Examining the Presence and Equitable Distribution of Instructional Coaching Programs and Coaches’ Teaching Expertise Across Tennessee Schools

Using unique statewide panel data from Tennessee, we describe instructional coach (IC) and teacher peer observer (TPO) distributions in terms of their teaching expertise and observable school and district characteristics. The evidence suggests ICs are more likely to work in districts with lower-performing teachers while working in schools with higher-performing teachers. District characteristics largely determine where TPOs work. We also find that ICs and TPOs possess relatively more teaching expertise than classroom teachers and that these positive differences grow in magnitude as the concentration of economically disadvantaged students in a school rises.