Since 2018, SWWC has worked with the New Teacher Center (NTC) and member school districts to offer a high-quality, evidenced-based training for instructional coaching. Through this training, instructional coaches have been able to support both new and tenured teachers in improving student achievement, elevating instructional practice and increasing educator effectiveness.

 

Contact us about training opportunities.

 

 

The New Teacher Center (NTC) is partnering with the Minnesota Southwest West Central Service Cooperative (SWWC) on an Education Innovation and Research Grant (EIR) from the U.S. Department of Education. The goal of this grant work is for participating schools to implement a whole-school professional learning model aimed at accelerating instructional practice through job-embedded instructional coaching focused on social emotional learning (SEL) and rigorous academic content. NTC and SWWC will engage in strategic planning with instructional leadership teams from participating schools and districts to establish the conditions for effective coaching. NTC will then train and support exemplary teacher leaders to serve as coaches. NTC-trained coaches will provide instructionally focused, personalized professional development to English/language arts (ELA) and mathematics in grades 3–8 both one-on-one and in small professional learning communities (PLCs) with integrated supports for SEL.

Schools participating in NTC’s EIR grant commit to working closely with NTC to implement a SEL-focused instructional coaching model with fidelity and participating in research activities to evaluate NTC’s impact on teaching practices and student learning.

SRI will employ a quasi-experimental research design (QED) to evaluate the impact of NTC’s coaching model on teachers and students in schools served under the grant. The QED will measure differences in SEL and academic outcomes between two groups: (1) schools with NTC-trained coaches (treatment), (2) and a statistically matched sample of comparison schools engaged in “business as usual” professional learning (comparison). Comparison schools will be recruited from other districts in the same state and will have similar baseline characteristics (e.g., demographics and achievement scores).