This qualitative, phenomenological study addressed the research question: What is the nature of the learning experiences of leadership coaches that lead to coaching competency? With the increasing recognition of leadership coaching as a meaningful leadership development experience (Allen & Hartman, 2008; Maltbia, Marsick, & Ghosh, 2014;…

This conceptual article proposes a research-based model for leadership preparation programs to more effectively prepare, support, and sustain new school leaders in the field and profession. This study offers a new construct, which combines the concepts of early field experiences, experiential learning, leadership-focused coaching, and mentoring…

Boarding schools have always been unique environments. In addition to time in class, students and faculty share meals, athletic and artistic interests, and the tacit understanding that meaningful connections with adults carry a great deal of weight in formative years. Yet in an age of increasing specialization and parental expectation, the once-…

This tool is intended to help educators reflect on the ways they are or are not facilitating the integration of social-emotional learning through the mindsets, actions, and instructional practices that they bring to the work. Through reflection statements and accompanying sample indicators, practitioners are able to take stock of the ways in which…

The National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) and the National Center for School Turnaround (2018) published the "Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement: An Implementation Framework" as a companion to the Center for School Turnaround's (2017) recent publication of "The Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement: A Systems…

A recent research report from the International Literacy Association (ILA, 2015) discussed the current challenges facing today's educators, noting the increasing diversity of students' backgrounds and needs, coupled with the higher expectations and standards being widely adopted to prepare students for 21st-century skills. The ILA (2015) document…

The main purpose of this qualitative study, completed within a framework of phenomenology, was to focus on the principal and teacher relationship as it pertains to the observation and feedback process. This study specifically looked at the perception a principal has toward a teacher's mindset and how that perception shaped the appraisal and…

Coaching should go beyond drills and preparing for the big game. One question many coaches have asked themselves is, "How do I get better?" One way to ensure that future coaches (current students) in sport coaching education are thinking of ways to improve for the future is to teach them to think about the past. This is where reflection…

Instructional coaching is becoming common in early childhood programs to provide individualized, job-embedded professional development. Yet relatively few studies have tried to "unpack" the coaching process and delineate the specific features of coaching that contribute to teacher change. In this article, we describe an evidence-based…

Reading is one of the most important foundational skills for academic success, yet the teaching of reading is very complex. There is a need to support teachers with ongoing professional learning for quality literacy instruction. Peer coaching can be a meaningful, personalized, job-embedded form of professional learning for teachers (Robbins,…

The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between early intervention providers' backgrounds, and their perceptions of caregiver coaching and auditory skill development, to develop professional development programs. An explanatory sequential design was used with participants of varying backgrounds and experience. In the first…

With the advent of the South Carolina Read to Succeed Act, authorized in 2014, school districts are required to implement a comprehensive system of ongoing support to address declining literacy performance and ensure students graduate with the necessary skills to succeed in the college or career fields. As a result, school systems employ…

The purpose of this article is to describe a hybrid model designed to assist in developing students as their own best individual and peer coaches. As students interact with the content through a hands-on approach, they are able to develop higher-order thinking skills by analyzing and evaluating skill performance using a games-centered approach.…

Monitoring and evaluating staff tutors necessitates constant follow-up to ensure that they are in line with the University's mission and vision. This has raised a fundamental educational question: how to coach rather than monitor the tutors. To answer this question, Cottrell's (2008) CREAM (Creative, Reflective, Effective, Active, Motivated)…

Given the importance of early reading performance as a foundational prerequisite for student achievement, schools have allocated significant attention over the past decade to training teachers to assess and monitor students' reading progress and to implement instruction or interventions targeting early reading skills (e.g., Fletcher & Vaughn,…