Instructional Coaching as High-Quality Professional Development

Abstract

In response to policy initiatives calling for the implementation of evidence-based classroom practice, instructional coaches are frequently utilized as providers of professional development (PD). Despite the demand for instructional coaches, there is little empirical evidence that coaching improves teacher practice. We address this limitation by conceptualizing instructional coaching within a research-based framework for PD consisting of 5 key features synthesized from cross-sectional studies, longitudinal studies, and literature reviews of experimental and quasi-experimental studies: content focus, active learning, sustained duration, coherence, and collective participation. When examining understanding instructional coaching through the lens of the 5 empirically predictive elements of effective PD, the model presents itself as a powerful tool for improving teacher knowledge, skills, and practice. It is imperative that future researchers define the next set of questions to further refine the understanding of coaching and how it can and should be executed to leverage professional learning.