Making Instructional Coaching a Worthwhile Investment

Researchers with the American Institutes for Research lay out four strategies for shaping what happens between coaches and teachers

Instructional coaching is a big-ticket item, at least compared to other investments in the professional learning of teachers. So you have to ask yourself: Is it really worth the money, time and organizational attention that it takes?

Researchers don’t have a complete answer. If you look across the relevant studies, you can discern a positive impact on student achievement, on average (see “The Effect of Teacher Coaching on Instruction and Achievement” in the February 2018 issue of Review of Educational Research). But those studies focus on programs that researchers developed, which may not look much like yours or those developed by school districts.

Plus, it’s hard for central-office leaders to know what coaches are really doing. Even the best coaches can struggle to connect with particular teachers, get overwhelmed or ignore important priorities.

For an investment in instructional coaching to make sense, you need a way to ensure coaching is high-quality districtwide. But how?