Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Coaching Systems Development Worksheet
By: Rachel Fregien and Joseph Kanke
The data is clear that coaching is key to providing educators and teams with the support they need to implement new strategies to fidelity. Often, however, well-intentioned leaders seize on the data and hire a coach hoping they will be the magical unicorn to solve all problems. However, they are often left scratching their heads when teacher practice or student outcomes haven’t shifted.
Too often assumptions are made that an effective teacher will make an effective coach. I’ve heard several accounts from new coaches that they returned from summer break to find they had been reassigned and given the title of coach with little explanation and no training. If we want to replicate what the research shows us, we must take into account that coaching is an innovation and, just like any other innovation, it must be mindfully and intentionally operationalized.
We are so accustomed to using coaching to support other effective innovations, that we often overlook the support coaching itself needs. Let’s take literacy coaching as an example. When a district adopts a new literacy strategy, they take time to mindfully plan what training will be provided, how resources will be funded, what data will be collected to gauge effectiveness as well as how and when a coach will support the work. Similarly, a building or district should consider coaching as an innovation first and build a system to support it.
This article outlines the Coaching Systems Development Worksheet which is a scaffold for regions, districts and schools to establish a system of coaching. It is a tool adapted from the National Implementation Research Network to fit the needs of Wisconsin educators. The worksheet has been divided into the implementation stages of exploration, installation, initial implementation and full implementation. A resource column has been added which includes models and tools to further guide the process.
You may notice that some of these resources and tools are repeated throughout the worksheet. Some tools are used and referenced for different purposes depending upon the stage of implementation. For example, the data collections tools are listed in both the exploration and installation stages. These tools will be developed during the exploration stage and used to collect data during the installation stage - therefore, you will see they are listed twice.
In the stages of implementation descriptions below, there is often reference to “the team”. It is important to note that before engaging in implementation work, carefully consider who should be part of the team. Specifically, who could be the “point-person” for leading and developing a coaching program. For more information on developing teams, one can visit the implementation science website at https://nirn.fpg.unc.edu/.
Exploration Stage: The exploration stage is a critical starting place when regions, districts and schools are considering change. Taking the time to explore what to do, how to do it, and who will do it saves time and money and improves the chances for success. The exploration stage takes place well before coaching is put in place. The overall goal of this stage is to consider the extent to which coaching meets the needs of the community, and whether it is feasible. This stage is also the time to assess potential barriers to implementation related to funding, staffing, referrals, and system changes. The result of the exploration stage is a clear plan with tasks and timelines to facilitate the installation and initial implementation of the coaching. The plan creates the “readiness” for the change.
Ideally, the components of the exploration stage would be in place or partially in place before moving to hire coaches. Realistically, there will be regions, districts and schools that have already hired coaches and may need to return to the stages of exploration to develop needed supports. During this phase of implementation a focus is placed on building knowledge and ownership of coaching. Dedicating time to clearly defining a coaching vision, job description, roles and responsibilities will bring clarity to the work. Finally, putting an accountability system in place to evaluate the system will guide essential changes moving into installation and initial implementation.
Installation Stage: During the installation stage, the team actively builds their own capacity to support coaching within the system. At this stage, teams work together to ensure the availability of resources. Teams actively develop the supports needed to initiate coaching and use it as intended. Teams put necessary supports into place (such as funding, human resource strategies, new policies and procedures, materials). They create referral mechanisms, reporting frameworks and outcome expectations. And importantly, they create and install the supports needed to improve the confidence of staff (e.g. training, coaching, data systems).
Following the capacity-building work the first generation of coaches are hired and procedures are established. Part of supporting coaches will depend on the installation of a data system to drive continuous professional development.
Initial Implementation Stage: The key focus of the initial implementation stage is on continuous improvement. Staff are attempting to use newly learned skills in the context of an organization, that is itself just learning how to change to accommodate and support the new ways of work. This is the most fragile stage where the awkwardness associated with trying new things and the difficulties associated with changing old ways of work are strong motivations for giving up and going back to comfortable routines (business as usual).
The implementation team will use data, observations and reports in their discussions of how to potentially make changes to the coaching process and professional development.
Full Implementation Stage: Finally, in the full implementation stage, the new ways of providing services are now the standard ways of work where practitioners and staff routinely provide high-quality services and the implementation supports are part of the way districts and schools carry out their work. Teams are built into organization structures and are essential contributors to the ongoing success of using the coaching. Staff, administrators, and leaders come and go and each new person needs to develop the competencies to effectively carry out the innovation and its implementation supports. Managers and administrators come and go and need to continually adjust organizational supports to facilitate the work of practitioners. Systems continue to change and impact organizations and practitioners. In this stage, teams are engaging in PDSA cycles to address these changes and accommodate an ever-changing system.
With the support of this tool, the leadership team will be able to mindfully create systems of support for coaches to finally produce the outcomes they had been hoping for.
To access the worksheet, please visit www.dpi.wi.gov/coaching. You will find each stage linked in the middle of the page.
Components: (search tags) 1a 1.a. 1.a & 6b 6.b. 6.b