Instructional coaching research

conducted by KU-CRL

To date, we have looked for answers to three questions:

  1. Does coaching lead to implementation?
  2. What about fidelity?
  3. What do teachers think about instructional coaching?

Does coaching lead to implementation?

Our research indicates that coaching does indeed lead to successful adoption and effective use of proven instructional methods, with one crucial caveat: The right conditions--in the form of administrative support and qualified coaches--must be in place. In schools in which either of these elements is missing, implementation success rates have been low.

Figure 1

  • Administrative support. The actions and expressed values of principals and district decision-makers can make or break the effectiveness of an instructional coaching program. These two levels of administrative support are critical to the success instructional coaches can achieve within a school.


  • Qualified coaches. Instructional coaches must have a deep understanding of the interventions they share with teachers. Beyond that knowledge, our experience has uncovered a less tangible array of personal qualities that allow an instructional collaborator to succeed: Our coaches are master teachers who are comfortable in any classroom. They love children and love working with children in schools. They possess energy and a positive outlook, making them the kind of people others enjoy being around. Above all, they are able to communicate their deep, honest belief in teachers, even as they suggest ways for teachers to improve.


What about fidelity?

Is it really important for teachers to teach in the manner described in an instructor's manual? Does fidelity matter? We decided that this was an important question to answer if we were going to make fidelity a central goal of coaching. We set out to determine how well students were achieving in what we refer to as "hi-fi" classrooms--those in which teachers' practices closely followed those outlined in instructional manuals--and "low-fi" classrooms--those in which teachers left out significant components of practices outlined in instructional manuals. As illustrated in the graphics, our overall results indicate that yes, fidelity does matter.



Figure 2 Figure 3


(For more details regarding this study, see A Question of Fidelity.)


Table 1


What do teachers think about instructional coaching?

Our survey of 107 teachers provided insight into when coaches should and should not model instructional practices in the classroom. From the teachers' perspective, watching a coach in the classroom was an important part of professional learning. Teachers strongly agreed that watching an instructional coach made it easier for them to implement, increased their fidelity to the instructional model, increased their confidence, and enabled them to learn other teaching techniques. However, teachers also made clear that they did not believe coaches had the skills and knowledge necessary to perform all of the instruction in the classroom. They did not perceive value in watching an instructional coach teach specific course content.



Articles and Publications for further reading