Instructional coaching is a field with promise and possibility. A successful school or district coaching model can create a powerful professional learning community committed to student success. The goal of school-based instructional coaching is to increase student learning by providing continuous, relevant, and job-embedded support to teachers (Sweeney, 2010). In order to do so, schools employ a variety of instructional coaching models; however, not all models lead with a focus on evidence and student learning. Student-centered coaching is the model that embraces these practices and puts teachers in the best position to improve student learning.
Student-centered coaching is about (1) setting specific targets for students that are grounded in the standards and content and (2) working together with educators to ensure that the targets are met (Sweeney, 2010). The University of Wisconsin–Madison is excited to offer a series of four courses that are dedicated to enhancing and defining the knowledge and skills of instructional coaches.
Through our student-centered coaching program, current and aspiring coaches engage in dialogue and job-embedded professional development to ground their coaching work in student evidence and further refine coaching practices.
Interested in learning more? Read more about each of the four courses in the Certificate series. Questions? Contact Sandra Taylor-Marshall for more information.
CERTIFICATE PARTICIPANTS WILL:
- Identify the core practices of student-centered coaching and compare them to other coaching models to help inform coaching strategies that result in student learning
- Analyze student assessment data in order to make instructional decisions
- Plan collaboratively with educators to improve student learning
- Conduct student-centered coaching cycles that use student evidence to guide the sessions
- Recognize factors that may create barriers to effective coaching and work collaboratively to develop approaches to address these factors
- Reflect on one’s own coaching work and use that reflection to continually grow and improve
Participants may choose to enroll in each course as a credit or a non-credit experience. Currently, participants have the opportunity to take each course for 3 UW–Madison Special Student credits at the cost of $1400 per course. We also offer a non-credit option at $950 per course. For more information, please contact Sandra Taylor-Marshall at taylormarsha@wisc.edu.
DIANE SWEENEY
Diane Sweeney has been a national consultant since 1999. After teaching and coaching in the Denver Public Schools, Diane served as a program officer at the Public Education & Business Coalition (PEBC) in Denver. Since then she has become a respected voice in the field of coaching and professional development.
The author of Leading Student-Centered Coaching: Building Principal and Coaching Partnerships (Corwin, 2018), Student-Centered Coaching: The Moves (Corwin Press, 2016), Student-Centered Coaching at the Secondary Level (Corwin Press, 2013), Student-Centered Coaching: A Guide for K-8 Coaches and Principals (Corwin Press, 2010), and Learning Along The Way: Professional Development by and for Teachers (Stenhouse, 2003), Diane holds a longstanding interest in how adult learning translates to learning in the classroom. Diane holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Denver and a Master’s in Bilingual and Multicultural Education from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
DR. LAURA LANG
Dr. Lang is a Lecturer and Senior Outreach Specialist with the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis (ELPA) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She also works as an independent literacy consultant, with collaborations across a wide range of schools and organizations in WI and in the Chicago-area. Dr. Lang received her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction (Literacy Studies) at the UW–Madison in 2012, her M.S.Ed in Reading Instruction from National Louis University in 2000, and her B.S.Ed (Secondary English education) from Northwestern University in 1996.
Dr. Lang also serves as Past-President of the Madison Area Reading Council, a local affiliate of the Wisconsin State Reading Association and recently participated as a fellow with the Greater Madison Writing Project. She currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy and as reviewer for Teaching and Teacher Education. She has coauthored multiple texts for educators, most recently “Academic Vocabulary in Middle and High School: Effective Practices across the Disciplines” (2015, Guilford Press).
JULIE WRIGHT
Julie Wright is a teacher, instructional coach, and consultant with over 20 years of experience in education. She taught at the elementary level for 14 years in Upper Arlington, OH and led district-wide professional development for literacy and social studies teachers for six years. She served as an adjunct faculty member at Ashland University, teaching graduate courses focused on Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. Julie worked as an instructional coach at Harlem Village Academies in NYC. Currently, she works as an instructional coach for reading teachers and serves as the RTI coordinator for Mamaroneck Union Free School District.
Julie is a contributor to Choice Literacy and Lead Literacy, and has written for Heinemann’s Digital Campus titled Love Letters. Julie is working on a book focused on what matters most in education today. She holds National Board Certification as well as a B.S. in education, a master’s in language arts and reading, and extensive school leadership post-graduate work (including a pre-K through grade 9 principal license) from Ohio State University.
DR. LINDSAY STOETZEL
Lindsay Stoetzel earned her Ph.D. in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. A former HS and middle school ELA teacher, Lindsay’s research focuses on teacher education and professional learning for both preservice and practicing teachers. She has also taught a variety of literacy methods courses and supervised for the Elementary Education program at UW–Madison.
Lindsay holds a BA in English Secondary Education from Grand Valley State University and a MA in Educational Technology from Michigan State University.
SANDRA TAYLOR-MARSHALL
Sandra Taylor-Marshall is an Outreach Specialist in the Office of Education Outreach and Partnerships at UW–Madison where she coordinates the Student-Centered Coaching Certificate programs and facilitates opportunities with the Greater Madison Writing Project.
Passionate about literacy and learning, Sandra is a former classroom teacher, interventionist, coach, and literacy coordinator. Serving as a mentor and practicum supervisor for early educators and those pursuing reading teacher license, Sandra believes in the power of providing quality professional development for educators. A 2015 Greater Madison Writing Project Summer Institute Fellow, Sandra holds a BA in Elementary Education and Psychology from Lakeland College, a MS in Education with an emphasis on Reading from Concordia University Wisconsin, and a reading specialist license.
STUDENT-CENTERED INSTRUCTIONAL COACHING CERTIFICATE
REGISTRATION FOR COURSE 1 FOUNDATIONS OF STUDENT-CENTERED COACHING OPEN NOW! This fully online certificate offers job-embedded professional development that applies the practices of student-centered coaching to authentic participant contexts as well as networking and community opportunities.
STUDENT-CENTERED INSTRUCTIONAL COACHING CONTENT-FOCUSED CERTIFICATE
Earn a Student-Centered Instructional Coaching Certificate with an additional content-focused coaching course in Literacy or Mathematics. We welcome a wide range of content-area expertise in these courses, as they are designed for participants across the spectrum. Content-area teacher leaders will have the opportunity to connect their knowledge to the student-centered coaching model and then extend and apply it to K-12 content-area instruction.