What is a Systems Coach?

A Systems Coach serves as a liaison for district leadership team(s) and the school’s leadership team(s) to guide systems intervention and sustainable organizational change. Systems Coaches bring informed perspectives of district and school needs (e.g., curriculum, training, coaching) and readiness for change to the district leadership team(s).

The Goal of a Systems Coach

Improve the outcomes of all students through the development of effective and equitable educational policy that ensures all staff has the skills and resources to implement the district’s evidence based practices (EBP) with a high level of fidelity. Depending on district size and resources, this role may be served by one or more individuals (Chaparro, Ryan Jackson, Smolkowski, 2012).

Knowledge and Skills of Systems Coaches

Systems Coaches possess content and coaching knowledge and skills that are required to implement the district’s agreed upon practices. They are experts in systems thinking, organizational change, and implementation science. Their primary focus is to build the district’s capacity to engage in reflective practice through data based decision-making and a collective commitment to sustainable change at all levels of the system.

What Does a Systems Coach Do?

The Systems Coach expands the leadership team’s capacity to obtain identified outcomes using a Tiered Systems of Support (TSS) framework. Systems Coaches have the skills to guide the development of a district teaming framework, on-going assessment and evaluation, and policy to support effective practice in schools (Chaparro, Ryan Jackson, & Smolkowski, 2012; Fixsen et al. 2013; Hargrove, 2008).

Webinar

EBISS 101

This 12-minute webinar provides a brief overview of the critical features of EBISS and is an ideal way to introduce EBISS to important stakeholders such as board members or district leadership.

National Implementation Research
Network Coaching System Development

“This lesson provides a quick overview of the Coaching System Development Worksheet along with research and rationales supporting the use of coaching to build your implementation capacity. The Coaching System Development Worksheet can be used to initiate those early discussions about the importance of coaching and the facilitative supports administrators need to consider to ensure a systemic commitment to coaching.”
– SISEP

Coaching System Development Worksheet
Streaming lesson (running time: 12 min. 12 sec.)
Planning Tool

Coaching Traits, Skills and Habits

A Systems Coach must convey their passion for improving student outcomes and create a sense of urgency that inspires all to develop high quality standards of practice. They must have the disposition to demonstrate:

• Strong interpersonal skills
• A forthright, reliable, and self-assured personality
• A dedication to the continued development of trusting relationships
• Committed listening and reflective questioning to add value and deepen others’ thinking
• Curiosity and systems thinking
• A commitment to lifelong learning and personal and professional development

Systems Coaches recognize and honor the unique culture and context of the district and each school. They have the ability to differentiate training and coaching based on the need of each school and individual staff members.  They demonstrate:

• Ability to develop assurances and shared commitment
• Effective collaboration and respectful debate
• Skill in finding entry points to introduce new information or thinking
• Expertise in moving a conversation through facilitation, collaboration, and instruction in a seamless manner
• Proficiency in coaching teams through data analysis and problem solving
• Efficient goal setting and action planning skills
• Ability to provide and receive positive and constructive feedback
• Capability to hold themselves and others accountable

PBIS Positive Behavioral Interventions Supports
OSEP Technical Assistance Center

“The Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports is established by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to define, develop, implement, and evaluate a multi-tiered approach to Technical Assistance that improves the capacity of states, districts and schools to establish, scale-up and sustain the PBIS framework. Emphasis is given to the impact of implementing PBIS on the social, emotional and academic outcomes for students with disabilities.”
– PBIS.Org

Coach and Trainer Resources to Support
Implementation of TSS

The resources gathered in this section include articles geared towards answering commonly asked questions around TSS, recommended practices for school and district leaders, and tools coaches can use for data collection and data entry. District leaders might use these tools to help with preparing internal trainings. Additional links are available for other manuals related to TSS and PBIS system resources.

Kansas Coaching Project Instructional Coaching

“The purpose of the Kansas Coaching Project is to study factors related to professional learning and how to improve academic outcomes for students through supports provided by instructional coaches. Instructional coaches are onsite professional developers who teach educators how to use evidence-based teaching practices and to support them in learning and applying these practices in a variety of educational settings.”
– Kansas Coaching Project

Video Resource Library

The video resource library includes seven videos that feature experts presenting on what coaches need to know about instructional coaching, including: Coaches as Leaders of Change, Content Coaching – Transforming the Profession, and Rebuilding Education Through Instructional Coaching. Videos range from about 10-minutes to 2-hours.

Oregon Literacy Framework
Conducting Classroom Walkthroughs

“Establishing the Walkthrough Process at your school will not only clarify your role as instructional leader, but also strengthen the school culture of instructional effectiveness of all staff.”
– OLF

Implementing the Classroom Walkthrough Process

This presentation illustrates the importance of building trust and collaboration, while communicating to staff that the Walkthrough process is separate from the evaluative process. Recommended strategies and potential obstacles to avoid are presented to help strengthen the connection between instructional leadership, teacher effectiveness and student achievement. You can’t intervene in a system if you don’t have first hand knowledge of the system.