CHAPTER 1
Roles
FOR SCHOOL-BASED
COACHES
AND
TEACHER LEADERS.
chool-based coaches have complex, multifaceted roles. This is one challenge schools and
districts face when they choose to implement
coaching to improve teaching and student learning.
When designing coaching programs, hiring coaches,
developing and supporting coaches, and evaluating
coaches and coaching programs, defining what
coaches do each day is crucial.
The daily work of coaches is likely to determine
to a large degree the success of coaching programs.
From their experience working with different coaching programs, the authors have seen first-hand the
S
National Staff Development Council
www.nsdc.org
effects of coaches’ work. In some districts, coaches
are highly valued by teachers and principals alike
and, as a result of the work coaches do in their
schools, teacher instructional practice is more
focused, classrooms include more focus on core curriculum standards, and student achievement
increases. In other schools, where coaches’ work is
unfocused, coaches strive to be all things to all people. They have little direction regarding their work,
teachers question the investment in coaching programs, and, in some districts, coaching programs
have ended.
27
CHAPTER 1: Roles
The variations in coaching programs differ
widely. Some districts adopt a particular approach to
coaching, such as Cognitive CoachingSM (Costa &
Garmston, 2002). Other districts adopt programs
that have a coaching component and program staff
support teachers in the implementation of the program. Other districts create their own coaching
program based on the identified needs of the district.
The authors believe the success of a coaching
program depends on making smart decisions about
the roles of coaches. In some schools, coaches serve
primarily as classroom supporters, teachers who work
side by side with other teachers to refine instruction.
In other schools, coaches facilitate teacher learning
by providing training and organizing other forms of
professional learning. In still other schools, coaches
work with data and help teachers analyze data about
student learning and plan interventions for students.
These are merely a few of the roles coaches fill.
The next 10 chapters explore various dimensions of coaches’ work. What is surprising about the
role of coaches is that the specific job expectations
differ dramatically from school to school based on
the specific job description and performance expectations. Yet, among the differences, there are
similarities.
We’ve identified 10 roles of school-based coaches. These roles include:
1. Resource provider
2. Data coach
3. Instructional specialist
4. Curriculum specialist
5. Classroom supporter
6. Learning facilitator
7. Mentor
8. School leader
9. Catalyst for change
10. Learner
The roles differ in terms of the knowledge and
skills coaches employ in each role and the challenges
each role presents. Yet, while the roles are distinct, in
real life, coaches typically fill multiple roles simulta28
TAKING THE LEAD: New roles for teachers and school-based coaches
“The instructional coaching program has had a
direct impact on increased student achievement
at my school. Through data analysis of
benchmark assessment results and using that
data to inform instructional practices, our coach
leads teachers to draw their own conclusions
about how to maximize their efforts in their
classrooms and focus on what is essential. In
addition, sustained staff development involving
individuals, small groups, and the entire faculty
has increased the learning of our staff, which, in
turn, has increased the learning of our students.“
— Kathleen Walts
Principal
Kings Park Elementary School
Springfield, Va.
neously. For example, a coach who meets with the
science department to analyze student achievement
data, may be a data coach, school leader, learning
facilitator, and resource provider all at the same time.
Considering the distinction among the roles of
coaches is important for four reasons. One is in
defining the job expectations for coaches. Often,
coaches are directed to support teachers. Yet how
coaches are supposed to provide support may be
unclear if that is not defined. The distinction among
the roles helps district personnel and principals clarify expectations for coaches. Second, for those
responsible for preparing coaches for their new roles,
the distinction among the roles frames the knowledge and skills that become the content of
professional development for novice coaches. Third,
coaches might use the descriptions of the various
roles to consider how best to serve teachers. The
roles will give them specific language to describe the
services they may offer their teacher colleagues. Last,
the roles provide a way to measure the effectiveness
of coaches and hold them accountable for their
work. Coaches may keep logs that document what
roles they fill when providing services to individuals
National Staff Development Council
www.nsdc.org
TAKING THE LEAD: New roles for teachers and school-based coaches
or teams of teachers. This will allow coaches to
reflect on their work and assess the balance of roles
and the effectiveness of each role. Tool 1.1 provides a
simple log that a coach can use to chart time during
a time and week.
