Joellen Killion

Does coaching matter? Yes! Coaching can increase teacher effectiveness and student learning. Successful coaching, however, doesn't happen just by hiring dynamic coaches. Successful coaching requires strong leadership, a clear focus and goals, essential resources, well-prepared staff, monitoring, and rigorous evaluations. Each chapter in this book describes an element of what […]

Educators today have a heightened sense of urgency and stress during this unusual time. While they first worry about their own family and loved ones, they next worry about their students’ social, emotional, and academic well-being and success. Educators, like other adults, are asking questions about their lives, social interactions, […]

As the school year closes, instructional coaches are still hard at work. They are taking the many lessons learned in the last quarter of this school year and using those lessons to plan for a strong, if uncertain, year ahead. Join us for an exploration of how coaches are traversing […]

To make informed decisions about professional learning, educators use data gathered from formative and summative evaluations. In an era of rapid-cycle change as is common with continuous improvement within communities of practice, school improvement, or cycles of inquiry, evaluation becomes a core part of the process. Assessing the impact of […]

The role of coaches at the district and school levels is multifaceted and complex. Among their many roles, coaches support and facilitate educator learning teams; model and co-teach lessons; provide feedback and reflection opportunities for teachers; research curricular materials to support instruction, and collaborate with the leadership team on strategic […]

Coaches make hundreds, if not thousands, of decisions that affect the daily work of teaching and learning. These decisions are not arbitrary; they are guided by the mental models coaches hold. Mental models comprise our assumptions, beliefs, and generalizations, and they shape how we see the world and act in […]

Joellen Killion of Learning Forward, Sophia Thwaites of PCG Education, and Christine Lucas and Joseph Cahill of Fort Bend ISD explain how the Effective Coaching to Strengthen Instruction online course addresses the need for professional learning that is designed specifically for coaches, which is lacking in many districts nationwide.

Joellen Killion and Cindy Harrison of Learning Forward discuss the 10 roles described in the second edition of Taking the Lead: New Roles for Teachers and School-based Coaches, how the roles contribute to teaching quality and student learning, and the overview of the knowledge, skills, and practices associated with each […]