In this #coachbetter episode Kim talks with Donna Spangler, who spent the majority of her career working in US public schools as a teacher, then coach, then chair of a team of coaches, then assistant principal and president of her teacher’s union. She also served as President of the Pennslyvania chapter of Learning Forward, and now works as a coach through Sibme and Executive Director of Edjacent, which is a company that supports educators and change makers. All of these experiences center around Donna’s passion for professional learning for adults, and this episode focuses on one of her key areas of expertise: coaching for impact (not activity).

In this episode Donna and Kim talk about:

what makes coaching so impactful for schools
How coaches create meaningful change in teachers’ instruction and positively impact the school building and system
the difference between measuring coaching impact vs coaching activity and why coaching impact is so important
Why coaches might consider creating a coaching impact report
How can coaches can ensure they are retaining focus on impact – rather than activity, especially when they might feel pressure to demonstrate “activity”
How coaches can create sustainable structures for ongoing data collection.
the systems and structures need to be in place for international schools who are building coaching programs
the common pitfalls that schools (and school leaders) often fall into when building coaching programs

This episode is a GOLD MINE of practical advice and strategies for instructional coaches who not only want to make an impact but want to be able to document and share that impact with others.

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Show Notes

Please tell us about your background in education

Currently ED of Edjacent and Executive Coach at Sibme. Previously public school teacher for 29 years, 6 years as instructional coach. Always interested in professional learning of adults, just kept circling

In your experience, what makes coaching so impactful for schools?

Instructional coaching is at the intersection between professional learning and classroom practice, not about telling teachers what to do, but partnering with them to improve instruction.

Personalized on the job support, ongoing and collaborative, very different than a one and done workshop

Real impact shows up in student learning. Coaching helps teachers implement proven strategies

Schools and systems: culture of continuous improvement, builds collaboration, aligns instructional goals, if it’s measured

Just because you have a good teacher, doesn’t mean that the teacher is going to grow at a certain rate.

How do coaches create meaningful change in teachers’ instruction and positively impact the school building and system?

Focus on the three Ps:

Partnership: sometimes coaches think they’re mini principals, you don’t have positional authority, you have relational influence, it’s about partnering with teachers to improve their practice. When teachers feel safe and supported, they’ll impact their practice

Practice: work shoulder to shoulder: planning lessons, modeling strategies, observing lessons, giving feedback, embedded real time learning.

Progress: coaches help align instruction with district goals and facilitate collaborative learning culture and use data to show growth. When it’s measured and shared it builds momentum, trust and sustainability

Please tell us about the difference between measuring coaching impact vs coaching activity? (what is coaching impact)?

Coaching activity is not necessarily coaching impact. Activity tracks what the coach is doing: it’s about effort, but that effort alone doesn’t tell you if coaching is making a difference. Activity answers the question: what did the coach do. It’s about counting inputs. It tells us that the coach is active, but it doesn’t tell us if it’s making a difference

Coaching impact is about results. Focuses on evidence of teacher growth and practice. Answers the questions: what changed because of coaching.

Activity measures your businesses, impact measures your effectiveness. Input vs output

You can’t make more time, you can’t get it from nowhere

You named 5 reasons why coaching impact is so important (my head was about to fall off my neck, I was nodding so hard). Please tell us about those reasons and why coaches should be aware of all of them.

Accountability: whether you like it or not, it takes time, funding and resources. Measuring gives stakeholders clear evidence that

Data informed decision making: when you collect data coaches can adjust their practice – more or less

Teacher professional growth and student achievement: improving teaching and having students thrive – sharing this data helps teachers see their growth and help them stay motivated to refine instruction

Continuous improvement: coaches need to grow too – tracking impact helps coaches refine their own work

Advocacy and report: when coaches demonstrate impact, you get buy in from teachers. Helps leaders to see what you’re doing. When we don’t measure impact coaching becomes a nice to have, instead of a must have

Why might coaches want to consider creating a coaching impact report?

It helps you tell your story in a meaningful way. So often coaches, like educators, do amazing things but the stories aren’t captured, so it can be invisible to your supervisors, colleagues and even yourself. A coaching impact report helps validate the coaching program, and see clear results. Helps buy in from teachers. Promotes continuous improvement for the coaching team.

