Principal as Instructional Leader: Designing a Coaching Program That Fits. Issue Brief

The research evidence suggests that strong instructional leaders greatly can impact teaching and learning. There also is increasing recognition that instructional coaches can play an effective role in improving classroom-level practices. A natural way for school leaders to take on the role of instructional leader is to serve as a "chief" coach for teachers by designing and supporting strong classroom-level instructional coaching. No element of an instructional coaching program is more important than its design and fit with the particular needs of each school, its faculty, and its students. Engaging in the processes of: (1) Determining goals and needs; (2) Selecting a coaching approach that meets these needs; and (3) Sustaining the program with time and support--will help ensure that a coaching program improves classroom instruction and student learning. It also builds a principal's instructional leadership capacity by helping the principal understand the needs of students and teachers and the best strategies to meet these needs. (Contains 26 endnotes.) [This issue brief was produced by The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, administered by Learning Point Associates in partnership with the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL), under contract with the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education.]