Case Study: Leadership Coaching
SchoolWorks partnered with Lynn Public Schools in Massachusetts to provide support for seven district schools that were one level of performance away from turnaround status.
The Challenge
- Improve instructional leadership and knowledge
- Build capacity across the District
SchoolWorks Approach
- Work collaboratively with District officials to develop a comprehensive plan for leadership coaching
- Identify and assign six SchoolWorks leadership coaches to work with seven Lynn Level 3 school principals on a weekly basis, spending a full day on site each
- Collaboratively develop individual action plans and goals for each school leader, with support tailored to each principal’s needs
- Develop a community of practice made up of the seven principals and district leaders to build peer support and promote ongoing learning
The Results
- To substantiate these efforts, SchoolWorks commissioned the Institute for Strategic Leadership and Learning to conduct a formative evaluation of the coaching program
- Findings indicated an increase in the number and frequency of classroom observations conducted by the principals, the provision of more useful and constructive feedback to teachers, and increased focus (e.g., prioritization) of overall work on improving instructional quality
Dates: 2014-present
"As a district committed to meaningful change, we appreciate how SchoolWorks is able to take its deep knowledge of our district and work with us to provide collaborative, personalized support. Their commitment to instructional improvement has helped us build a deeper understanding of high-quality instruction that will help all of our schools and our students."
- Superintendent Catherine Latham
