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Instructional Coaches and the Instructional Leadership Team

A Guide for School-Building Improvement

By: Dean T. Spaulding, Gail M. Smith

Help teachers improve their practice from day one! This unique companion provides an inside look at the daily work of an instructional coach and offers activities, materials, and data collection forms.

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Product Details

Grade Level: PreK-12
ISBN: 9781452226385
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2012
Page Count: 160
Publication date: December 21, 2012

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Description

Supercharge school improvement with instructional coaches!

For instructional coaches, no two days are ever the same. This unique companion melds theory and practice to show how coaches can seamlessly integrate themselves into the fabric of the school and help teachers improve their practice from day one. Dean Spaulding and Gail Smith address common challenges of coaches and instructional leadership teams, including:

Observing classrooms and providing formative feedback
Reaching out to the hesitant or resistant teacher
Adapting data and analysis into usable information for the team
Recruiting, training, and supporting new instructional coaches

Journal entries based on the real-life experiences give an inside look at the day-to-day work of an instructional coach and the power of coaching to improve teacher effectiveness. The book also includes field-tested activities, materials, and forms for collecting data, navigating busy days, and organizing information.

Instructional Coaches and the Instructional Leadership Team is ideal for those wanting to learn best practices to engage educators and support teacher evaluation reform.

"This book would have made my life SO much easier. I highly recommend it to new and experienced instructional coaches alike!"
—Kathy Ferrell, Instructional Coach
Excelsior Springs Middle School, MO

"This is a wonderful resource. Even schools without instructional coaches will benefit from the strategies and suggestions included. It's an excellent book even for those who shy away from data analysis!"
—Ann Dargon, Assistant Superintendent of Schools
Westport Community Schools, MA

Key features

This book contains numerous pedagogical devices, a toolbox, to help readers understand the scale and responsibilities of the instructional coach position. These materials were developed and field tested with instructional coaches (ICs). Included are:

Surveys for ICs to use to gather feedback from teachers and staff in order to plan needed professional development
Classroom observational protocols to help guide ICs during classroom observations
Data collection instruments to use when working with teachers to collect data for action research projects to improve practice
Templates and graphic organizers for ICs to plan busy days and weeks, and to organize information from various stakeholders
Templates for helping ICs conduct reviews of literature and research on effective, scientifically based instructional practices
Numerous cases based on extensive research
Self-study and group activities

Author(s)

Dean T. Spaulding

Dr. Dean T. Spaulding is currently an assistant professor at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, where he teaches educational research and program evaluation. Dr. Spaulding is the former chair of the Teaching Evaluation SIG for the American Evaluation Association. He also has been a professional evaluator/researcher for fifteen years and has in-depth experience serving as an evaluator on multiple state and federally funded projects. More specifically, he has conducted evaluation for programs focusing on K-12 settings, the use of technology in the classroom, as well as working in the area of teaching and learning with at-risk youth populations. At the government/state agency level, Dr. Spaulding has conducted research and provided programmatic feedback for New York State Department of Education, New York Sate Department of Public Health, and the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH). Dr. Spaulding also is one of the authors of Methods in Educational Research: From Theory to Practice, 2006, Jossey-Bass Wiley, San Francisco, and the author of Program Evaluation in Practice: Core Concepts and Examples for discussion and Analysis (2008), Jossey-Bass Wiley, and Action Research for School Leaders (2012). Dr. Spaulding is also a consultant at Z Score Inc. dspaulding @zscore .net

Gail M. Smith

Gail Smith, a native of Brooklyn New York, received her BA and MS at State University College at Oneonta, NY. She received her masters’ in education administration at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Her thirty-six year career at an upstate New York urban school district included positions as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent and deputy superintendent of schools. In 1988, Gail was one of five finalists for New York State Teacher of the Year. After retiring, Ms. Smith worked for two years as an administrator at two different schools on Native American reservations in Arizona and New Mexico. She returned to her home district in July 2008 to work as a consultant and mentor for their Instructional Leadership/Instructional Coaches project. She also is the proud mother of three children.

