Instructional coaching initiatives, primarily aimed at enhancing teachers' professional development, have become a popular avenue of school reform in districts across the United States. However, the precise role that instructional coaches should play in these reforms has largely remained ambiguous and unspecified. Further, not much is known about the trajectory of professional learning for instructional coaches. This paper draws on data obtained across multiple years from surveys, focus groups, and site visits conducted with instructional coaches participating in two federally-funded education programs to offer recommendations for best practices in preparing instructional coaches to effectively and confidently fulfill their roles and responsibilities.