1. March 2011Academy of Pacesetting States1 Coaching as a Tool for School Improvement: The SEA Role Karen Laba Center on Innovation and Improvement

2. March 2011Academy of Pacesetting States2 Welcome!  Purpose of the presentation  Intended outcomes  Brief overview “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might wind up someplace else.” Yogi Berra

3. March 2011Academy of Pacesetting States3 Coaching for School Improvement: WHY?  Local capacity limitations  State capacity limitations  Coherence PLUS: “ Sam said it was a good idea!” Coaches who can outline plays on a black board are a dime a dozen. The ones who win get inside their players and motivate. Vince Lombardi

4. March 2011Academy of Pacesetting States4 ESSENTIAL Coaching Function: Pressure and Support “An outside school coach, properly prepared and sensitive to individual and whole-school concerns, can provide a balance of pressure and support to initiate and sustain meaningful school improvement.” (Kostin and Haeger, 2006)  “properly prepared”  “sensitive...concerns”  “provide a balance of pressure and support...

5. March 2011Academy of Pacesetting States5 Coach’s Responsibilities  Locally defined responsibilities  State expectations  Other considerations A good coach will make his players see what they can be rather than what they are. Ara Parseghian, Notre Dame football coach

6. March 2011Academy of Pacesetting States6 Coach’s Responsibilities: State Expectations  What is the work? Continuous improvement – school, LEA SIG implementation, monitoring Other...  Varying Regulatory Environments, State Contexts !! “Keep it simple. When you get too complex you forget the obvious.” Al Maguire

7. March 2011Academy of Pacesetting States7 SEA Sponsors of Coaching  Some State sponsors of coaching for school improvement – Virginia Illinois New Hampshire Idaho North Dakota Vermont  Coaching within/ beyond Indistar

8. March 2011Academy of Pacesetting States8 SEA Role: Providing Guidance  Essential competencies Personal/ interpersonal, professional Knowledge, skills  Performance Expectations  Advice on recruiting coaches  Advice on contracting for coaching services "Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the Me for the We." Phil Jackson

9. March 2011Academy of Pacesetting States9 PACESETTER SEA SHARE What are some examples of guidance offered by Pacesetter (and other) states around the qualities and competencies of school improvement coaches? Finding good players is easy. Getting them to play as a team is another story. Casey Stengel Casey Stengel

10. March 2011Academy of Pacesetting States10 SEA Role: Communicating Expectations Consider Doug Reeves’ advice: “Effective coaching focuses on changing performance. Therefore, the first requirement of any coaching relationship is that the person receiving the coaching must agree that a change in performance will be useful. Throwing coaches at teachers and principals who have not first agreed that improved student performance is essential will be a waste of time and money.” (Reeves, 2009, p. 75) SEA Expectations = (a) tasks (EASY !!) (b) purpose/ reason (HARD!!) Task expectations – checklists (Guide, pp. 44, 51, 52) Purpose expectations – How can the SEA communicate the need for “a change in performance”? Typical – Federal and/or state accountability sanctions Optimal – Inspire pursuit of excellence “You get the best effort from others not by lighting a fire beneath them, but by building a fire within.” Bob Nelson, Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders.

11. March 2011Academy of Pacesetting States11 PACESETTER SEA SHARE What are some ways SEAs are communicating expectations – for both school improvement tasks and the need for a change in performance? Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better. Pat Riley, NBA Coach

12. March 2011Academy of Pacesetting States12 SEA Role: Monitoring Effectiveness *What Gets Monitored Gets Done* Monitoring Compliance measures – checklists, self-reports Indistar® coaching comments – quality, frequency Monitoring Impact Intended outcomes/ audience Trustworthy measures Instructional practices Organizational structures Professional learning

13. March 2011Academy of Pacesetting States13 PACESETTER SEA SHARE What are some ways SEAs are monitoring coaching, both for compliance and for impact? “Look for players with character and ability. But remember, character comes first." Joe Gibb, NFL Redskins

14. March 2011Academy of Pacesetting States14 Coaching Tools and Resources Coaching for School Improvement: A Guide for Coaches and their Supervisors www.centerii.org www.centerii.org -- Coaching for School Improvement -- Coaching with Indicators -- Selecting and Supporting School Improvement Coaches -- Monitoring Coaching Indistar® Blog http://indistar.blogspot.com/http://indistar.blogspot.com/ Share your stories, strategies and coaching successes and challenges

15. March 2011Academy of Pacesetting States15 Feedback and Next Steps Send comments, suggestions to Karen karenlaba@comcast.net karenlaba@comcast.net and/or Marilyn Murphy murphyma@temple.edu “I have a plan of action, but the game is a game of adjustments.” Mike Krzyzewski, Duke basketball