There is a need for school leaders to be able to address barriers that prevent historically marginalized students from being successful in school while also preparing them to be democratic citizens. There is evidence that many school leaders enter the profession underprepared to be able to provide the needed support for equity. This qualitative…

Today's math students must be able to problem-solve, reason, and communicate in math. That said, teachers on the elementary level must change their beliefs on how mathematics should be taught. Marzano (2003) stated that the classroom teacher is the single-most important factor in student learning. The second important factor in student learning is…

While research suggests that effective implementation of professional learning communities (PLCs) increases student achievement and that effective utilization of instructional coaches (ICs) supports teachers' capacity, there is limited research regarding the role of ICs in supporting the system-wide change effort of PLC implementation and…

While working with schools and districts across Canada, the authors have found there is a strong expectation that collaborative teams will improve student learning. Many districts also expect instructional coaches to be a part of these teams, although there is much confusion about what roles they should play within a team. Developing collective…

For school districts in California, just as one set of revolutionary new content standards is beginning to feel familiar, another deep change is brewing. Districts have now had more than five years to wrestle with how they implement the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSS-M) (NGA Center & CCSSO, 2010). Many have made large-scale…

Background: Despite increased access to student learning data, scholars have demonstrated that teachers do not always know how to use these data in ways that lead to deep changes in instruction and often lack skills and knowledge to interpret results and develop solutions. In response, administrators have invested in instructional coaches, data…

The use of coaching as a developmental methodology has been instituted as a way to develop leadership in schools in Scotland as elsewhere in the UK. While there are studies that examine the skills and impact of coaching, there is only limited discussion of the process of coaching and the role and experiences of the coaches. This article examines…