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How to maximize coaching’s return on investment
By Tara Anderson and Ash Holland
Categories: Coaching, Learning systems/planning, ResourcesAugust 2025
In districts across the U.S., leaders and teachers are focused on supporting their students in a time of considerable budget pressure. With student outcomes declining (Center on Reinventing Public Education [CRPE], 2024) and absenteeism at alarmingly high rates (Office of Communications and Outreach, n.d.), it’s more important than ever to make sure every dollar districts spend has a strong impact on student learning. Research shows instructional coaching is a strategy that drives instructional improvement, teacher retention, and student achievement (De Jong & Campoli, 2018; Kraft et al., 2018). Yet far too often districts eliminate instructional coaching positions to achieve cost savings without measuring and reflecting on the outcomes coaching generates or considering how to leverage coaching to drive even better outcomes. Sustaining strategic and effective
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References
Center on Reinventing Public Education. (2024). The state of the American student: Fall 2024. tinyurl.com/3h4uafj6
De Jong, D. & Campoli, A. (2018). Curricular coaches’ impact on retention for early-career elementary teachers in the USA: Implications for urban schools. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 7(2), 191-200. tinyurl.com/yc36j8ku
Education Resource Strategies (2022, May 31). How implementing a “Continuous Improvement ROI” model can help districts maximize ESSER outcomes. tinyurl.com/2dxzmzn9
Education Resource Strategies (n.d.-a). Return on investment in education: A guide to a system strategy approach. tinyurl.com/5reuy2yd
Education Resource Strategies (n.d.-b). Unlocking resources through scheduling: How Lubbock Independent School District used scheduling to enable instructional, staffing, and budget priorities. tinyurl.com/3us8kncd
Kraft, M.A., Blazar, D., & Hogan, D. (2018). The effect of teaching coaching on instruction and achievement: A meta-analysis of the causal evidence. Review of Educational Research, 88(4), 547-588. tinyurl.com/32acfazj
Office of Communications and Outreach (n.d.). Chronic absenteeism. U.S. Department of Education. tinyurl.com/58abksr6
Tara Anderson is a Partner at Education Resource Strategies and leads ERS’ Human Capital Practice Area. She works with district and state partners to design schools to make teaching more attractive and sustainable. She has supported school systems to develop staffing models and schedules that expand the reach of great teachers to more students, dramatically increase time for teacher collaboration, and better support early career teachers. She is a former elementary school teacher and new teacher induction coach.
Ash Holland is a communications and editorial consultant with Education Resource Strategies and former college-level educator. She works hand in hand with nonprofits to produce content related to education equity and reform.
Categories: Coaching, Learning systems/planning, Resources
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