Valerie von Frank

Eugene Norris, instructional coach in central Ohio, shares his tips for creating an environment of open communication that breaks through common barriers.

Leadership teams set the course for school improvement By Valerie von Frank While the principal sets the vision, a good leadership team can set the course and coordinate faculty work to reach the goal. Learn how principals distribute leadership to bring teacher voices into professional learning planning and assessment.

Use these tools to expand thinking about a text and to learn collaboratively from student work.

Learning is the foundation for evaluation By Valerie von Frank When Rhode Island needed to revamp its teacher evaluation system, it brought teachers and administrators to the table to create a system based on solid research and teaching and professional learning standards. Read how they collaborated to build an evaluation […]

Callie Brownlee-Groff, teacher effectiveness coach for Denver Public Schools, uses a focus on student work to build relationships and a team of teacher leaders.

High-performing districts provide clear and specific support to principals By Valerie von Frank According to research, after the classroom teacher, principals have the most direct effect on student achievement. That means that for districts to have the greatest effect on student learning, central office should focus some effort on supporting […]

Virginia member Andrew Rothenberger, technology resource teacher, says knowing when to step back and let teachers discover their own mistakes is part of a coach's job.

Khristopher Henderson, district instructional coach in Duval County (Fla.), stresses the importance of questioning and its effect on teacher reflection for implementing change.

Joylyn McCain, instructional coach at Sunnyslope Elementary School (Phoenix, Ariz.), explains how the best strategy is having multiple strategies.

What learning looks like: Instructional rounds help define and achieve systemwide improvement By Valerie von Frank