Why Every School Leader Deserves a Coach.

For principals and district leaders who want to move from firefighting to focused and high impact leadership.

Coaching is not about telling you what to do. It is a thinking partnership that gives you space to reflect, plan, and execute with clarity so that every action ultimately strengthens the educational system and enhances student success.

Five big wins coaching delivers for school leaders

1) Sharper focus on the work that moves achievement

Effective coaching helps leaders prioritize the highest leverage actions such as aligning instruction, building teacher capacity, and monitoring impact rather than getting swallowed by tasks with little yield. Over time, that focus compounds into measurable gains for students and teachers.

2) Stronger instructional leadership (not just management)

Coaching develops the daily habits of instructional leadership such as setting clear goals, leading data rich conversations, visiting classrooms with purpose, and giving short and actionable feedback. Leaders who coach teachers well create coherence across classrooms and lift the quality of instruction school wide.

3) Healthier culture and higher retention

Leaders set the tone. Coaching strengthens your ability to build trust, communicate with positive intent, and recognize great work. These actions improve staff satisfaction and retention. A stable and supported staff means more continuity for students and fewer resources spent on rehiring.

4) Better decisions with better data

A coach helps you translate assessment dashboards (ACT, state, classroom), walkthrough trends, and attendance patterns into a simple plan you can execute. You leave each session with a short list of next steps, owners, and timelines.

5) Leadership wellbeing and sustainability

Administration is both exhilarating and exhausting. Coaching provides a confidential place to think aloud, pressure test decisions, and build routines that protect your energy so you can lead with steadiness all year, not just in August.

What does high quality coaching look like?

• Regular cadence and clear goals. Biweekly or monthly sessions, plus quick check ins anchored to a small set of measurable goals.
• Evidence informed practice. Coaching is grounded in what we know works for student learning and for effective leadership.
• On the job application. Each session ends with a concise action plan for what you will do in classrooms, PLCs, or with your leadership team before we meet again.
• Confidential and judgment free space. You bring the difficult issues such as board relations, staffing, time management, and community concerns and we work them through together.
• Flexible support. Options for virtual or on-site visits.

Research highlights

• A Wallace Foundation synthesis found that principals are second only to teachers in their impact on student learning. Coaching helps leaders strengthen the instructional and organizational behaviors that matter most.
• RAND research on the Principal Pipeline Initiative showed higher student achievement and improved principal retention in districts that invested in structured coaching and leader development.
• Learning Policy Institute studies emphasize that authentic, job embedded coaching supports both new and veteran leaders in sustaining effective practices.
• Meta analyses of executive coaching across sectors show consistent positive effects on performance, decision making, and wellbeing, confirming the value of reflective coaching partnerships.

Common coaching focus areas

• Aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessment through instructional practices
• Analyzing system data to determine high-impact instructional moves
• Strengthening PLCs and observation feedback cycles
• Scheduling to protect intervention and teacher collaboration time
• Engaging families and communities with clear messaging
• Managing time systems that protect principal classroom time

Frequently asked questions

Is this for new or veteran leaders? Both. Novice principals accelerate faster with a coach. Veteran leaders use coaching to refresh strategy, navigate complex change, or sustain momentum.

Will this take more time? Good coaching gives you time back by eliminating tasks with little value and clarifying next steps. Most leaders report less stress within a few weeks because the noise gets quieter.

How will we measure success? We will co-create two to three outcome measures (such as walkthrough ratings, common assessment trends, attendance, culture survey items) and track them at the end of each benchmarking window.

A quick story

A rural secondary principal started a coaching program in September with three priorities: stabilize staffing, tighten PLCs, and use ACT item analysis to target writing. By December, the their team had a shared feedback playbook, walkthrough data trending up in student talk, and a cross curricular writing routine in place. Spring ACT ELA composites ticked up, and just as important, teacher retention held steady.

Ready to explore coaching?

If you are curious, let us talk and we can schedule a free coaching session today!