Virtual Coaching for Instructional Leaders: A Multi-Method Investigation of Technology-Enabled External Assistance

Abstract

Background Education reforms over the last several decades have relied heavily on external assistance to help schools increase capacity for improving outcomes, but investing in sustained outside coaching and support is increasingly difficult with diminishing federal, state, and district resources. One under-investigated possibility for maintaining affordable external assistance is to leverage new virtual technologies. Purpose This proof-of-concept study explored the potential of virtual coaching as a means for providing a cost-effective, alternative model of ongoing external assistance to principals and leadership teams engaged in collaborative instructional improvement. Intervention Researchers adapted an existing assistance framework from an established instructional improvement model, with published studies of effectiveness in the traditional face-to-face context, and substituted virtual methods of coaching and support for ongoing monthly settings with school leaders. Research Design The study used a mixed-methods design, including video-recorded meetings, rubric-based coding and ratings, interviews, focus groups, and coaching logs to investigate implementation at three elementary and two middle schools during one full academic year. Findings Evidence suggests that the blended coaching model served as an adequate and cost-effective substitute for traditional face-to-face coaching at all five pilot schools. The virtual coaching format was particularly effective for conducting one-on-one planning meetings with principals and served as a catalyst to expand principals’ growth and ownership of the instructional improvement process. The authors also document several challenges that emerged related to limitations of human interaction in the virtual context. Conclusions Findings suggest that blended or virtual models are worth consideration as one potential solution for maintaining external support in the midst of diminishing fiscal resources. For schools with verified leadership and technology readiness, the availability of virtual models might translate to greater distribution of outside expertise across a wider number of schools, or enable some funds to be repurposed for other critical priorities. Findings also have implications for the design of external assistance programs and services. Evidence from the study highlights distinct benefits of the virtual format, which might enable more strategic distribution of monthly support, increase capacity building, and improve access to high-quality expertise. Lastly, findings provide guidance for research and policy around technology-supported professional learning, pointing to the importance of aligning solutions with contexts, attending to sound quality and room configuration, and addressing challenges with the naturalness of interaction.

Virtual mentoring and coaching for school leaders participating in virtual professional learning communities

“…We found that both virtual mentor-coaches and leaders worked collaboratively to build the leaders' understanding of increasing teachers' instructional capacity, and furthermore, the virtual mentor-coaches provided safe spaces for the principals to virtually peer-coach on how to cultivate teachers' pedagogical capacity in schools. Just as we found that VMC within VPLCs provided opportunities for mentor-coaches to build school leaders' knowledge of instructional leadership in order to improve instruction on their campuses, Ermeling et al (2015) relatedly found that virtual coaching aided in expanding principals' growth and their ownership in instructional improvement. Though the National Association of Elementary Principals (2019), Houchens et al (2017) and Klar et al (2020) referred to F2F coaching, all determined that a collaborative-type coaching with principals can improve their instructional capacity building.…”

“…Nonetheless, there continues to be a paucity of research inclusive of investigations related to VMC for instructional leadership compared to F2F findings, but results suggest virtual coaching as an effective practice. One of the few related studies is that of Ermeling et al. (2015) in which they adapted an F2F program to a virtual coaching framework that supported instructional leadership development and efforts of principals and school leadership teams, revealing that virtual coaching was effective compared to previous F2F efforts, particularly for principals' instructional leadership growth.…”

Going the distance: Technical assistance to community prevention coalitions and its impact on prevention coalitions over time.

“…Supporting youth and families through positive youth development and family skills-building and cohesion-building programs is one way to lessen the frequency and degree of substance abuse and mental-health challenges in our communities (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2019). Given the importance of getting evidence-based interventions into communities to prevent these problems and promote healthy development, the goal of this research was to expand the knowledge base about the nature of TA, an expert consultancy support model (Ermeling et al, 2015), and its importance for community groups implementing evidence-based interventions. This paper investigated how the frequency of contact between community prevention coalitions and their TA providers related with the functioning of coalitions over time.…”

“…192 CHILENSKI, WELSH, PERKINS, AND HOFFMAN base about the nature of TA, an expert consultancy support model (Ermeling et al, 2015), and its importance for community groups implementing evidence-based interventions. This paper investigated how the frequency of contact between community prevention coalitions and their TA providers related with the functioning of coalitions over time.…”

“…Often, community coalitions, such as PROSPER, address both strategies: They create the system to bring programs to community settings, and they provide external experts to support and assist the community-driven effort. In theory, providing this TA is akin to an external consultancy, supporting capacity building to sustain new skills (Ermeling, Tatsui, & Young, 2015). In this way, TA promotes high-quality implementation and sustainability of the community prevention system, as well as high quality and sustainability of program implementation (Chinman et al, 2005; Keener, 2007).…”