Learning Forward
Equity and excellence in teaching and learning.
Changes In Coaching Study Design Shed Light On How Features Impact Teacher Practice
By Joellen Killion
April 2016
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At A Glance
Overall, a study of one-to-one coaching across two cohorts did not significantly lead to improvements in teaching practice. Exploratory analyses of the features and effects of the two cohorts, however, suggest that changes in the design and focus of coaching may explain the large positive effects on teacher practice in one cohort that were absent in the other.
The study
Blazar, D. & Kraft, M. (2015, December). Exploring mechanisms of effective teaching coaching: A tale of two cohorts from a randomized experiment. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 37(4), 542-566.
What This Means For Practioners
As a small study of the effects of coaching, the study provides multiple opportunities for examining how to examine impact of a program, as specified within the Data standard of Learning Forward’s Standards for Professional Learning. New professional learning initiatives require rigorous evaluation to strengthen and refine them and to ensure that they produce the intended results.
It is unclear how the design of the coaching program studied meets the other Standards for Professional Learning, yet the study offers an example of how to assess a professional learning program. In addition, it provides insights into the features of effective coaching programs that contribute to positive effects on teacher practice.
Because coaching is an increasingly common professional learning practice and one that is not inexpensive, decision makers and policymakers want to consider thoughtfully how to design, implement, and evaluate coaching programs to increase their effects on both educators and students.
Joellen Killion is a senior advisor to Learning Forward and a sought-after speaker and facilitator who is an expert in linking professional learning and student learning. She has extensive experience in planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of high-quality, standards-based professional learning at the school, system, and state/provincial levels. She is the author of many books including Assessing Impact, Coaching Matters, Taking the Lead, and The Feedback Process. Her latest evaluation articles for The Learning Professional are “7 reasons to evaluate professional learning” and “Is your professional learning working? 8 steps to find out.”
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