Curriculum Menu

Contact Information

Basia Kiehler 
Asst. Sup. of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
Title IX Coordinator
Preschool Director
810.225.3902

Laura Allen
Elementary Instructional Coach
LESA Early Literacy Coach
810.225.3945

Shannon Shafer
Elementary Instructional Coach
810.225.3945

Wendy Johnson
Secondary Instructional Coach (Math/Science)
810.225.3938

Katie Monge
Secondary Instructional Coach (ELA/Social Studies)
810.225.

Kim Kijewski
English Learner (EL) Consultant
810.225.6468

What is an Instructional Coach?

An instructional coach supports classroom teachers with tier-one instruction and promotes the implementation of research-based practices through modeling, conferencing, observing, and co-planning. 

Three Competencies of Effective Instructional Coaches

From our work and from other literature, we have identified three competencies that seem key to the success of institutional coaches. Effective coaches:

  • Understand Reading
    They are familiar with content research, content standards for their state, and assessments. They know what is to be taught at each grade level.

  • Understand Pedagogy
    They are familiar with best practices in instruction, they have a collection of effective strategies to draw upon, and they know how to manage a classroom of diverse learners so that the learning needs of individual students are addressed. They know that students learn in engaging learning environments, and they know how to engage students in appropriate learning.

  • Understand Coaching
    They know how to help other teachers learn, experiment, and apply new knowledge. They know how to facilitate meetings, use questioning strategies, and offer support. They do not simply share information with teachers but instead work collaboratively with teachers to learn new information and strategies together. Source