Sharron Helmke
Senior Vice President, Professional Services
Sharron Helmke, senior vice president of professional services at Learning Forward, is a professional certified coach with the International Coaching Federation and a Certified Gestalt Professional Coach. She is the author of the recurring “Coaches Corner” feature in The Learning Professional. Sharron formerly served as senior consultant for Learning Forward, leading our Coaches’ Academies and supporting schools, districts, and regional organizations in the implementation of instructional coaching programs, mentoring, and teacher leadership development. She also serves as a content development consultant, supporting the design of Learning Forward’s virtual offerings and customized professional learning, including the ELA Mentor Coaching and the Content Coaching programs. Previously, Sharron served as a classroom teacher, campus based instructional coach, ELA program coordinator, and coordinator of instructional coaching. She holds a doctorate in transformational change for societal impact and her published research focuses on shared leadership for instructional improvement.
All Articles
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Can workshops be high-quality professional learning?
One of the defining features of high-quality professional learning is that it is ongoing, not a one-off event. Learning Forward’s definition of professional learning, which appears in U.S. education legislation, specifies that meaningful professional learning activities “are sustained (not stand-alone, 1-day, or short term workshops), intensive, collaborative, job-embedded, data-driven, and […] -
A tool to help when everything feels urgent
For those who support teachers, it can feel like there are myriad urgent needs, especially when educators are stretched thin and students are struggling, as many are now. How do you prioritize your support, and where do you start? The effort-to-impact matrix is a simple but valuable tool that can […] -
Mentors make all the difference to a new teacher
I still cringe when I remember my first year as a special education teacher at a suburban high school. I met my assigned mentor during the whirlwind week of meetings leading up to the start of school and learned that she was also mentoring two other teachers in addition to […] -
Let's develop learning teams that really improve student outcomes
Like all educators, I see the reports coming out about the scale of “unfinished learning” and it makes my heart hurt – for the students who didn’t get the opportunity to complete the learning they typically would have if not for the pandemic, and for leaders grappling with how to […] -
A web of support for new teachers
What do new teachers need to thrive in their first years in the classroom and beyond? They need a web of support that includes instructional, administrative, social, and other forms of support. This webinar will share best practices in new teacher support, strategies for mentors, and considerations for supporting new […] -
To make a difference for every student, give every new teacher a mentor
I still cringe when I remember my first year as a special education teacher at a suburban high school. I met my assigned mentor during the whirlwind week of meetings leading up to the start of school and learned that she was also mentoring two other teachers in addition to […] -
Why now is exactly the time you should be hiring instructional coaches
During this time of teacher shortages, it is tempting to leave instructional coaching vacancies unfilled in favor of placing—or keeping—those promising experienced candidates in classrooms. Especially now, when pulling teachers out of their classrooms for professional learning is no longer a viable option, instructional coaching is even more critical to […] -
Where to start when everything feels urgent
For those who support teachers, it can feel like there are myriad urgent needs, especially when educators are stretched thin and students are struggling, as many are now. How do you prioritize your support, and where do you start? The effort-to-impact matrix is a simple but valuable tool that can […] -
How to coach while performing ‘other duties as assigned’
I’m hearing from coaches everywhere that they are feeling especially stressed and overwhelmed right now. It’s not because of their coaching roles per se, but because of the “other duties as assigned” that are included in many coaches’ job descriptions. If you are overloaded and questioning how much longer you […] -
How to coach while performing ‘other duties as assigned.’
I’m hearing from coaches everywhere that they are feeling especially stressed and overwhelmed right now. It’s not because of their coaching roles per se, but because of the “other duties as assigned” that are included in many coaches’ job descriptions. If you are overloaded and questioning how much longer you […]
