An Analysis of the Effects of Content Coaching and Instructional Coaching on Teacher Practices

The passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act increased professional development requirements, moving away from traditional methods of out-of-the-classroom professional development and toward more effective job-embedded professional development (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2016). The purpose of this study was to obtain the perceptions of teachers, coaches, and principals about the coaching programs in schools and the effect on instructional practice and student achievement. Simultaneously, the efficacy of job-embedded professional development and its direct correlation to Knight’s (2016) seven Partnership Principles were examined. Surveys were distributed to the participants who were third, fourth, and fifth-grade teachers, coaches, and principals in public schools within Region Seven of the Missouri Regional Professional Development Center (RPDC). The participants assessed the level of overall student achievement when classroom teachers had or did not have access to job-embedded professional development through a coaching program. Findings from this study confirmed the use of Knight’s (2016) Partnership Principles as appropriate to the success of a coaching program. A wide variety of perceptions were noted among the three groups of participants. Teachers were more focused on equality, choice, and voice. The coaches and principals highlighted the principles of dialogue, reflection, praxis, and reciprocity. The type of coaching program chosen by schools has an effect on the perceptions of school staff, and district initiatives must be taken into account when developing a coaching program to meet the needs of all stakeholders