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 […]
Category: Instructional Coaching
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 […]
Social Justice Leadership Bookshelf
This post is the second of a two-part series by Jennifer Burris, a Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland and Summer Professional Development Specialist at TLI. If you’re looking for social justice leadership reading or maybe you need more text-heavy resources after reading “What is Social Justice Leadership?,” this list is for you. Below […]
What is Social Justice Leadership?
This post is the first of a two-part series by Jennifer Burris, a Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland and Summer Professional Development Specialist at TLI. Social justice leadership is not just for administrators. All stakeholders who strive for educational equity must be committed to continuously evaluating themselves and the systems they work in […]
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 […]