Who is Providing PD to the Ultimate PD Providers?

Much of this post is taken from my research on instructional coaching. For the full publication, please visit the Vanderbilt Repository.

Professional development can take a wide variety of forms, but instructional coaching, in particular, has been found to be one of the most impactful forms resulting in improved teacher instruction and student achievement ¹. Instructional coaching models vary, but some of the most popular formats are content-specific coaches (i.e., literacy, math, science, social studies, technology) who may support nearly everyone in their building or even provide district-wide support. The primary role of any coach is to support the professional growth and development of the educators they serve. They are the ultimate PD providers, if you will. While coaches are supporting nearly everyone within a school system, who is supporting the growth and development of the coaches? 

There is an abundance of research on high quality teacher professional development (HQPD), which identifies coaching as HQPD in and of itself ^2,3,4,5,6,7. This has led to an increase in coaching positions across schools in the United States and an increase in research focused on characteristics of an effective coaching program and skills of an effective instructional coach.

However, research on what HQPD looks like specifically for instructional coaches is less prevalent. Often, coaches are selected because of their content expertise, yet they are provided very little, if any, training on how to support teachers in their new coaching role ⁷. The lack of training provided to coaches, paired with the lack of understanding on what HQPD looks like for these educators, leaves instructional coaches to seek out their own support.

Instructional coaching, and in particular coaching that supports the use of technology for instruction, has been on the rise since 2000 and has doubled when compared to other school personnel ⁸. COVID-19 exacerbated the need for teachers to seek out technology integration support, which only further accelerated the awareness of the need for coaches who support technology for teaching and learning in K-12 schools. 

The negative effects COVID-19 had on students in K-12 schools cannot be overstated, with students in vulnerable and underserved populations being hit the hardest ⁹. The passing of H.R.1319 in March of 2021 infused $121.9 billion into the education system across the country through a third round of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. This was in addition to the $67.5 billion that was distributed in rounds I and II of ESSER funding during April 2020 and January 2021 ¹⁰. Though state and school leaders can choose how to allocate their funds across many high-need areas outlined in the passing of each bill, ensuring educator preparedness and closing learning gaps span multiple categories for the acceptable use of these funds. This provides districts with unique opportunities to target some of the funding on coaching to support high quality instruction and meaningful technology integration.

As a result, teachers are likely to be moved into the role of a coach without any training at a faster pace than ever before during a time when it is most critical that the coach be prepared to support educators. So where do coaches turn for PD to help them be a better coach?

My coaching team at Forward Edge has responded to this tremendous need with a two-day, jam-packed training specifically for instructional coaches called Coaches Camp! It is every tool, strategy, and exercise that an instructional coach needs to maximize the impact of their coaching program- regardless of coaching specialization. You can read more about the benefits for attending here, and check out the session schedule here.

This summer, we’ll be hosting Coaches Camp in two different locations: right before ISTE in New Orleans, Louisiana on Saturday, June 25 – Sunday, June 26 or in Cincinnati, Ohio on Thursday, July 28 – Friday, July 29. Trust me when I say it’s a no brainer for a leader to be willing to pay to send their coaches to Coaches Camp, but if you need a little help, check out the convince your boss template. I hope to see you there!

For being a blog reader, you can use code TTWM to get $50 off of registration!

Where do you go to get PD as an instructional coach? Let me know in the comments below!

Tech To You Later!
-Katie, Ed.D.

References

1. Kraft, M. A., Blazar, D., & Hogan, D. (2018). The effect of teacher coaching on instruction and achievement: A meta-analysis of the causal evidence. Review of Educational Research, 88(4), 547–588.
2. Allen, J., Pianta, R., Gregory, A., Mikami, A., & Lun, J. (2011). An interaction-based approach to enhancing secondary school instruction and student achievement. Science. American Association for the Advancement of Science, 333(6045), 1034–1037.
3. Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler, M. E., Gardner, M. (2017). Effective teacher professional development. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/effective-teacher-professional-development-report
4. Desimone, L., & Pak, K. (2017). Instructional coaching as high-quality professional development. Theory into Practice, 56(1), 3–12.
5. Drago-Severson, E. (2008). 4 practices serve as pillars for adult learning. The Journal of Staff Development, 29(4), 60–63.
6. Booker, L. (2013). The impact of the 2012 TNCore math training on teaching practices and effectiveness. Office Of Research And Policy, Tennessee Department of Education.
7. Gallucci, C., DeVoogt Van Lare, M., Yoon, I. H., & Boatright, B. (2010). Instructional coaching: Building theory about the role and organizational support for professional learning. American Educational Research Journal, 47(4), 919–963.
8. Hannan, M. Q., & Russell, J. L. (2020). Coaching in context: Exploring conditions that shape instructional coaching practice. Teachers College Record (1970), 122(10), 1–40.
9. US Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights. (2021, June 9). Education in a pandemic: The disparate impacts of COVID-19 on America’s students. Washington, D.C.
10. Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. (2020). US Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.  Retrieved from https://oese.ed.gov/offices/education-stabilization-fund/elementary-secondary-school-emergency-relief-fund