It’s hard to believe that it’s been over a decade since the publication of Student-Centered Coaching: A Guide for K-12 Coaches and Principals (Corwin, 2011). Now with a collection of books about Student-Centered Coaching, we are often asked which one is right for me? I thought I’d provide answers to that question in this blog post.
The Essential Guide for Student-Centered Coaching
The Essential Guide for Student-Centered Coaching provides a clear vision for how instructional coaching can promote teacher and student learning. Shifting the focus from “fixing teachers” to partnering with them to reach our goals for learning takes coaching to the heart of what matters most in schools. Readers will find examples of how to integrate standards and curriculum into coaching, systems and structures for organizing coaching, and anecdotes that show what Student-Centered Coaching looks like across grade levels and content areas.
Student-Centered Coaching: The Moves
Student-Centered Coaching: The Moves is the perfect companion for The Essential Guide for Student-Centered Coaching as it digs deeper into the specific moves we use to ensure that coaching is student-centered and evidence-based. Also included are field-tested tools, practices, and original videos that depict and unpack key coaching moves.
Moves for Launching a New Year of Student-Centered Coaching
Designed to ensure a successful start to the school year, this guidebook provides strategies for coaches, principals, and district leaders to successfully launch a new year of Student-Centered Coaching. Organized into fifteen concrete moves, Moves for Launching a New Year of Student-Centered Coaching walks coaches and principals through an intentional start to the school year.
Leading Student-Centered Coaching
Strong leadership is essential for instructional coaching efforts. Leading Student-Centered Coaching provides principals and district leaders with the background, practices, and tools required for leading coaching efforts that have a profound impact on student and teacher learning. This book includes a variety of tools and techniques for preparing a school for coaching, launching a coaching culture, and supporting coaches. With a focus on the critical role of school leadership, this action-oriented guide provides the key ingredients for ensuring the success of school-based coaching initiatives.
Student-Centered Coaching from a Distance
In recent years, we have learned the importance of coaching toward equity, having a coherent and focused curriculum, and coaching from a place of formative assessment and evidence. Student-Centered Coaching from a Distance addresses these issues through technology-focused coaching ‘moves’ that can be used in virtual, hybrid, and in person settings. We believe that the enduring practices in this book will help coaches keep student learning at the center for years to come.
| The Essential Guide for Student-Centered Coaching (Sweeney and Harris, 2020) | Student-Centered Coaching: The Moves (Sweeney and Harris, 2017) | Moves for Launching a New Year of Student-Centered Coaching (Sweeney, Harris, and Steele, 2023) | Leading Student-Centered Coaching (Sweeney and Mausbach, 2018) | Student-Centered Coaching from a Distance (Sweeney and Harris, 2021) | |
| Who is the audience for this book? | Readers who are new to Student- Centered Coaching, as well as those who would like fresh ideas about how to implement the model. | Readers who would like to dig deeper into the core practices for Student-Centered Coaching through videos, coaching logs, and practices. | Readers who are looking for a concrete series of steps for engaging teachers in the coaching process. | Readers who would like to create a culture for coaching by investing in principal and coach partnerships. | Readers who would like to learn more about how Student-Centered Coaching promotes equity and can be used in a technology-rich environment. |
| When is the best time to read this book? | We recommend starting here to lay the foundation for Student- Centered Coaching. | This book is ideally introduced after reading The Essential Guide for Student-Centered Coaching. | While it can be read at any time of year, this book is most useful in the first few weeks of school. | This book can be introduced when a district decides to invest in developing strong principal and coach partnerships. | The practices shared will be relevant when schools are faced with implementing coaching in a digital format. |
| What level or subject is this book designed for? | K-12 coaching that spans subject and content areas. This includes instructional, learning, technology, special education, and other types of school-based coaches. | ||||
In Closing
The times we are currently experiencing are the most dynamic, innovative, and challenging that we have encountered in our decades as educators. As we continue to serve coaches and leaders, our work will continue to grow and change. We look forward to sharing our new thinking with you through our books, webinars, online courses, and podcasts. Visit our website for more information.
© Diane Sweeney Consulting