Why Coaching and Coaching-Based Supervision

A PERSONAL REFLECTION ON COACHING

I am still in awe when I see effective coaching in action.  During my granddaughter’s recent softball tournament, I observed her coach working with very emotional, pre-teen girls during a softball tournament. It reminded me of my experiences coaching and supporting novice principals taking on high stress tasks such as orchestrating faculty meetings or facilitating  professional learning communities. The softball player and novice principal have much in common. Both are team members subject to high expectations for performance and leadership. The principal and the athlete have participated in  preparation programs to gain the skills and knowledge necessary for their work, yet both realize that prior learning and experience do not prepare them for every situation on the field or in a school.

Watching my granddaughter being coached by an individual who understood the importance of building trust, listening, modeling and observing was very gratifying. This softball coach used all of the same moves that I have observed in skilled K-12 leadership coaching.

A coach demonstrates great skill with the coachee, asking questions to check for understanding. Only when it is clear that the individual lacks the skills and knowledge to tackle the task, does the coach provide instruction, resources, and sometimes modeling. The coach is able to build confidence in the principal or athlete by empowering the individual to self-assess a problem, consider options and resources, and test new strategies or techniques.

The coach is able to build confidence in the principal or athlete by empowering the individual to self-assess a problem, consider options and resources, and test new strategies or techniques.

In most cases in, people are either assigned a coach, or they seek out an experienced coach to work with them so that they can improve their knowledge for a task or job. The individual wants to be a more effective catcher on the softball team, a more skilled singer in the choir, or a more effective principal impacting student learning in a school. Most individuals want to contribute and  perform at a high level of success.  My granddaughter had been practicing with a batting coach for weeks to improve her technique, spending hours in a batting cage practicing, and watching videos of college athletes who serve as inspiration and motivation. Her coach recognized this effort and desire because she had spent time with her during practice sessions listening, asking questions, and building a relationship. She understood her desire to improve and deliver for the team. During the game,  I observed the coach watching my granddaughter as she leaned into the pitch to swing the bat. She immediately called time out and walked over to my granddaughter, said something to her about how she was leaning into the pitch, asked her some questions to check for understanding, modeled, and then walked away.  After that short coaching intervention,  my granddaughter  Audrey confidently hit a double.

My granddaughter’s coach made an observation, asked questions, provided feedback and instruction, and the player performed better as a result of the coaching interaction. Observing this process was affirmation of the influence an effective coach can have on the coachee who is willing to listen, test new ideas, and accept the results of the decision they make.

WHY COACHING?

Teacher and principal preparation programs at universities are experiencing a decline in applications to their programs. Teaching positions are filled with substitutes. Principals are leaving for less stressful positions. Public education is experiencing a talent crisis. Educators are feeling under-compensated, under-valued and less respected for the work they do. At a time when the job of teaching and administration are more challenging, there is a smaller pool of qualified candidates for the positions.

In this time of crisis, it is essential to step back and reflect on what we are asking educators to do and how we support them.  How do school leader preparation programs prepare individuals to be day-one ready to lead a challenging school? How is the novice principal further developed and supported on the job? Novice and experienced educators want to know that there will be support and career options. Districts that provide a pathway that includes teacher leadership, specialists’ positions, and a principal pipeline for bridging the transition from the classroom to an administrative role are demonstrating a commitment to talent development. Creating new opportunities for experienced principals to serve as mentors, professional developers and principal supervisors expands the choices within the system and may deter early departure that creates disruption.

Districts that provide a pathway that includes teacher leadership, specialists’ positions, and a principal pipeline for bridging the transition from the classroom to an administrative role are demonstrating a commitment to talent development. 

Educators need more than a pathway—they expect continuous learning opportunities including a well-trained coach to support their professional growth. Working with a coach who has been trained in Blended Coaching, building relationships and trust, serving as an observer of practice, interpreting and assessing the problems and needs of the individual, and providing opportunities for instruction, collaboration and consultation should be a priority. Just like the softball player who wanted to hit the homerun, the novice principal wants to meet goals for school improvement and student achievement. An experienced coach can provide the support necessary to accomplish those professional goals.

As school districts rethink recruitment, hiring, and the development and support of principals, it is essential that they consider the research that supports the investment in principal pipeline planning. Principals have a significant impact on students and the schools they lead. According to a 2015 report funded by the Wallace Foundation titled How Principals Affect Students and Schools, the researchers found that “across six rigorous studies estimating principals’ effects using panel data, principals’ contributions to student achievement were nearly as large as the average effects of teachers identified in similar studies. Principals’ effects, however, are larger in scope because they are averaged over all students in a school, rather than a classroom” (Grissom, Egalite, and Lindsay, xiv). The report also emphasized the importance of principal quality.  In the report the researchers stated that “replacing a principal at the 25th percentile in effectiveness with one at the 75th percentile can increase annual student learning in math and reading by almost three months” and principals really matter. Indeed, given not just the magnitude but the scope of principal effects, which are felt across a potentially large student body and faculty in a school, it is difficult to envision an investment with a higher ceiling on its potential return than a successful effort to improve principal leadership” (pg. 43).I recommend that we try to improve the skills and knowledge of an ineffective principal before we replace them unless they are doing harm to children and staff. Using a model of blended coaching and coaching based supervision aligned to the professional standards for educational leaders, the ineffective principal can learn evidence-based strategies that improve his practice. Before we rush to remove, I suggest we rush to improve with facilitative and instructional coaching.

As the demand for highly effective school leadership increases and the talent pool continues to diminish, school board members and district leaders must assess the working conditions necessary to recruit and retain talent. Creating a diverse principal pipeline plan that is aligned to professional education leadership standards and includes strategies to identify, develop, and support educators should be a priority for school districts.  Coaching and coaching-based supervision should be an expectation for professional growth. Remember the softball player who received coaching during the game? She hit the ball to center field, made it to third base, and helped the team score two runs. Providing some coaching and support at just the right time can make a huge difference in the coachee’s performance.  Effective coaching can create a transformational  moment for both a softball player and a principal.