Build a sustainable coaching model that drives growth and results
Instructional coaching has long been a crucial component of professional development in schools. However, without a clear framework, its true potential often goes unrealized. Coaching for Impact bridges this gap by providing a research-supported, practical guide that enhances the effectiveness of coaching programs while helping coaches transform theory into measurable results.
Centered around an innovative set of "Impact Rubrics," this comprehensive flipbook offers a structured pathway for elevating coaching practices. Whether you’re an experienced instructional coach or just beginning your journey, this book equips you with actionable tools, proven strategies, and a vision to foster teacher learning and maximize student success. Inside you’ll find:
- Impact Rubrics, frameworks in each chapter to make coaching visible, actionable, and aligned with teacher growth and student outcomes
- Step-by-step guidance for building relationships, collecting evidence, and creating goal-oriented coaching plans
- Research-driven content highlighting how coaching supports effective teaching and sustainable learning practices
- A holistic approach with strategies to develop trust, foster communication, and align coaching with broader district and school goals
By using Coaching for Impact, coaches will gain the skills to cultivate sustainable coaching models that promote both teacher and student success. If you’re ready to sharpen your focus, refine your strategies, and unlock the full potential of instructional coaching, this book is your indispensable guide.
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Introduction
Impact Rubrics
How to Use the Coaching for Impact Flipbook
Coaching Misconceptions
Section 1: Teacher Coaching
Learning Intention and Success Criteria
1: Why Coaching?
2: Defining Instructional Coaching
3: Visible Learning+: Instructional Coaching
4: Principles of Teacher Learning
5: Diminishing the Impact of Coaching
Section 2: Coaching for Impact
Learning Intention and Success Criteria
1: Models of Instructional Coaching
2: Changing Teacher Practices and Beliefs
3: Coaching for Impact: A Model That Works
Section 3: Coaching Foundations
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
1: The Importance of Trust
Section 4: Coaching Skills
Learning Intention and Success Criteria
1: Coaching Through Conversations
Section 5: Clarifying Coaching Goals
Learning Intention and Success Criteria
1: Initiating Coaching
2: Coaching for Different Levels of Teacher Learning
3: Establishing Context
4: Creating Coaching Goals
5: Strategic Enrichments
Section 6: Generate Evidence for Learning
Learning Intention and Success Criteria
1: Conversation Maps
2: Fostering Teacher Expertise Through Learning
3: Follow-Up
Section 7: Sustaining Coaching for Impact
Learning Intention and Success Criteria
1: Aligning Coaches and Administrators
2: Creating Systems for Coaching
3: Facilitating Coaches’ Learning
4: Meta-Coaching
5: Evaluating Coaching for Impact
Conclusion
References
Index
About the Author :
Douglas Fisher is professor and chair of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Previously, Fisher was an early intervention teacher and elementary school educator. In 2022, he was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame by the Literacy Research Association. He has published numerous articles on reading and literacy, differentiated instruction, and curriculum design, as well as books such as Your Introduction to PLC+, Welcome to Teaching, How Feedback Works, Teaching Reading, and RIGOR Unveiled. Fisher loves being an educator and hopes to share that passion with others.
Nancy Frey is a professor in educational leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Her published titles include The Courage to Learn, The Art and Science of Coaching, How Scaffolding Works, and The Illustrated Guide to Visible Learning. Frey is a credentialed special educator, reading specialist, and administrator in California and learns from teachers and students every day.
Tyler Wayne Gilbert is an Instructional Coach for a large Central Valley of California district, an education consultant, and a San Diego State University doctoral student pursuing an Ed.D in Educational Leadership. He is dedicated to helping all learners feel seen, heard, valued, and, most importantly, noticed through research-backed practices and intentional instructional design. Tyler was a former elementary educator. He currently supports sites, leaders, individual teachers, professional learning communities, instructional leadership teams, and climate and culture teams. He is also a member of a personalized learning initiative. Tyler loves being an educator and aspires to share that passion with others. Emily Brokaw is a Campus Coordinator in Dallas, Texas where she leads her campus′s work with Assessment for Learning and helps to create the conditions for all students to become lifelong learners! Prior to this role, she was a High School Social Studies teacher for six years. She has a Masters in the Art of Teaching from Texas A&M University-Commerce and is currently pursuing a Masters in Urban Educational Leadership from SMU. Emily has also authored blog posts on Corwin Connect: Corwin Connect: Empowering Students as Questioners-A High School′s Journey. John Almarode is a professor of education at James Madison University. He was awarded the inaugural Sarah Miller Luck Endowed Professorship in 2015 and received an Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia in 2021. John started as a mathematics and science teacher in Augusta County, Virginia. John has written multiple books, book chapters, papers, and reports. His collaborative work with colleagues on what works best in teaching and learning includes How Tutoring Works, Visible Learning in Early Childhood, and How Learning Works, all with Corwin Press.
Review :
Instructional coaching significantly accelerates the transfer and implementation of what works best in teaching and learning, so learning and applying what works best in instructional coaching makes sense. Anchored with key coaching concepts followed by actionable tools and rubrics, this resource illuminates clear pathways for successful coaching that accelerate teacher and student learning!
Coaching for Impact brings clarity to the very complex system of instructional coaching. Whether you are first implementing a coaching model or sustaining one, the rubrics in this book are invaluable in refining your process and measuring your progress. We implemented a coaching model in our district 5 years ago and while we have highly skilled coaches, we have systems that inhibit their ability to coach. We′ll be using these rubrics to assess our systems and help to build a stronger culture of coaching.
This flipbook is an invaluable resource for coaches, offering research-driven approaches to elevate practices. Featuring insightful videos and informative text, it highlights exceptional coaching practices and reflective rubrics to strengthen performance. Whether refining techniques or expanding professional knowledge, this guide is essential to enrich coaching practices.
Coaching for Impact: A Guide to Instructional Coaching is a comprehensive, well-organized, and empowering resource that brings much-needed clarity and structure to the coaching process. It makes coaching practices visible, actionable, and measurable by aligning them with the principles of Visible Learning. One of the book’s most valuable features is its consistent breakdown of topics into "What it is," "Why it’s important," and "What the research says," paired with clear key indicators that guide implementation. The flipbook format and impact rubrics are incredibly useful tools that help keep coaching focused, transparent, and easy to apply in real-world settings. This resource is perfect for both instructional coaches and those who support and develop them—it’s practical, all in one place, and exactly what I’ve been looking for. I highly recommend it and can’t wait to start using it with the coaches in my district.
