Role

As an Instructional Program Manager, my role was to support high needs schools by designing and facilitating targeted professional development for teachers. One professional development series I led supported 20 elementary teachers working with English Learner students. To create a targeted training, I conducted a needs assessment, set realistic goals, created a learning map, designed activities, and facilitated group coaching sessions. 

Evolution

There are 125 schools in Boston Public Schools. The role of an Instructional Program Manager is centralized within the district in order to enable strategic and targeted support. In my role, I was charged with supporting teachers who worked at schools in the bottom 10% of the district based on academic performance. One school I worked with had a high number of English Learner students in early grades who were performing low on standardized reading tests.

Since I worked centrally in the district and had no relationship with the school staff, I knew relationship-building was important. I started by meeting with the principal and asked questions to understand the school needs from her perspective. I also asked to do classroom observations and go over assessment data. This informed my training and development strategy and allowed me to tailor activities to meet the unique needs of the school. I used strategies to ensure the training was impactful, such as identifying a cohort of teachers who could then serve as trainers for others in the school. I also created a 5-part training series to ensure there were opportunities for teachers to test out strategies and reflect on their learning.

Metrics

• 100% participant attendance at all 5 trainings, demonstrating training was valuable and aligned to current teacher needs. 

• Teachers reported that strategies learned in the training became part of their regular teaching practice.

• Principal reported improvement in teacher practice based on performance rubrics, leading to 12% increase in number of students meeting grade level reading standards.

Key Takeaways

• How to demonstrate a sincere curiosity and interest to build a trusting coaching partnership

• Conducting training needs analysis helps identify training focus areas to ensure the greatest impact and outcomes

• “Aha moments” come when participants have incremental opportunities to apply learning in real-life contexts