Moves us along from “we’re busy” to “here’s how we’re making a difference

Gives you an opportunity to stop and celebrate

How can coaches ensure they are retaining focus on impact – rather than activity, especially when they might feel pressure to demonstrate “activity”?

It’s a real challenge because we think that activity is going to make or break it, but that’s not it. Start with a clear goal – wherever you are in the year – and set some teacher centered or student centered goals that align with district goals. Regularly collect evidence of growth (quantitative and qualitative). Build reflection into your practice – that’s always the first thing that we drop. Being busy doesn’t make you better. Looking at what you’re doing and thinking about whether or not it’s making a difference is what makes you better – and you can only do that through reflection. Is what I’m doing making a difference for the students, if not, pivot.

You want to know what instructional shifts and student outcomes we’re seeing.

What’s YOUR level of coaching mastery?

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Show Notes continued…

You note that “Schools rarely require or train coaches on how to collect any data to assess the effectiveness of coaching programs.” This is a key area of focus in the work I do with coaches and leaders, for exactly the reason you state. For many coaches it’s challenging to create sustainable structures for ongoing data collection. What processes have worked in your experience?

Whenever we were going to do big coaching work (coaching cycle or more than a one-off) build data collection into that existing coaching work: set a pre & post goal, goal rubrics, reflection prompts. Be intentional about building data collection into work you’re already doing.

Use a consistent coaching log or tracker. Don’t just track the teacher you’re working with, track the teacher goals, strategies that were implemented, evidence of practice, blend qualitative and quantitative, capture teacher reflections, collect student work samples (beginning and end).

Schedule regular reflection or data review

Look at trends

Celebrate successes

Keep it manageable

Simple and consistent will beat overwhelming and complex every time

Align data to initiatives for the year – so it serves multiple purposes

Teacher reflection on instructional growth (before & after reflection log), evidence of classroom practice shifts (observation tool, walkthrough data tied to coaching goals), student learning evidence (pre & post work samples or engagement data)

Thinking about schools building instructional coaching programs now, what systems and structures need to be in place (particularly for international schools, who are often starting from scratch)? Please tell us about the 6 Pillars of Coaching for Impact.

Learning Forward: 6 Pillars of Coaching for Impact – big picture framework that helps you think about what needs to be place for coaching to thrive, good at the what and why, but it’s not so great on the how. You don’t get too far without the how.

Coaches can model, advocate, align your work, build culture, even if the district isn’t supporting it. 95% of all leadership comes from the middle (todd whittaker)

6 Pillars:

System vision & commitment: can’t be an add on – needs to be aligned with vision and priorities
Recruitment & productivity: intentional about selecting coaches – educators who are good with kids may not be good coaches, a difference between pedagogy and andragogy
Shared responsibility: shouldn’t be up to the coaches to figure everything out, coaches should be partners in school success
Development support: ongoing PD for coaches – being given a book is not enough
Role Clarity, Time & Culture: coaching role has to be clearly defined, from the school, from the coach – not a once and done thing, ongoing clarity and communication about this is required
Sustainability: funded & recognized for what it is, a teacher leadership role, or a temporary initiative.

Provides a strong foundation of the what & why, helps ensure your success. If you have the what and the why and don’t have the how, you’re going to run into problems.

Given those 6 pillars, what are some common pitfalls that schools (and school leaders) often fall into?

Lack of role clarity: when schools and coaches don’t define (and redefine it), coaches start to get pulled for administrative tasks (for subbing, test prep, compliance work, duty). If coaching time isn’t protected, impact suffers

Focusing on activity not impact – not being focused on what’s changing for teachers & students; calendars don’t tell the whole story, outcomes do

Professional growth for coaches is essential. Coaches need to understand relational influence not positional authority. You aren’t hired for coach and miraculously know how to coach, you need training, you need time to collaborate, even coaches need coaching from someone who understands walking in the “gray area” of informal leadership

11. One last thought

Don’t lose sight of the difference you’re making, even if it’s hard to measure in that moment, every small shift in practice can ripple

Leaders build coaching programs with impact in mind from the very start

Resource: A Coaching for Impact Mini-Guide (for this episode by Donna Spangler)

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Coaching for Impact, Not Activity with Donna Spangler [291]