1. Are they worth the money?

2. What is a curriculum coach?  Also referred to as  Instructional Coach  Curriculum Specialist  Literacy/Math Coach  Response to Intervention Specialist  Many definitions and variations  “Coaching is a form of sustained, job embedded professional development in that it includes some form of teacher observation” (Denton & Hasbrouk, 2009, p. 171).

3. Activities of a Coach  Observing lessons & providing feedback to teachers  Modeling effective teaching technique & strategies  Advising & supporting teachers to improve lesson design & implementation  Co-teaching

4. Activities of a Coach  Working with teachers to effectively use data to group students & provide interventions  Leading teacher study groups  Helping teachers with the organization and management of their classrooms  Conducting workshops to help teachers introduce new strategies. Taken from: Denton & Hasbrouck, 2009

5. Why are so many schools/districts hiring coaches?  Some states are mandating it for low- performing schools  A large push since NCLB act passed  Is part of many comprehensive school reform models Taken : Miles & Frank, 2008 ; Denton & Hasbrouck, 2009

6. Costs of Curriculum Coaches  Salaries of instructional coaches range anywhere from $35,ooo-$80,000  Large school districts can employ 20-30 instructional coaches.  Total costs = $700,000-$2,400,000  Ways of funding coaches  Title I  Federal grants  General funds Data compiled from various school district websites

7. What makes a curriculum coach successful?  Increased student achievement  Teachers’ value of the coaches  Improved practices and strategies by teachers who work with coaches. Taken from: Denton & Hasbrouck, 2009

8. Are they worth the money?  When used in certain ways, instructional/curriculum coaches are very valuable.  Many times schools and their districts think just hiring coaches will make a difference.  They fail to create a plan for how to use the coaches.

9. Are they worth the money?  Reasons some school succeed with coaches and others do not.  Underspecified rolls & skills for coaches.  Unclear models for how, when, & why coaches work with teachers.  How coaches & teachers are held accountable. Taken from: Miles & Frank, 2008

10. Areas for future research  Minimum qualifications for coaches.  How should coaches be trained?  What should coaches do with their time?  What is the appropriate workload for coaches?  Should a coach be full or part-time?  Does coaching improve teacher practices and student outcomes?

11. References  Denton, C. A., & Hasbrouk, J. (2009). A Description of Instructional Coaching and its Relationship to Consultation. Journal of Educational & Psychological Consultation, 19(2), 150-175. doi:10.1080/10474410802463296  Miles, K.H., & Frank, S. (2008) The Strategic School: Making the most of people time and money. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press