Jim Knight
Senior Partner
Jim Knight, senior partner of Instructional Coaching Group, is a research associate at the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning. He has spent more than two decades studying instructional coaching, writing several books on the topic. Knight’s articles on instructional coaching have been included in publications such as the Journal of Staff Development, Principal Leadership, The School Administrator, and Teachers Teaching Teachers. Knight directs several research projects, including Pathways to Success, a comprehensive, district-wide school reform project in the Topeka, Kansas, School District. Knight also leads the Intensive Instructional Coaching Institutes and the Teaching Learning Coaching annual conference. Knight has presented and consulted in more than 40 states, most Canadian provinces, and around the world. He has also won several university teaching, innovation, and service awards.
All Articles
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Take time for self-care
We are experiencing at least five major disruptions simultaneously: a global pandemic, fears about the economy, a national reckoning about racism, divisive rhetoric from Washington, and, if we work in schools, a deep uncertainly about what it is that is we actually do as professionals and how, as schools navigate […] -
Coaching with students at the center: The what, why, and how of coaching for student engagement
Coaching expert Jim Knight of the Kansas Coaching Project led an interactive discussion about why and how coaches’ work with teachers should address student engagement. Students who are engaged are more likely to come to class, learn, and ultimately stay in school. This webinar covered how to measure and improve […] -
Students on the margins
My friend and mentor Don Deshler has directed more than 200 studies in his career and, in the process, significantly shaped how we understand and respond to students who are at risk for failure. One study in particular changed the way Deshler thought about his research. To see the school […] -
Coaching
In the past decade, interest in the form of professional learning loosely described as coaching has exploded. This growing interest in coaching is likely fueled by educators’ recognition that traditional one-shot approaches to professional development — where teachers hear about practices but do not receive follow-up support — are ineffective […] -
Conversations can kick off the coaching
Conversations can kick off the coaching By Jim Knight School-based coaching is still new for many schools. How can leaders get teachers to embrace a coaching program? In this article, Jim Knight outlines the benefits of one-to-one conversations between teachers and coaches. Learn how interviews can be conducted, read sample […] -
5 key points to build a coaching program
A cross America today, hundreds of instructional coaches are being hired to improve professional practice in schools. Preliminary results (Knight, 2007) suggest there are reasons to be optimistic about this form of professional development. Since coaches provide on-site professional learning, they can adapt their approach to meet the unique needs […]
