Instructional Coaching Network

We want your Instructional Coaches!

If you don't have instructional coaches your district can still participate!

Although this networking session is designed with instructional coaches in mind, we know not all districts have these positions within their buildings. However, maybe you have teachers that you frequently call upon to help with district trainings or initiatives. Perhaps you have teachers that you know are doing amazing things in their classrooms and you wish those best practices could be shared with other individuals in your district. Those teachers could benefit from these sessions as well.

Teachers not only receive best practice strategies from the facilitators, but also from the teachers participating from other districts. Many teachers walk away with strategies they can use the next day in their classroom, possible trainings they can take back to their district, as well as time to plan with other top educators from Indiana and Armstrong counties.

What are Instructional Coaches?

Instruction coaches are regular teachers doing extraordinary things in their classrooms. You can pick what teachers you chose to make instructional coaches, as long as they have at least one period a day dedicated to coaching their colleagues. Instructional coaches are teachers that are utilizing best practices in their instruction, as well as moving out of their comfort level to try new things, and willing to share these skills and activities with their peers.

How can Instructional Coaches impact your district?

Develop and deliver in-house professional development and follow-up.

Collect and analyze classroom data along with colleagues.

Take the building lead in using data to drive instructional decision-making.

Assist colleagues in addressing areas for growth in Educator Effectiveness.

Co-plan engaging lessons with teachers that address literacy in all content areas

Why should your Instructional Coaches participate in TPIIC?

As an instructional coach in the PIIC program, they will have an IU mentor to assist and coach you on best practices and new techniques to take back to your district. They will be participating in a framework that allows them to anchor their coaching efforts, and pull from other coaches to help improve instruction across the district. Participation in the PIIC program also provides your coaches with ongoing training to develop their coaching skills, particularly in instructional strategies for all content areas.

Typical Networking Session

We start every networking session with some kind of fun opening activity to help us get to know the different instructional coaches in our group, as well as their strengths and experiences they bring to our networking sessions. This is followed up with two to three hours of new learning that comes from the PIIC mentors, as well as the instructional coaches themselves. During this time, instructional coaches are exposed to different strategies they can take back to their colleagues, as well as new learning they can use to become a more effective instructional coach.

Time is given for Lunch.

The afternoon is spent participating in a book study, followed by breakout sessions. This time can include additional small group learning, individual learning, or time to strategize with colleagues and plan possible sessions to roll out in their districts. We wrap up the day by once again sharing out as a whole group about their afternoon learning and planning.

Here is what district leaders are saying about their instructional coaches' participation in TPIIC!

Marion Center School District currently has two instructional coaches participating in the PIIC program. "It's important for coaches to stay up to date on strategies on how best to support the staff and to learn new instructional strategies that they can bring to the district, model in the classrooms, and support teachers to constantly improve their practices. As an administrator, getting into the classroom with staff has become merely impossible. Having coaches that focus on math and literacy allows teachers to continuously develop their toolbox of instructional strategies and programs to support a variety of learners. Our coaches model and support in the classroom, as well as provide a variety of staff development opportunities on ACT 80 days. They have been essential for the district to implement initiatives, which is their main goal. The PIIC program helps them to stay up to date and provides them with ideas, research, and best practice to support staff."

Amy Gaston, Curriculum Director, Marion Center School District

Homer Center High School currently has three part time instructional coaches. Their participation in the PIIC program allows them to be involved in "networking, learning strategies that have worked and are best practice and helping implement these strategies in our school to benefit our students. They bring back knowledge of best practices, sharing, implementing, supporting, modeling (whatever support needed to use best practice in our classrooms)."

-Jody Rainey, Principal, Homer Center School District

What do instructional coaches have to say about the TPIIC program?

"The PIIC workshops and program have strengthened my teaching and allows me to share wonderful ideas with my colleagues to benefit our students' learning experiences. The PIIC coaching network offers a large variety of ideas that I can share with my colleagues. Each workshop has coaches fully engaged in the strategies our students may be asked to complete, so we can see first hand how a lesson will work. Additionally, the collaboration with teachers from other districts gives me the chance to discuss activities and lessons that have worked for them/their teachers in order for me to provide valuable feedback about the strategies to teachers in my district. Teachers can reach out to me for suggestions or ideas with implementing a topic as well."

-Jamie Cortazzo, Instructional Coach, Indiana School District

"This was my first real year of instructional coaching. I cannot wait for a more "normal" year to get involved with coaching even more! I really enjoy going to PIIC. I don't think I would quite understand what "instructional coaching" means without going to PIIC. I enjoy working with teachers/coaches from other districts. In my situation, I am a teacher and a coach. So it's nice to hear what other teachers/coaches are doing and participating in in other districts as well. I love the connection and the networking we receive. It's so nice to be able to learn from other teachers/coaches and to also work with the women of ARIN!"

Carly Meholic, Instructional Coach, Homer Center School District

" PIIC gives the coaches great ideas and strategies to take back to our district. We use the information to work with teachers one on one and even up to whole district professional development. PIIC is where we network with other districts and learning new ideas to bring back to our district that other districts are doing and works. PIIC is also where we learning new information from the IU to bring back and provide professional development to our teachers. I LOVE to learn new ideas/strategies/information to teach others. I LOVE learning and growing. I LOVE to help teachers be the most effective teachers to our students."

Maria Britton, Instructional Coach, Marion Center School District

WHAT WILL IT COST?

There is a $625 fee for districts within the IU to participate in the TPIIC Coaching Network. Click here to see what all you get for this price.

Districts outside of our IU can participate, but there will be an additional fee.

Interested?

If you would like to receive more information about the Coaching Network, or getting your instructional coaches or other teachers involved, please reach out to one of us. We would love to help you build a strong coaching network within your district.