For the third year running, Brenda Mathews’ Tennessee school district has earned an overall score of Level 5 — the top assessment score — in the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System. Additionally, for the first time in three years the district received a score of 5 in all individual subject areas: literacy, numeracy, science, and social studies. The district’s commitment to student excellence is reflected in its focus on high-quality professional learning and its belief that effective teachers and school leaders make the greatest impact on student achievement.

As an instructional coach and professional learning advisor, Mathews’ field expertise contributes to the district’s success. She presents professional learning sessions and works with teachers on high-impact strategies, such as literacy-based activities, standards-based objectives, and standards-aligned instruction. For many years, she has enhanced her work supporting teachers with a Learning Forward membership.

What is the focus of your work as a coach and advisor?

My primary responsibility is moving teacher knowledge to practice. Teachers can attend professional learning sessions, but they may need someone to guide them in implementing the strategy and the curriculum. Knowing is not the same as doing. Teachers can know what they’re supposed to do, but if they don’t have access to someone to assist them during the implementation process, we’ve wasted their time.

For example, our new executive director of the office of literacy developed a list of seven high-impact strategies. During the summer he brought together all teachers to share the vision for literacy instruction and explained the strategies.

When I go into a classroom I show up as a coach, a supporter, and a resource. During my initial visit, I informally observe the teacher and focus on use of those seven strategies. At the start of a class I look for a literacy-based focusing activity and a state standards-aligned objective, which must be written in student-friendly language. Additionally, I look for a daily agenda that informs students how instruction in the literacy block will flow.

I want to make sure our teachers are using our district-adopted, high-quality instructional materials and curriculum for the body of the lesson. Then I’m looking for whether the teachers are modeling their thinking and checking for students’ understanding.

The next component I look for is engagement opportunities, such as calling on different students and interactions between the teacher and individual students. Engagement between two or more students is also important because they learn through collaborative conversations. We also want to see some small-group instruction. At the end of the class, I look for a literacy-based closing activity to give students a final opportunity to show whether they understood the lesson objectives and can show their understanding.

What are some strategies you use to connect with teachers?

Teaching is hard, and with people coming in and out of your classroom — not just the coach, but the principal, the assistant principal, and the professional learning community coach — it can be overwhelming for a new teacher. I try to make them as comfortable as possible.

When I was a kindergarten teacher, I had people come document what I was saying and doing. I wish they had worked with me and asked, “How does this help your students learn? Have you thought about trying another strategy?” Now as a coach, when I go in I’m engaging in real-time coaching. I’m not always writing anything down; sometimes I write my notes after my classroom visit.

How does your district support new teachers?

I support new and novice teachers with zero to three years’ experience. Many of them are on permits, which means they have not gone through teacher preparation programs, and some of them are enrolled in college right now. I’m helping them learn about pedagogy and high-quality curriculum, how to organize their classrooms, and instructional delivery.

With real-time coaching, I try to develop a relationship with the teacher so I’m able to model a procedure or practice, which requires me to know the curriculum. I enter my informal observation into the district’s online dashboard, which informs the district of the need for specific professional learning opportunities. Data from my informal observation is used to develop teacher goals that we focus on during coaching sessions. I determine coaching session activities I will engage in with that person going forward.

For example, we may engage in co-planning and instructional delivery. I note progress made after each coaching session, write additional notes and next steps, and upload artifacts and resources for the teacher, principal, and me. The model we’re using is supportive. It does not affect their formal evaluation.

What Learning Forward resources support your work?

Learning Forward is my happy place! I’ve been with the organization for decades, since before the National Staff Development Council changed its name to Learning Forward in 2010. It keeps me abreast of everything that’s going on in education. I’ve been given the opportunity to be part of a national organization just by paying one membership fee. It’s not expensive and I can easily cover it if I skip going out for lunch a few times.

I use personal funds to pay for the conference fee and travel and lodging expenses so I can attend Learning Forward’s conference every year. There I can meet new people, network, hear other perspectives on how education is being changed in other districts, and learn how teachers are being supported. I volunteer every time I attend. I was selected for the host committee for the 2022 Tennessee conference in Nashville. There, I participated in a conference panel about why Learning Forward is important to me, and I talked about how it’s so diverse. Also, I met virtually with Tennessee Congress representatives to advocate for Title II-A funds for professional learning. You meet people from different countries and different school systems. They may approach the work in different ways, but our goal is the same: to improve teaching and learning.

I also love Learning Forward’s website because you can search for resources on different topics and find information to support teachers. I use articles from The Learning Professional and read the Connect newsletter. Learning Forward has done the research, so all I have to do is read and decide how I can implement the information in the work I’m doing with teachers.

One of my favorite recent articles in The Learning Professional was “Coaching heavy, coaching light,” by Joellen Killion in the August 2024 issue. I noted the part about how being viewed as credible is essential to being a coach. Acting on what matters builds credibility. You can’t address everything you see happening in the classroom, so I try to find a high-impact strategy or task to improve teaching and learning.

What’s next for you?

I’m a lifelong learner. I’ve served in many roles — classroom teacher, literacy specialist, literacy coach, adjunct reading professor, staff development coordinator, and professional learning advisor — that have prepared me to work successfully with our teachers. I’m still working because I love working with teachers. I want to see them and their students be successful.

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