Coaching for Impact: A Guide to What Works Best in Instruction

Build a sustainable coaching model that drives growth and results

Instructional coaching has long been a crucial component of professional development in schools. However, without a clear framework, its true potential often goes unrealized. Coaching for Impact bridges this gap by providing a research-supported, practical guide that enhances the effectiveness of coaching programs while helping coaches transform theory into measurable results.

Centered around an innovative set of "Impact Rubrics," this comprehensive flipbook offers a structured pathway for elevating coaching practices. Whether you’re an experienced instructional coach or just beginning your journey, this book equips you with actionable tools, proven strategies, and a vision to foster teacher learning and maximize student success. Inside you’ll find:

• Impact Rubrics, frameworks in each chapter to make coaching visible, actionable, and aligned with teacher growth and student outcomes
• Step-by-step guidance for building relationships, collecting evidence, and creating goal-oriented coaching plans
• Research-driven content highlighting how coaching supports effective teaching and sustainable learning practices
• A holistic approach with strategies to develop trust, foster communication, and align coaching with broader district and school goals

By using Coaching for Impact, coaches will gain the skills to cultivate sustainable coaching models that promote both teacher and student success. If you’re ready to sharpen your focus, refine your strategies, and unlock the full potential of instructional coaching, this book is your indispensable guide.

Douglas Fisher is a professor and chair of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Previously, Fisher was an early intervention teacher and elementary school educator. In 2022, he was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame by the Literacy Research Association. He has published numerous articles on reading and literacy, leadership, and curriculum design, as well as books such as Your Introduction to PLC+, Welcome to Teaching, How Feedback Works, Teaching Reading, and RIGOR Unveiled. Fisher loves being an educator and hopes to share that passion with others.

Nancy Frey is a professor of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Her published titles include The Courage to Learn, The Art and Science of Coaching, How Scaffolding Works, and The Illustrated Guide to Visible Learning. Frey is a credentialed special educator, reading specialist, and administrator in California and learns from teachers and students every day.

John Almarode is a professor of education at James Madison University. He was awarded the inaugural Sarah Miller Luck Endowed Professorship in 2015 and received an Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia in 2021. John started as a mathematics and science teacher in Augusta County, Virginia. John has written multiple books, book chapters, papers, and reports. His collaborative work with colleagues on what works best in teaching and learning includes How Tutoring Works, Visible Learning in Early Childhood, and How Learning Works, all with Corwin Press.