Hamilton County Schools: Instructional Coaching Model Evaluation

Abstract

This research explores the Hamilton County Schools (HCS) instructional coaching model through a mixed-methods implementation evaluation. HCS has set forth a rigorous teacher development framework with expectations for the time and actions of coaches set forth. Through survey data collected from coaches, teachers, and administrators, as well as focus-group interviews conducted with instructional coaches from each learning community, this study strives to understand how the time and actions of coaches is spent, and in what ways it may impact student achievement and teacher improvement. Although the time and actions of coaches are primarily focused in coaching cycles with teachers, coaches do not feel comfortable giving constructive feedback and view the coaching role as an opportunity to build relationships and provide affirmation.