What Makes Instructional Coaching Actually Work
As an instructional coach at Lomdei, I work alongside teachers every day. I've seen what makes coaching transformative — and what makes it fall flat. The difference isn't technique or curriculum. It's trust.
The Problem with Traditional PD
Most professional development in schools follows a predictable pattern: a one-day workshop, a binder of materials, and a hope that teachers will implement what they learned. Research consistently shows this model doesn't work. Without sustained support, new strategies fade within weeks.
Coaching Is Different
Instructional coaching is not professional development delivered to teachers. It's professional development done with teachers. The distinction matters.
Observation Without Judgment
Effective coaching starts with being in the classroom — not to evaluate, but to understand. When a teacher knows I'm there to help, not to grade them, the dynamic shifts completely. They open up about struggles. They ask real questions. They take risks.
Asking, Not Telling
The best coaches resist the urge to prescribe solutions. Instead, they ask questions that help teachers discover their own answers. "What did you notice about student engagement during that activity?" is far more powerful than "You should try small groups."
Modeling and Co-Teaching
Sometimes the most impactful coaching happens when you roll up your sleeves. I'll model a lesson while the teacher observes, or we'll co-teach together. This makes new strategies feel achievable rather than theoretical.
Celebrating Growth
Teachers are often their own harshest critics. Part of my job is holding up a mirror that reflects their progress — the small wins they might overlook. When a teacher realizes how far they've come, it fuels their commitment to keep growing.
What Schools Get Wrong About Coaching
1. Making Coaches Evaluators
The moment a coach is associated with evaluation, trust evaporates. Coaching must be completely separate from performance reviews. Period.
2. Not Protecting Coaching Time
Coaches who are constantly pulled into substitute teaching, administrative tasks, or crisis management can't do their actual job. Schools need to protect coaching time as sacred.
3. Expecting Overnight Results
Teacher growth is a process, not an event. Schools that expect dramatic improvements after a few coaching sessions are setting everyone up for disappointment.
4. One-Size-Fits-All Coaching
Just as we differentiate for students, we need to differentiate for teachers. A first-year teacher needs different support than a veteran trying a new methodology.
The Ripple Effect
When a coach helps one teacher improve, every student in that classroom benefits — this year and every year after. Multiply that across a school, and the impact is exponential. That's what makes coaching the highest-leverage investment a school can make.
I've had teachers tell me that coaching changed not just how they teach, but how they think about teaching. That's the goal. Not compliance, but transformation.
