Academic Coaches

Professional Development Session Resources

Overview

PSRC School Transformation provides service and support to schools across the district. Through a collaborative effort from the central office, PSRC school transformation focuses on building the capacity of all staff serving in K-8 schools across the district to support the improvement of the school performance grade and EVAAS growth score.

The single greatest factor in predicting student achievement is quality teaching. The impact of a quality educator can be measured for years after a student leaves that educator’s classroom. With educators playing such a vital role in learner success, it becomes vital that a campus and the district support educators as they refine and perfect their craft.

To support educators, campus and district staff often provide professional learning opportunities. While the traditional model of district professional learning provides opportunities for educators to learn more about current teaching practice, research indicates that no program, no matter how well presented, will have a positive impact on teaching without ongoing follow-up and support (Knight, 2007). Often these trainings do not provide adequate differentiation and customization to scaffold for the individual needs of educators. It is, therefore, incumbent on a district to create multi-tiered layers of support that ensure each educator is able to achieve his/her personal best.

One layer of support to meet the individual needs of each educator is through a strategic instructional coaching model, which provides ongoing support to educators as they improve their instructional practice, and to further develop the culture of a professional learning community. It is the instructional coaching model that recognizes the needs of each educator and fosters a spirit of collaboration with the ultimate goal of improved student performance.

Our Beliefs

In PSRC, because we believe every educator is a learner the instructional coaching model supports job-embedded professional learning and the implementation of effective instructional practices. With a specific focus on shared practices, collective learning and application, all educators are encouraged to engage in reflection and self-improvement. It is through this process that educators are equipped to help close the achievement gap and accelerate learning for all learners. Additionally, this model serves as a communication link between the district and campus.

With an emphasis on learning environment, curriculum, design and assessment, instructional coaching provides:

Differentiated support to educators as they implement proven practices
Empathetic listeners that build trusting relationships with a repertoire of excellent communication skills
Encouragement and support for educator reflection about their classroom evidence-based practice
Help in creating a plan that realizes the educator’s goals with a focus on improving instruction
Support in developing a deep understanding of evidence-based instructional practices