

“Students Really Benefited From That Hybridization”: Facilitated Sensemaking in a No‐Excuses Charter Network

ABSTRACTThis ethnographic cross‐case study examines five teachers' year‐long efforts to implement practice‐based physics instruction within the unique organizational context of a no‐excuses charter network. The teachers were attempting to adapt their didactic, rigid, and compliance‐based instructional approach to include more opportunities for students to figure out disciplinary concepts through evidence and consensus. To assist in these efforts, teachers partnered with a university‐based physics education program to redesign the network's coherent instructional infrastructure. The program provided curricular materials aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards, facilitated professional learning sessions, and assisted with instructional coaching before and during the 2018–2019 school year. Researchers collected ethnographic field notes and artifacts during professional learning sessions, partnership meetings, and bi‐weekly lesson observations of case teachers. They also conducted interviews with teachers and students. An organizational sensemaking lens was used to analyze data and informed the production of ethnographic case profiles, vignettes, and cross‐case comparisons. Findings included the constraints and affordances of a coherent instructional infrastructure for facilitating teacher sensemaking. Hybridized instructional practices also emerged across case teachers' classrooms as products of facilitated sensemaking. Implications for supporting teachers in fitting novel instructional approaches to their organizational contexts are discussed. This paper is part of the special issue on Teacher Learning and Organizational Contexts.

Raising the Floor or Lowering the Ceiling: Challenges to Instructional Leadership at Scale

In an effort to scale success, many schools codify various practices to replicate them across schools. While such codification and replication can help scale success, scaling success often comes with numerous negative externalities such as a reduction of autonomy and burdens on successful educators. Based on real events and educators, this case follows an instructional coach through his career at a charter school as it attempts to scale a successful small charter school to a larger Charter Management Organization (CMO).

Empowering emerging teacher leaders: insights from a self-study community of practice

ABSTRACT Teacher leadership is on the rise in educational settings, yet concerns persist regarding the lack of training and support for teachers transitioning into leadership roles. In response, the authors—a teacher educator and five emerging teacher leaders—established and engaged in a self-study community of practice. These five emerging teacher leaders were in the process of transitioning into formal positions as instructional coaches and sought an environment conducive to their development as leaders. Employing self-study research methods, we explored our participation in the community as a formative leadership development initiative. Through this inquiry, we uncovered internal and external factors shaping our readiness for community development, identified developmental processes within the community that fostered our growth as instructional coaches, and acknowledged the community’s influence in reshaping our understanding of instructional coaching and driving action in our school environments. We conclude by underscoring the imperative of supportive developmental experiences like ours for emerging teacher leaders to effectively fulfil their roles and responsibilities. Additionally, we advocate for participatory research led by teacher leaders to cultivate fresh insights into teacher leadership and its associated functions.

An Instructional Coaching Model to Enhance Instructors' Instructional Skills in Vocational Colleges in Nanjing, China

An Instructional Coaching Model to Enhance Instructors' Instructional Skills in Vocational Colleges in Nanjing, China

Does Teacher Professional Development Improve Student Learning? Evidence from Leading Educators’ Fellowship Model

Teachers are the most important school-specific factor in student learning. Yet, little evidence exists linking teacher professional development programs and the strategies or activities that comprise them to student achievement. In this paper, we examine a fellowship model for professional development designed and implemented by Leading Educators, a national nonprofit organization that aims to bridge research and practice to improve instructional quality and accelerate learning across school systems. During the 2015–2016 and 2016–2017 school years, Leading Educators conducted its fellowship program for two cohorts of instructional leaders, such as department chairs, mentor teachers, instructional coaches, and assistant principals, to provide these educators ongoing, collaborative, job-embedded professional development and to improve student achievement. Relying on quasi-experimental methods, we find that a school’s participation in the fellowship program significantly increased student proficiency rates in English language arts and math on state achievement exams. The positive impact was concentrated in the first cohort and in just one of three regions, and approximately 80% of treated schools were charters. Student achievement benefited from a more sustained duration of participation in the fellowship program, varied depending on the share of a school’s educators who participated in the fellowship and differed based on whether fellows independently selected into the program or were appointed to participate by their school leaders. Taken together, findings from this paper should inform professional learning organizations, schools, and policymakers on the design, implementation, and impact of educator professional development.

