An instructional coach is an educational leader who works in a school or district to support teachers in reaching their goals. Effective instructional coaches serve as thought partners, building relationships based on trust and mutual respect and providing reflective, inquiry-oriented feedback rather than making judgments.
The instructional coaching process has three important components:
The classroom teacher: • identify learning goals, provide data. • integrate new practices, invite feedback, meet with the coach weekly to reflect, and ask questions.
The instructional coach: • gather and analyze data with teachers to create goals. • listen and ask questions. • explain teaching practices. • find resources. • provide feedback. • serve as a thought partner.
The administrator: • create a coaching culture for their school and to ensure that policies and systems are in place to support data-driven conversations. • build interpersonal relationships of trust between teachers, leaders, and coaches to improve instruction.