Issue 6 | Volume 4 | 2015

Leader as ReaderExecutive Book Summary

Perhaps many of us already have a The book The Coach Approach to School
preconceived notion of what school Leadership, 2017 proposes a coach
leadership is like and how a school approach to handling certain
leader, i.e. a principal contemporary school
or school director, leadership
should act and what responsibilities.
they should do. Readers need not worry
These notions may that this approach is
have been carried recommended as a one
down from size fits all solution to
generations past, or fulfill all principal duties.
from professional The authors of this book
habits that are instead use the symbol
modeled early on in of wearing the "coach's
one own career. hat" in order to highlight
The truth is however, that this role is an
that the duties and approach to be worn
demands of school leadership have when helping "Lead Teachers to Higher
changed over the years, normally so Levels of Effectiveness".
with any change in historical It can be purchased
timelines, and the behaviors
Am azon
associated with them have changed
as well. ASCD
Leader as Reader Executive Summary PME 813 Summer 2020 - CoachBelle.Ca
 "Webelieve
principalscan be
morethan managers
andjudges, more
than professionals
responsiblefor
maintaining
disciplineand
evaluating teachers.
Principalscan become
lead learners,
supporting teachersto
bemoreeffectiveboth
asindividual
professionalswithin
their classroomsand
asmembersof a team
of educators
functioning
collaboratively for the
benefit of students"
(p. 26)

Leader as Reader Executive Summary PME 813 Summer 2020 - CoachBelle.Ca

 Wear ing a Coach's Hat
"The coach observes the players take on new skills or hone existing ones and
offers feedback that is both positive and focused on growth" (p. 28)

- Spend less time in your office and more time in

teachers' classrooms

- Notify teachers that you will visit classrooms as

an informal and non-judgmental coach

- Schedule regular classroom visits with teachers

throughout the school year

- Make a clear separation between classroom visits that are for official
evaluative purposes, and ones that are for coaching (if applicable)

- Make sure to follow up on the classroom observations by providing

observatory feedback (one on one meeting, written note, email etc.)

- Ch oose t each er s w h o ar e look in g f or w ar d t o you r visit as w ell as

t each er s w h o exper ien ce in cr eased in st an ces of disciplin e issu es,
as you r f ir st pr ior it ies

Leader as Reader Executive Summary PME 813 Summer 2020 - CoachBelle.Ca

 6 PARTNERSHIP PRINCIPLES
TO INFLUENCE GROWTH
WITH TEACHERS
Equ alit y
Build your relationship with teachers as a
learner who has gained expertise and
would like to share it for purposes of
professional growth

Coaching Mindset
Ch oice
to
Build your partnership by giving teachers
Foster Partnership some choice in professional development
topics. learning goals, and innovative
H Be Humble practices

Voice
A Be Active
Build your partnership by asking teachers
questions that start with "what" or "how"

T Be Trusting
" Relat ion sh ips
ar e t h e h ear t of t h e
sch ool - an d t h ose
bet w een a pr in cipal coach
an d h is or h er t each er s ar e
am on g t h e m ost dyn am ic
an d n u an ced as w ell as
pot en t ially t h e m ost
r ew ar din g" (p. 50)
Leader as Reader Executive Summary PME 813 Summer 2020 - CoachBelle.Ca
Ref lect ion
Build your partnership by listening to
teachers' concerns and by asking them
questions that hopefully lead to moments
of realization
M odel
Build your partnership by modeling the
coaching process by being coached
yourself
Get set, get ready, give feedback
Feedback is n ot
Advice: " Th is is h ow you sh ou ld do it ..."
Pr aise: " You ar e ph en om en al..."
Evalu at ive: " I ch eck ed of f t h is evalu at ion sh eet ..."

Feedback is
Goal Set t in g
St at e you r ow n goals: " Bef or e you begin t h in k in g abou t set t in g you r
pr of ession al goals f or t h is year , h er e ar e m y m in e an d t h e r eason s w h y " .
Assist edu cat or s in f in din g t h eir goals: " In or der f or u s t o w or k t oget h er t ow ar ds
you r pr of ession al gr ow t h , w h at ar e you r goals f or t h is academ ic year as a
t each er ? "

Con ver sat ion (r ef lect ion s af t er classr oom visit s)

Object ive:" Wh at beh avior s did you n ot ice in class t oday "
Ref lect ive: " Wh at w en t w ell f or you as a t each er in class?"
In t er pr et ive: " Wh at w ou ld h elp you in t h ese cir cu m st an ces?"
Decision al: " Wh at w ill you r epeat in t h e f u t u r e ver su s w h at w ou ld you lik e t o
ch an ge in you r classr oom pr act ices?

"Shifting from judgmental to non-judgmental feedback can

be challenging. In all honesty, there are times when we
walk into a classroom and feel upset and judgment rising
within us. At those times, we must reflect on whether we
truly need to address what we are observing with an
evaluators hat or whether we can re-frame our immediate
reactions as non-judgmental feedback" (p. 102).
Leader as Reader Executive Summary PME 813 Summer 2020 - CoachBelle.Ca
 "Transform Your School
Into A Team" (p.138)
"Transforming teaching from an individual race into a team sport is
arguably the single most important goal for principal-coaches" (p. 138)
- Encourage teachers to visit other expert teacher classrooms (in house, local or
other)
- Organize peer coaching among teachers, by associating either 2 expert
teachers, 1 expert with one novice teacher, or one with more experience than
another
- Allow teachers to organize "instructional rounds" where groups of teachers
organize their own classroom visits with one another and work towards a
specific goal as a group
- Offer "lesson study" to expert teachers where they plan lessons together and
then observe them to perfect and tweak them further. This is recommended
for teachers who work at a high level of collaboration.

Tim e M an agem en t Tips

- Im plem en t of f ice h ou r s in st ead of h avin g an
open door policy
- Use a digit al calen dar so t h at it can be easily
sh ar ed w it h st af f w h en n ecessar y
- Sch edu le classr oom visit s w it h specif ic dat es
an d t im es in advan ce, pr ef er ably f or t h e academ ic year
- Sch edu le t im e in you r of f ice f or paper w or k an d adm in ist r at ive du t ies, in
15 m in u t e in cr em en t s
- Deal w it h t h e con t en t s of you r em ail im m ediat ely an d do n ot allow
you r self t o close it f or r eview lat er

Leader as Reader Executive Summary PME 813 Summer 2020 - CoachBelle.Ca

 Abou t t h e Au t h or s...Of Th e Book
The writers are all educational leaders with much expertise in teacher leadership. At
the time of printing:
- Jessica Johnson is an elementary school principal and district assessment
coordinator for Dodgeland School District
- Dr. Shira Leibowitx is founding director of Portfolio
- Kathy Perret is an educational consultant for Northwest Area Education Agency
in Sioux City, Iowa

You can learn more about them and connect h er e

Johnson, J., Leibowitz, S., & Perret, K. (2017). The coach

approach to school leadership: Leading teachers to higher levels
of effectiveness. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Abou t t h e Au t h or ...Of Th e Su m m ar y
Isabelle Bertolotti is currently an online learning and curriculum development
specialist for the Kativik school board. She has close to twenty years of teaching
experience at the elementary, high school and adult level. She was previously a
curriculum consultant for the province of Quebec to help the nine English school
boards implement the Diversified Education Program in the adult sector. One of
her favorite hobbies is to write letters, mostly of complaint, and the other is to be
a Beachbody coach.

You can learn more about her and connect h er e

Leader as Reader Executive Summary PME 813 Summer 2020 - CoachBelle.Ca