Maximizing the Effectiveness of Instructional Coaches

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average coach-to-teacher ratio

Instructional coaches can provide skill development to all teachers and facilitate collaborative solution-sourcing. Maximizing the effectiveness of instructional coaches can also include discussing academic support methods with teachers during their common planning times. However, factors such as imbalanced coach-to-teacher ratios, financial constraints to employing coaches, and underdeveloped recruitment processes can constrain the impact of instructional coaches.

This report explores how to use instructional coach support to improve teacher and student outcomes. It profiles school-wide as well as individualized support practices that coaches can implement to enhance teacher instruction.This report also discusses tactics to hire, evaluate, fund, and train coaches and maximize their impact.

Instructional support practices

Regularly communicate with teachers about the rationale behind assigning additional coaching support to minimize teacher resistance. Overcome teacher pushback to instructional support through carefully framed and data-oriented communication. Administrators can take classroom observation notes starting on the first day of the school year and document specific evidence to reference in future communications with teachers. Additionally, administrators at all five profiled schools recommend communicating with teachers proactively and clarifying that coaches’ assistance is a support resource, instead of a punitive measure. These measures cultivate teacher comfort with coaches and openness to altering their existing practices.

Example instructional coach’s observation and co-teaching process

Collaboration

Work with a teacher to deliver lessons

Documentation

Provide notes to teachers after class

Observation

Note effect of new instruction on student understanding

Evaluation

Grade elements of teacher’s instruction on a 1-3 scale of effectiveness

Hiring, evaluating, and training coaches

Adopt robust hiring, evaluation, and professional development practices to enhance the quality of instructional coaches. Contacts at all profiled schools report that characteristics of an ideal instructional coach candidate include strong communication skills, interpersonal skills, and technology skills, as well as classroom experience. While district-level administrators usually provide professional development sessions to instructional coaches, school-level administrators can encourage their coaches to seek out external trainings of interest. Administrators can fund these external sessions through general school funds.