Instructional Leadership, Teaching Conditions, Well-being of school community

November 2023

Instructional Leadership: Building Trust to Create a Culture of Coaching

As members of the education community reflected on the relationship between educators and instructional coaches, building trust was highlighted as an integral part in fostering a mutually beneficial partnership. Educators also shared that they are more inclined to engage with instructional coaches under the lens of “thought partnership.”

• “I continue to learn over and over again: an instructional coaching relationship will never work if a teacher does not consent to being coached. We cannot force coaching on teachers.” —Educator in Illinois 
  • “I learned this as a coach. Go where you’re needed and respected. I’m not begging to help anybody who doesn’t want to be helped.” —Educator in Alabama
  • “I agree – but sadly many of those that most desperately need the coaching will never consent to it and kids are impacted in the meantime.” —Secondary Assistant Principal in Illinois
    • “Reflect on the subject matter & target skill of the coaching. If it’s more of what hasn’t worked, or is just more deflection away from needed supports and efforts, suggestions that compliance assimilation & surrender of professional opinion is demanded might lend to reluctance.” —Teacher, N/A
    • “1-My question actually is before coaching at all.  What can be done to inspire someone to choose to be coached & see value in coaching if they currently don’t? To engage in a process that is voluntary & reflective – if they just don’t want to engage in the coaching process?” —Secondary Assistant Principal in Illinois
    • 2. What works for you? Incentives? Structured time? Peer coaching? I believe in coaching deeply but what if someone doesn’t?  How can mindsets effectively be shifted to show how genuinely valuable and actually enjoyable the process can be? —Secondary Assistant Principal in Illinois
  • “If this is true (I believe it to be) then the question becomes ‘How do we create a culture of coaching in schools?’ That’s a big question.” —Math Educator in Florida
    • “What begins as an invitation must quickly become the expectation with teachers holding teachers accountable to learning. This is extremely reliant on how leaders work to develop community, rather than hierarchy; Dialogues, rather than directives. Let’s show each other how to be coachable!” —Instructional Coach in Connecticut 
• “When administrators leverage instructional coaches as thought partners instead of middle managers, positive, meaningful relationships often prevail.” —Teacher, N/A
  • “As a follow up, I hate that so many of you had bad experiences with coaches. I hope administrators that are following this will take note.” —Teacher, N/A
  • “Yuuupppp. This was my last job before I joined tech full time. There were some folks who were hesitant to meet but most genuinely were happy I was there and wanted to work with me.” —Educator in Florida
  • “Totally agree. I appreciate our instructional coach, but she’s definitely been instructed to be a middle manager, in my opinion. For example, we recently sat through a PD over the 5E lesson plan model for science. We bought it! However, we were told at the end we were not allowed to use it.” —Educator, N/A
    • “Why? Because ‘they’ said so. Our instructional coach was as frustrated as we were. 1.) A morning wasted on a meaningless PD 2.) People outside of the classroom, not familiar with our students, aka ‘they’ are calling the shots.” —Educator, N/A
  • “Instructional coaches who build relationships and genuinely help troubleshoot are the best support I could ask for! We need more in the field like [mine]!” —Teacher, N/A
  • “When the instructional coach comes in with little or no teaching experience (in the field and/or the actual building), it is a slap to the face. Otherwise, they can be amazing!” —Teacher in Wisconsin
  • “So we have instructional coaches that hang out in a room and offer help. Then we have our math intervention specialists that come into our rooms and help. That’s the key is the help, not the managing. And she is fantastic. I look to her for so much.” —High School Math Teacher in New Jersey
  • “Just hire real teachers instead and we’ll have smaller class sizes.  That impacts instruction and learning more than coaching.  Amazing that they’ll hire coaches and think that’s effective, but hiring more teachers to reduce class numbers from 30 to 25 is somehow not worth it.” —Teacher in Michigan
  • “Agree. My math coach is such an important teammate in our building. She is supportive and helpful, and emphasizes that she is our colleague, not another admin.” —Teacher in Missouri
  • “Absolutely! The role of instructional coaches is pivotal. When they collaborate as allies and mentors, rather than enforcers, they can be a powerful support system for teachers, fostering growth and positive change.” —Post-Secondary Educator in Illinois
  • “As an AP in my district, I am not allowed to discuss evaluation stuff with the ICs in order to keep them separate from admin and I appreciate it.” —Assistant Principal in Kansas 
  • “I have struggled with the title of instructional coach since I started in this role…I do love the term ‘thought partner’ though!” —Instructional Coach, N/A
  • “This is true, unfortunately many are not introduced as thought partners or trusted by teachers. Trust MUST be established first in order to have a productive and efficient relationship.” —Educator in Tennessee