Coaching
LACES School "Coaches" engage in collaboration with individual schools to support, facilitate and deepen the process of whole school change, as the school develops its own capacity for continuous renewal. The key strategy LACES coaches help school teams use is data-based inquiry and decision making. Coaches serve as external 'critical friends' to the school, providing feedback as 'outsiders' with a different perspective, providing access to resources, providing some content-specific support (e.g., collaborative inquiry as a leadership and planning process, literacy strategies, assessments of student learning), and acting as liaisons to Collaborative Organizations and National Coalition (CES National) work.
LACES coaches bring knowledge and understanding of school reform work through their extensive experience working in a variety of educational settings with adults facilitating the process of pedagogical and whole school change. They understand the challenges schools face in changing their culture and structures to support improved student learning; and understand how teachers can work together to continuously improve their practice.
The coaches support the work of the school by:
- Assisting in the planning for and coaching of facilitated meetings focused on teaching and learning
- Serving as a resource on issues relating to whole school change and changing teacher practice
- Assisting with the examination of the school's cultural and organization traditions, differing expectations for students held, and the assumptions that underlie practice and school culture.
They use a variety of strategies and resources to promote trust-building, collaborative inquiry, reflective practice, and documentation of student learning and equity.
LACES coaches work closely with each school, typically the equivalent of one day a week throughout the school year. While the context of the coaches' work is that of the CES Common Principles, there is close collaboration with the school and their faculty in defining the elements. In some schools, this can involve coaching the school's leadership in developing effective strategies and data-driven decision-making that focus on students' learning, or a more targeted coaching of professional development programs, or coaching teacher teams in pedagogic inquiry and reflection.