Exploring Shared Instructional Leadership Strategies to Improve Teacher Professional Learning: A Case Study in a Southeastern School System

ABSTRACT The present study aims to identify shared instructional leadership strategies administered by school principals and instructional coaches to enhance teacher professional learning within a southeastern school system. Using a qualitative case study approach, we collected data through semi-structured interviews with six principals and six instructional coaches from seven elementary schools. Qualitative content analysis was utilized to analyze the data. The results revealed various shared instructional leadership strategies across three key components: structuring the school environment to facilitate professional learning, fostering a culture of ongoing learning, and nurturing interpersonal relationships conducive to teacher development. We discuss implications for policy and practice.

Navigating Transition: Developing an Instructional Coaching Rubric and UDL-Infused Training for Seasoned Reading and Dyslexia Teachers in Online Education

The central focus of this study is the development of an instructional coaching rubric and the delineation of training activities. The research aims to address the nuanced challenges faced by educators during this transformative process. The primary objective is to craft a comprehensive instructional coaching rubric and training regimen seamlessly integrating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principals. This endeavor unfolds under the mentorship of an instructional coach, unraveling layers of intricate processes, best practices, and emergent patterns characterizing the shift to online teaching. By dissecting these elements, the study endeavors to provide valuable insights into the development of effective coaching strategies tailored to unique demands of online learning environments. As the educational landscape undergoes a digital transformation, understanding the intricacies of this transition becomes paramount. This research contributes not only to the practical knowledge of instructional coaching but also addresses the critical need for adapting teaching methodologies for educators specializing in reading and dyslexia. Through uncovering the dynamics of successful online education, this study aspires to establish a foundation for future endeavors instructional coaching and teaching training. Ultimately, it aims to foster an environment where seasoned educators can thrive amidst the evolving educational landscape, ensuring their continued efficacy and impact in the digital era.

Pushing Past the Paywall: Accessing Open Peer-Reviewed Research

Effective teaching and special education programming should be informed by scientific research published in peer-reviewed journals. However, many peer-reviewed articles, including how-to articles based on research findings in practitioner-focused journals, are not freely accessible to instructional coaches, department chairs, special education administrators, special education teachers, families of students with disabilities, and other interested individuals, creating a significant obstacle to informing practice with research findings. Fortunately, the number of peer-reviewed articles that are openly accessible on the internet is growing. In this article, we describe types of peer-reviewed articles, discuss different types of open-access publishing, and provide a six-step approach for accessing open-access publications.

Science Instructional Coaches: Characteristics, Contexts, Beliefs, and Community

ABSTRACT Instructional coaching has emerged as a promising form of professional development for teachers. However, little is known about the background, contexts, professional responsibilities, and beliefs of instructional coaches who work with science teachers. This mixed-methods study focused on instructional coaches in secondary schools across the United States to understand the experiences these coaches bring to the role and what activities they participate in that support science teaching. Coaches’ goals for their work and tensions with the institution’s goals were also explored, as well as their beliefs about science teaching. Results suggest that three types of coaches may support science teaching, depending on the content expertise of the coach (science or not) and the focus of their role (content-specific or general). Teacher support by instructional coaches with science backgrounds is evident through their support of effective science teaching strategies. However, this support may not extend to pushing teachers to develop reform-based science teaching practices, as the results showed that most of these instructional coaches did not hold reform-based views of science teaching. The goal of relationship building and the coaches’ work as trust-builders emerged as a critical factor in the coaches’ abilities to support teachers’ pedagogical development. Implications for the field are discussed.

