The document discusses instructional coaching. It identifies that effective instructional coaches (1) build teacher capacity through partnerships and collaboration, (2) create a culture of teacher learning in schools, and (3) need to understand instructional practices and be able to help teachers improve in areas like classroom management, content knowledge, lesson planning, assessment, and instructional strategies. The document also outlines a hierarchy of instructional practices that coaches can help teachers develop, from foundational classroom management skills to more advanced proficiency in various teaching methods.

1. EISD
Instructional
Coaching:
Creating
A Culture
August 17, 2016
Elgin ISD

2. Objectives
 Identify the characteristics of an effective
instructional coach
 Identify how instructional coaches build teacher
capacity
 Review the EISD instructional coaching matrix for
2016-2017
Elgin ISD

3. Research on Instructional
Coaching Effectiveness
Elgin ISD
Source: University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning

4. Research on Instructional
Coaching Effectiveness
Elgin ISD

5. Research on Teachers
Here’s what we know:
• Teacher expertise accounts for more difference in student
performance—40 percent—than any other factor. Ferguson (2001)
• Students who have several effective teachers in a row make dramatic
achievement gains, while those who have even two ineffective teachers in a
row lose significant ground. Sack (1999)
• Based on research in Texas, the importance of having an effective teacher
instead of an average teacher for four or five years in a row could essentially
close the gap in math performance between students from low-income and
high-income households. Hanushek, Kain, and Rivkin (2001)
Elgin ISD

6. Research on Teachers
Continued:
• The difference in teacher effectiveness is the single
largest factor affecting academic growth of
populations of students. Sanders (2000)
• The differences in impact by the most effective
teachers, the top one-sixth of teachers, can be 9
months or more, essentially a full year of learning.
Rowen, Correnti, and Miller (2002)
Elgin ISD

7. Research on Teachers
Two Final Points to Consider:
#1 - Good instruction is 15 to 20 times more powerful
than family background and income, race, gender, and
other explanatory variables. Hershberg (2005)
#2 - “It’s People, Not Programs” – Todd Whitaker
There are really two ways to improve a school significantly:
Get Better Teachers.
Improve the teachers in the school.
Elgin ISD

8. Instructional Coaching
 Builds capacity for effective instructional
practices within specific content areas.
 Creates a partnership approach with
teachers.
 Creates a culture of teacher learning in
schools.
Elgin ISD

9. GoGoMo
What are the characteristics of an effective
instructional coach, what do they need to know and
be able to do?
Elgin ISD

10. How can EISD Instructional
Specialists Build a Coaching
Culture?
Make connections and build relationships – every
person has their own story and their why.
Build trust with teachers.
Always begin with the positive. “Raise the praise –
minimize the criticize.” – Todd Whitaker
Be supportive, but don’t enable or condone ineffective
behaviors.
Work with the teachers as colleagues.
Elgin ISD

11. How can EISD Instructional
Specialists Build a Coaching
Culture?
Active listening when working with teachers
Acknowledging upfront to have some - but not all - of
the answers
Reflection – individually and with the teacher on
teacher’s performance and specific needs
Elgin ISD

12. How can EISD Administrators
Build a Coaching Culture?
 Create a shared vision for the school
 Develop your campus instructional framework
 Develop a shared understanding of all teachers’
needs
 Support the coaching role of the campus & district
instructional specialist by communicating
expectations to the staff
 Include campus instructional specialists in
leadership meetings where possible
Elgin ISD

13. How can EISD Administrators
Build a Coaching Culture?
 Create a shared vision for the school
 Develop your campus instructional framework
 Develop a shared understanding of all teachers’
needs
 Support the coaching role of the campus & district
instructional specialist by communicating
expectations to the staff
 Include campus instructional specialists in
leadership meetings where possible
Elgin ISD

14. Hierarchy of Instructional
Practices
Level One: Classroom
Management
Level Two: Clear Understanding
of Content & Targets
Level Three: Instructional
Basics
Level Four: Assessment
Literacy
Level Five: Instructional
Proficiency
Elgin ISD
Source: Jim Knight, KU Center for Research & Learning

15. Hierarchy of Instructional
Practices
Level One: Classroom
Management
Students can not learn if they are not
on task. Teachers need to be able to
keep the classroom a safe, productive
learning community for all students.
Specialists can teach teachers how to
clarify and reinforce behavior
expectations through interventions
such as CHAMPS, Conscious
Discipline, etc.
Elgin ISD
Source: Jim Knight, KU Center for Research & Learning

16. Hierarchy of Instructional
Practices
Level Two: Clear
Understanding of Content
& Targets
Once teachers’ classrooms are under
control, teachers’ need to be sure they
are teaching the right content, and that
they have a deep, correct understanding
of the content. For that reason, coaches
need to know how to access state
standards for courses, and how to help
teachers translate those standards into
lesson plans. Coaches can help teachers
to unpack standards and clearly explain
them as learning outcomes for students.
Elgin ISD
Source: Jim Knight, KU Center for Research & Learning

17. Hierarchy of Instructional
Practices
Level Three: Instructional
Basics
This is about your instructional
framework!
Teachers (a) provide an advance
organizer, (b) use simple content
enhancements to make content more
memorable, © model thinking
processes, (d) provide students with
numerous opportunities for guided and
independent practice, (e) provide
constructive feedback, and (f) structure
activities so that students can
generalize their learning to other
settings.
Elgin ISD
Source: Jim Knight, KU Center for Research & Learning

18. Hierarchy of Instructional
Practices
Level Four: Assessment
Literacy
Teachers need to know if their
students are learning content, and
they need to involve their students in
the whole business of assessing
learning. Students can become very
motivated when they know how well
they’re doing, when they’re getting
frequent constructive feedback on
their progress, and when they know
what they still have to do to improve.
Coaches can help with data meetings,
goal setting, and formative
assessment strategies.
Elgin ISD
Source: Jim Knight, KU Center for Research & Learning

19. Hierarchy of Instructional
Practices
Level Five: Instructional
Proficiency
Once teachers have their classrooms
under control, are clear on their
content and content targets, use
instructional basics fluently, and are
assessment literate, they then can
begin to explore any number of ways
to demonstrate instructional
proficiency. Coaches, at this point,
can teach teachers about some
additional Content Enhancement
Routines, Discovery Learning,
Socratic Dialogue, Story
telling, Partnership Education any
number of cooperative learning
approaches, and so forth.
Elgin ISD
Source: Jim Knight, KU Center for Research & Learning

20. Better
together!