“I would not have stayed in my job and made the progress I’ve made if not for my coach.” School leaders have told us time and again that having a skilled leadership coach as a non-evaluative thought partner has strengthened their ability to lead and to take on the ever-evolving challenges that principals face. The Leadership Academy’s signature standards-based coaching model has become a national exemplar. Our coaches use a facilitative, competency-based approach to create an environment in which principals engage in critical and targeted reflection on their practice as it relates to specific, behavior-based competencies, helping facilitate the shifts needed for principals to develop their leadership capacity. To date, more than 40 districts, state departments of education, and organizations across the country have worked with us to build principal coaching programs based on our model. Many of these programs have focused on providing support for new and early-career school leaders. We’ve supported these partners in a variety of ways including:
- Implementing a coach selection process
- Incorporating research-based leadership competencies for principals and coaches
- Effectively matching coaches and principals
- Developing and delivering ongoing training and support for coaches
- Building the capacity of coach program directors
- Helping to infuse an equity lens into the coaching experience
While our coaching model evolved through lessons learned in the field, our belief in standards-based, facilitative coaching as an essential tool for leadership development has remained constant. Whether we work with coaches, district leaders, or directly with principals, we maintain the core belief that coaching is in service of schools and, ultimately, of students. Connect with our team using the form below to explore how we could collaborate to develop or improve a leadership coaching program in your school system.