Instructional Coaching Personnel and Program Scalability

Abstract Instructional coaching is an attractive alternative to one-size-fits-all teacher training and development in part because it is purposefully differentiated: Programming is aligned to individual teachers’ needs and implemented by an individual coach. But, how much of the benefit of coaching as an instructional improvement model depends on the specific coach with whom a teacher works? Collaborating with a national teacher training and development organization, TNTP, we find substantial variability in effectiveness across coaches in terms of changes in preservice teachers’ instructional practice (roughly 0.25 to 0.3 standard deviation from our preferred sample and models). The magnitude of coach effectiveness heterogeneity is quite similar to average coaching program effects on teaching practice identified in other research. Through a set of alternative model specifications and permutation tests, we rule out the possibility that our estimates of coach effectiveness heterogeneity are driven by nonrandom sorting of coaches to teachers, at least on observable characteristics available in our data, as well as the possibility that these estimates are simply statistical noise. These findings suggest that identifying, recruiting, and supporting highly skilled coaches will be key to scaling instructional coaching programs.

Supervision Model Through Coaching and Mentoring for Enhancing Active Learning Instruction Competency of Elementary Teachers Under Office of the Basic Education Commission

The study aimed to 1. investigate the components and indicators of active learning instruction competency among elementary school teachers, 2. examine the current state, desired state, and necessary requirements of active learning instruction competency among elementary school teachers, and 3. develop an educational supervision model based on instructional coaching and mentoring principles, aimed at enhancing active learning instruction competency among elementary school teachers under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Basic Education Commission. The study was divided into three phases: Phase 1 examine the components and indicators of active learning instruction competency. The target group comprised 7 qualified individuals selected through purposive sampling, with suitability assessed using an appropriateness assessment questionnaire. Phase 2 the current state, desired state, and necessary requirements of active learning instruction competency among elementary school teachers are investigated. The sample group consisted of 384 elementary school teachers selected through multi-stage random sampling, employing a proportional stratified sampling technique. A questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale was utilized for data collection. Phase 3 the development of the supervision model involved input from a group of 9 qualified individuals selected through purposive sampling. These individuals were chosen based on their expertise and relevance to the research objectives. Research tools included interviews and assessments. The research findings revealed that: 1. there were 4 components and 24 indicators of active learning instruction competency among elementary school teachers. These components are categorized as follows: 1) Designing of active learning management: comprising 6 indicators, 2) Organization of learning activities focusing on higher-order thinking skills and practical application: consisting of 4 indicators, 3) Utilization of educational media, innovations, educational technology, and learning resources: encompassing 6 indicators, and 4) Measurement and evaluation based on actual conditions: including 8 indicators. Overall, the competency level is rated as the highest. 2. The current state was rated as moderate, while the desired state was rated as the highest. Upon disaggregating the components of the supervision model, it was found that the component with the highest level of necessity was Component 2, which pertains to organizing learning activities emphasizing higher-order thinking skills and practical application. 3. The results of developing the educational supervision model based on instructional coaching and mentoring principles to enhance active learning management competency among elementary school teachers, under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Basic Education Commission, revealed that the supervision model consisted of the following steps: 1) Planning, 2) Observation, 3) Reflection, and 4) Evaluation. These steps were deemed highly appropriate and feasible at the highest level.

Documenting the Distribution of Instructional Coaching Programs

We present data from the Schools and Staffing Survey and the National Teacher and Principal Survey to document the prevalence of instructional coaching programs (ICPs) and consider how ICPs are distributed by school level, urbanicity, new teachers in a school, student enrollment, school poverty levels, student achievement levels, and state. We show that ICPs are most common in elementary schools, schools located in cities, schools with larger proportions of new teachers, larger schools, schools enrolling larger fractions of economically disadvantaged students, and schools with lower student achievement levels. Additionally, more affluent and higher achieving schools experienced the sharpest increase in ICPs over time.

Addressing AAC Knowledge and Skill Barriers in Rural Communities: Strategies for Success

Professionals and communication partners report experiencing challenges with regard to developing the knowledge and skills needed to support individuals with complex communication needs who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). These challenges can be exacerbated in rural and remote areas where access to resources and training may be limited. This practitioner-focused article provides evidence-based strategies for addressing the knowledge and skill needs experienced by professionals and communication partners in rural communities, including strategies for (a) identifying AAC knowledge and skill needs, (b) accessing AAC resources, (c) using principles of instructional design and instructional coaching to address identified areas of need, (d) considering contexts for instruction, and (e) examining contextual fit.