Keep in mind that coaches often fill multiple
roles simultaneously. Depending on their job
descriptions and their agreements with principals,
district supervisors, and teachers whom they serve,
coaches may fill some or all of the roles in a typical
day. The complexity and challenge of determining
what roles to fill, when, and where are the most difficult aspects of a coach’s work.
The job of a school-based coach is both complex and challenging regardless of which role he or
she is playing. Some coaches fill all 10 roles; others,
just a few. Yet, it is not the number of roles that
makes coaching difficult, but the agility that is
required if coaches are to be successful in serving so
many distinct clients. A coach who serves in the
more prominent roles of instructional specialist, curriculum specialist, and classroom supporter does not
CHAPTER 1: Roles
have an easier time than a coach who is also a
resource provider, mentor, learning facilitator, and
school leader. Each works mostly with the entire
staff, all content areas, and all students.
Coaches must be able to understand the needs
of teachers and students and the demands of the
content area. In addition, they must have an almost
super-human ability to adapt and adjust their practice to fit the moment. This demand for flexibility
requires coaches to have far more than surface
understanding and capabilities. Instead, they must
possess deep understanding and fully integrated skills
upon which they can call almost without notice.
Coaches also depend on their intuition and sensitivity to read between the lines and choose a course of
action with little background knowledge.
Because the work of school-based coaches is
broad and often unspecified, understanding the roles
helps both coaches and those who supervise them
communicate about coaches’ work. Knowing about
the various roles helps coaches understand possible
actions that would help teachers be more effective.
Additional resources
•
•
•
Coaches in the High School Classroom: Studies
in Implementing High School Reform, by
Molly Schen, Sanjiv Rao, and Ricardo
Dobles. New York: Carnegie Corp., 2005.
Coaching: A strategy for developing instructional capacity — Promises and practicalities, by
Barbara Neufeld and Dana Roper.
Washington, DC: Aspen Institute Program
on Education and Providence, RI:
Annenberg Institute for School Reform,
2003. www.annenberginstitute.org/images/
Coaching.pdf
The Heart of the Matter: The Coaching Model
in America’s Choice Schools, by Susan M.
Poglinco, Amy J. Bach, Kate Hovde, Sheila
National Staff Development Council
www.nsdc.org
•
Rosenblum, Marisa Saunders, and Jonathan
Supovitz. Philadelphia: The Consortium for
Policy Research in Education, 2003.
www.cpre.org/Publications/AC-06.pdf
Instructional Coaching: Professional
Development Strategies That Improve
Instruction, by Annenberg Institute for
School Reform. Providence, RI: Annenberg
Institute for School Reform, 2004.
www.annenberginstitute.org/images/
InstructionalCoaching.pdf
VIDEO
•
Instructional Coaching: School-Based Staff
Development for Improved Teacher and
Student Learning. Sandy, UT: The School
Improvement Network/VideoJournal, 2005.
29
CHAPTER 1: Roles
Labeling the roles gives them language to discuss
their work. Understanding the roles gives them concrete services to bring into a contracting meeting
with principals and teachers to talk about the available options and to define the scope of their work.
Identifying the roles provides them comfort when
they feel particularly stressed by their many diverse
responsibilities. Understanding the roles helps coaches account for their time and know how they
contribute to results within their schools.
Other roles, beyond the 10 identified here, may
emerge as school-based coaches become more common in schools. Schools and districts may define
certain roles differently from the descriptions in this
book. However, this foundation will give coaches a
jump-start in describing and naming other roles they
fill.
When school-based coaches appear to be everywhere doing everything all the time within a school,
it’s possible that that image is accurate.
30
TAKING THE LEAD: New roles for teachers and school-based coaches
“Coaches are an unusual blend of master
classroom teacher, expert listener, and skillful
questioner. An effective student achievement
coach has a remarkable influence on the culture
of a school and its staff members. I have seen
case after case where student achievement has
improved significantly; when teachers and
administrators are asked to explain the increase,
they agree it is a result of the instructional
leadership of their coach.”
— Marnie Danielski
Staff Development Trainer
Adams 12 Five Star School District
Thornton, Colo.
Reference
Costa, A. & Garmston, R. (2002). Cognitive
coaching: A foundation for renaissance schools, 2nd ed.
Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon.
National Staff Development Council
www.nsdc.org