Michael Barry
7/8 Building Instructional Coach
Michael Barry is a certified building instructional coach at Deer Path Middle School in Lake Forest School District 67, Illinois, with over 20 years of experience in education. He supports grades 5–8 teachers across content areas, focusing on inclusive practices, literacy and mathematics instruction, co-teaching, and data-driven professional learning. A former middle school ELA and science teacher and ELA department chair, Michael brings a systems-level lens to instructional improvement. He is a member of the Learning Forward Academy (Class of 2026) and serves as a Board Member at Large for Learning Forward Illinois, with a commitment to equity, teacher efficacy, and improved outcomes for students with IEPs.
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Moving from fragmentation to cohesive learning
For many years, our Monday afternoon professional learning time, referred to as Continuous Instructional Improvement (CII), was well-intentioned but fragmented. Sessions varied by teams and topics, initiatives competed for attention, and the impact on classroom practice was inconsistent. While each session had value, the absence of a shared through-line made […]