The role of teacher beliefs in teacher learning and practice: implications for meeting the needs of English learners/emergent bilinguals

Researchers generally agree that teachers’ beliefs influence their practice, but more research is needed on the relationship between teacher beliefs and their responsiveness to professional learning, especially among those serving diverse student populations. We examined the relationship between teachers’ beliefs, instructional practices, and student outcomes during the 2021–22 school year. Two California kindergarten teachers with high proportions of English Learners/emergent bilinguals collaborated with instructional coaches on an action research project designed to improve student engagement and oral language production during distance learning. Planning and debrief conversations revealed how teachers’ beliefs about student learning, and about the role of families and the teacher in supporting student learning, shaped the extent to which they adopted research-based practices, their differing student oral language and engagement results, and the emergence (or not) of a third space. The findings have implications for designing and carrying out effective teacher learning. We also contribute to the literature on the use of activity theory and third space to investigate teacher learning and its connection to instructional practice in classrooms serving culturally and linguistically diverse students.

Impactful Digital Technology Coaches: Identifying their Characteristics and Competencies while Delineating their Role

Digital technology coaches (DTCs) often support teachers with integrating technology into their classroom and instructional program, as well as provide ongoing staff development. To be effective, coaches tend to have specific characteristics for instructional coaching and competencies for educational coaching. We investigated if these characteristics and competencies applied to effective DTCs while we observed their proficiency with technology, their interactions with other educators, and the way they provide support for the teacher-professional learning (PL) process. Three DTCs led over 80 K–12 teachers from the same school district in classroom coaching sessions, collaborative planning meetings, PL sessions, and conference presentations. In keeping with generic qualitative methods, multiple data sources including fieldnotes, artifacts, and transcribed interviews were analyzed. Through examining data detailing their role and impact on the learning of their teacher colleagues, it was apparent that these DTCs possess the characteristics and competencies of effective instructional coaches. Importantly, this study adds to the literature on effective coaches by documenting the applicability of these characteristics and competencies to not only instructional coaches, but also DTCs, elucidating their role, and explaining their influence on teacher PL.

Exploring the enactment of a coaching stance: Findings from one coach–teacher dyad

AbstractCoaching teachers is complex work as coaches must navigate multiple and competing roles of expert and colleague. Within mathematics education, there is a lack of research exploring how coaches enact their stance for coaching, balancing the roles of expert and colleague, in ways that best support teacher learning. Furthermore, little is known about the specific discursive practices coaches use when enacting different stances during mathematics interactions with teachers. Drawing on data collected from one coaching cycle for one coach–teacher dyad during mathematics instruction, including transcripts of two planning meetings, one modeled lesson, one reflection meeting, and five semi‐structured interviews, this study explores one instructional coach's discursive enactment of their coaching stance. Qualitative analyses indicate that the coach had the goal of enacting a responsive coaching stance, and in her practice the coach discursively enacted multiple coaching stances. Furthermore, findings indicate that the coach's disciplinary expertise seemed to influence the discursive enactment of her coaching stance. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

A collaborative approach to professional development on inclusive practices aligned to preschool mandates

PurposeProfessional development (PD) is an essential component of continuing learning for in-service teachers. This paper discusses a school-based example of using the best practice of coaching in early childhood education supported by a professional development school partnership. We explain how a teacher identified need led to a collaborative, multistep approach to meeting that need in connection to State mandates.Design/methodology/approachIn this research, we used a case study methodological approach with a team of preschool teachers at one school. The model combines use of PD sessions, classroom coaching, classroom observation and reflection.FindingsTeachers’ feedback indicates that using the strategy positively impacted most of the participants’ ability to support communication, community-building and inclusive practices in their classrooms. The data that emerged in the following year evidenced increased use of visual supports in classrooms, use in connection with literacy goals and interest in creating new uses in the school.Originality/valueThis article contributes an action-oriented school-based example of bridging research to practice to support teachers’ needs through PD and coaching in a PDS. The design and practical implications may interest preschool educators, instructional coaches, administrators, professional development schools and others involved with monitoring teacher development initiatives.

Collaborating to Create and Implement Culturally Sustaining ELA Curriculum

Two English language arts teachers, an instructional coach, and a principal work to implement their new curriculum with a focus on responsiveness to students, rather than fidelity to a script.