Director of Leader Programs Nina Fitzerman Blue understands how difficult and lonely school leadership can be. As a former school leader herself she knows it can feel alienating when you don’t always have someone to consult and check your decision making. TLI’s School Leadership Cohort is designed to address this need by making space for […]
Author: Joanna Lein
It’s not one-size-fits all: TLI coaching is listening, relationship building and adapting to real needs.
Like good teaching, effective coaching is built on trusting relationships between coach and school leader. This concept guides TLI’s work with fellows from the onset. Nina Fitzerman-Blue, Director of Leader Programs, explains “I am here to make sure you are not failing as a leader. My entire job is to make you better.” TLI’s School […]
DIY Instructional Leadership Team
In many Oklahoma districts, a single principal can lead a 40-member staff in charge of nearly 600 students. With such a demanding job, principals need a team who’s committed to building instructional skills and getting things done even when the principal is pulled away. Typically, instructional leadership teams include teacher leaders, instructional coaches, additional administrators, […]
Coaching Confidentiality vs. Principal Collaboration: Where Is The Line?
Although instructional coaching evolved from research on teacher supervision and instructional leadership (Knight, 2009; Neumerski, 2013), most instructional coaches do not have the formal authority to evaluate teachers. In contrast to principals who also coach teachers, instructional coaches are usually positioned in a non-evaluatory, supportive role. Despite shared teacher and school improvement goals, the difference […]
3 Reasons School Leaders Fail At Change Management
This is the first in a 6-week change management series in which TLI staff share key leadership moves for managing successful school-based change. Catch the series introduction here. When former Hamilton Elementary principal Tera Carr entered her new school, she felt the urge to make huge changes during her first year on the job. With […]
School-based Change Management Kick-off
By Dr. Joanna Lein Schools leaders are constantly thinking about change. Whether it’s new standards, resources, priorities, or curriculum, school changes require thoughtful roll-outs if you want the new change to be successful. Change management is such a prominent part of the school leader job that Oklahoma’s most prevalent principal evaluation tool, McRel, uses “Managing […]
What is an Instructional Coach?
The instructional coach. In the last decade, school districts have invested a lot of money, time, and energy into building instructional coaching programs. Districts may have reading coaches, math coaches, turnaround coaches, classroom management coaches, gifted specialists, or general instructional coaches. Sometimes coaching positions are tailored to grant-funded priorities, focused on specific implementation efforts, or […]
Must-Have Instructional Coaching Literature
By Dr. Joanna Lein If you’re looking for a few texts to kickstart your instructional leadership practice, we suggest starting with these easy-to-read but information-packed texts. Below we’ve offered a few details to help you decide where to start. Get Better Faster by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo Provides a practical coaching guide, which includes a clearly defined […]