Some common explanations for the difficulty of transferring newly learned teaching skills and strategies into classroom practice are questioned, and other hypotheses are proposed. Coaching, by peers, supervisors, principals, college instructors, or others, is presented as a strategy to implement innovation in the classroom. (Author/MT)

Teachers, like athletes, are more likely to adopt new ways of doing their jobs if they are coached, and they are also likely to get worse before they get better. This article describes the coaching of teachers and includes an interview with a football coach to illustrate parallels with athletics. (PGD)