Have you created an Instructional Coaching agreement with your administrator yet?

There are many ways Instructional Coaches can support the teachers in the classroom, but many times agreements must be in place before coaching begins. With any Instructional Coaching practice it is best to first establish norms and first have an understanding and or agreement with the principal.  Many coaches know their role but are vague on their deliverables and day to day tasks.  One coach stated, “I’m not sure how she evaluates me but she always says, “Keep up the good work,” so apparently I’m doing something right”.   Here are a few things you can do to make sure you and your principal are on the same page.First, start with the job description.  Take a look at what the school had in mind before they hired you and are those particular items a part of your day to day tasks. Yes, you need to do this way before you set up your meeting with the principal.  Also, this gives you an opportunity to organize your thoughts and ideas.  If you’re descriptions says “other duties assigned” try to understand where the principal is coming from.  You do not want your position to be a dumping ground of tasks. Peter Dewitt, is worried about this as well in his article hes states “we have instructional coaches leaving the position because there is a disconnect between what they thought the position was all about…and what the position has become all about.”    Principals want to ensure your success because in many cases, they’ve selected you! So making sure you are not burnt out and unaware of your day to day tasks helps!Align your job description with your day-to-day duties.  See what is possible to complete and try to figure out things you can scale back on.  I had a teacher in Texas say, “I had to coach an entire school!”  This is not possible according to Paul Bambrick-Santoyo, in Leverage Leadership 8 teachers is the maximum amount of people that you can coach at one school site.  This means the full coaching cycle that includes; co-lesson planning, observations, lesson debrief, data dives, and modeling in the classroom.  Once you know and understand what your role and what is possible to complete at the school site, then you are ready to identify some ways they can evaluate you, if there is already something in place then this is not necessary but if not you want to identify at least two suggestions you can make during your meeting with the principal, you know… just in case they don’t have a clue…Once you have these items ready, the research is completed on evaluation and potential tasks.  It’s time to schedule “The Informal Meeting.”  This is where you should already know these answers before your go into the meeting but you want to clarify some of these items to make sure you and the principal are on the same page.  Ask, What is your vision for the school?  Where do you see me focusing my efforts on this year?  What specific content area should I focus on?  There is usually one content area that your school or district is focusing on.  If you are in an elementary school its either math, reading, and/or writing based on the data from your school.  Make sure you document this discussion, write it down and take notes.Instructional Coaches want to do well and succeed so asking about guidelines for measuring the impact of coaching on teacher and student learning should be on your list.  Walk classrooms together and select a tool that will help you both support teachers.  Also, the conversation will come up so be prepared to discuss and plan for the schools professional developments for the year.  As an instructional coach there needs to be a plan in place for the specific topics you will lead.  Some coaches have other duties such as small student group learning, large group teacher grade level meetings, and one-to-one sessions.  Be prepared to discuss these topics and have a plan for scaling back some of these duties that take away your time from supporting teacher growth.  There is much that can consume your time so value it and try to block off some time for you to do research and prepare talking points.Effective communication is key, with everything you are responsible for do not forget to have ongoing communication with your principal with updates and data.  Are you meeting monthly? Weekly? What does this meeting look like and what type of tool are you using to measure your effectiveness.  Like I said this is the pre- work you should have done prior to this meeting. Remember… schools need their coaches so… do not do not take on too much, this will cause frustration which is overwhelming.  Start early and create a positive connection with your administrator and with written reassurance, know that the principal has your back.