Volume 1 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal for K-12 Educational Leadership - Page 12

10 AN INTERVIEW STUDY OF INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES’ AND TEACHERS’ EXPERIENCESWITH AN ELEMENTARY INSTRUCTIONAL COACHING PROGRAM Mindy K. Tolbert, Ed.D. The face of education across the nation is changing and accountability for increasing student achievement is in the forefront of the minds of today’s educators (Darling-Ham- mond, 2000; Morgan, 2011; Wenglisky, 2000). Elevated de- mands from federal and state legislation and accountability for academic progress of students have produced an urgent need for sustained, consistent, and job-embedded profes- sional development for classroom teachers (Strawn, Fox, & Duck, 2008). With this in mind, schools across the nation are searching for targeted professional development options for educators that include opportunities for teachers to share what they know, dialogue about what they desire to learn, and opportunities to connect new learning in their own con - texts (Darling-Hammond & McLaughlin, 1995). Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), which pro - vide ongoing discussion and staff support about real life situations, are one way to sustain learning gleaned during professional development experiences (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker & Many, 2010). PLCs are a widely used means for providing educators with targeted learning, opportunities for collaboration, and professional reflection (DuFour et al., 2010; Wiggins & McTighe, 2006). The professional learning community model entails staff focusing on learning rather than teaching, working collaboratively, and practicing mu - tual accountability to fuel continual improvement (DuFour, 2004). Additionally, PLCs promote change that occurs over time to increase student outcomes (DuFour et al., 2010). In tandem with PLCs, instructional coaching has also emerged as a promising approach and solution to imple- menting targeted professional development (Knight, 2009). An instructional coach (IC) offers campus based, job-em - bedded professional development on an ongoing basis through support and encouragement of teachers by improv- ing teaching strategies, promoting teacher reflection, and focusing on desired outcomes (Knight, 2009). According to Knight (2009), it is the full time, ongoing, job embedded nature of instructional coaching that extends the potential to dramatically improve classroom instruction and student learning. At its most effective, coaching assists teachers in making informed decisions regarding classroom practice and can boost the learning and teaching process when it is embedded in a sustained and comprehensible district-wide professional development plan (Knight, 2007; Neufeld & Roper, 2003). Purpose of the Study The study was developed as qualitative, action research to explore the experiences of both elementary instructional coaches and elementary teachers in regards to an elementa- ry instructional coach program in a large suburban district in North Texas. Analysis of information obtained from one- on-one interviews with elementary instructional coaches and elementary teachers as well as an examination of the environment for elementary instructional coaching in the district of study, henceforth referred to as the District, was utilized to deepen the understanding of how an instruction - al coach program was functioning in the K-5 elementary set - ting. Guiding questions and sub-questions addressed were: Journal for K-12 Educational Leadership 2017, VOL. 1, ISSUE 1 http://www.dbu.edu/doctoral/edd