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

1. I'm So Glad You're Here! The First Day as an Instructional Coach

What Is an Instructional Coach (IC)?

The Instructional Coach - The Early Explorer

Step One: Establish an Instructional Leadership Team (ILT)

Step Two: Establish a Job Description for the IC

Step Three: Establish the Role and Responsibilities for the IC

Step Four: Develop an Action Plan for the IC

Summary

2. The Instructional Coach and the Instructional Leadership Team: A Unique Approach

The Priorities of a School Leader

Priority Two and Strong Instructional Leadership (SIL)

The Instructional Leadership Team (ILT)

An Equal and Shared Voice

Basic Steps for the ILT

Summary

3. Refocus and Start Again! The Instructional Leadership Team Supporting the Instructional Coach

How the IC Carries Out the ILT's Plan

Selection and Implementation of a New Curriculum

IC Providing Professional Development (PD) and Technical Assistance

Feedback for the ILT

Professional Development for the IC

Using Data to Support the ILT and IC

The "Why Is That?" Analysis Technique

Ways the Principal Can Support the IC

How to Work With the Principal

Dos and Don'ts for the Principal/IC Meeting

Summary

4. The Day-to-Day Work of the Instructional Coach

Getting Started

Basic Ways to Work With Teachers

Working With Teachers in Their Classrooms

Summary

5. An Idea for the Day: Strategies and Ideas to Encourage Engagement Between Teachers and the ILT

Summary

6. Assessing Individual and Group Strengths: Strategies for Working With the Resistant Teacher

Who Is the Resistant Teacher?

The IC and Private Investigator

Search and Rescue: Thirteen Strategies for Mining for Gold

Summary

7. Changing Teacher Practices Through Classroom Field-Testing - The ILT's Role

Classroom Field-Testing: A Possible Open Door?

Professional Development Activity

How The Instructional Leadership Team Can Support Action Research

Presenting Classroom Field-Testing Projects

Summary

8. The ILT's Role in Changing Teacher Practices Buildingwide

Professional Development and Changing Teacher Practices

The Role of the IC in Changing Teacher Practices: A Buildingwide Effort

Steps in Establishing a Large-Scale Evidence-Based Framework

The Power of Evidence-Based Classroom Studies

Summary

9. A New Coach in Town! The ILT's Role in Training New Instructional Coaches

What Has Happened Here?

What Should Everyone Do?

The Game Plan: Get Started Right Away!

Player/Coach: Mentor Coaching 101

What's in It for Me? Benefits of the New Mentor Coach Role

Advice From The Field: Tips From Current Instructional Coaches

Everyone Wins: Coaching the Coach Sharpens Everyone's Game

10. Toolbox for the Instructional Coach: Examples of Surveys, Protocols, and Tools

Parent Survey

Teacher Survey

Workshop Training Teacher Survey

Professional Development Planning Sheet

IC Planning Sheet #1

IC Planning Sheet #2

IC Planning Sheet #3

IC Planning Sheet #4

IC Planning Sheet #5

IC Planning Sheet #6

Needs Assessment Survey

Promising Practices Building Survey

References

Index

Reviews

This book would have made my life SO much easier the last four years that I have spent as an Instructional Coach. I would highly recommend it to new or experienced instructional coaches alike!

Kathy Ferrell, Instructional Coach
Excelsior Springs Middle School, Excelsior Springs, MO

Instructional Coaches and the Instructional Leadership Team provides a plethora of information to help the first year coach to develop his or her skill set.

Tanna H. Nicely, Assistant Principal
Dogwood Elementary, Knoxville, TN

This is a wonderful resource. Even schools without Instructional Coaches will benefit from the strategies and suggestions included in this book. It’s an excellent book even for those who shy away from data analysis!

Ann Dargon, Assistant Superintendent of Schools
Westport Community Schools, Westport, MA

This book provides the essential guide for campuses implementing the instructional coaching model to maintain the focus and integrity of their program.

Cathy Patterson, Teacher
Walnut Valley Unified School District, Walnut, CA

Other Titles in: Instructional Leadership | Leadership | Staff Supervision / Evaluation / Retention

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