Allocate PD resources to high-cost but effective coaching programs for teachers most in need, rather than lower-cost programs for all teachers¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 5 claims (3 for, 2 mixed) · 2 studies (1 quant-synthesis, 1 qualitative), q2 · 1 of 2 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

In the policy discussion, the authors recommend that given the tens of billions spent annually on PD with limited results, administrators judge whether current expenditures could be used more effectively. They propose "to allocate resources to high-cost but effective PD programs for teachers most in need of support, such as coaching, rather than to lower-cost but less-effective programs for all teachers." They also recommend exploring ways to minimize costs while maintaining efficacy, including virtual coaching.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• A skilled coaching corps whose personnel costs make on-site coaching a resource-intensive intervention

Constraints¶

• Per-teacher costs in one cost analysis ranged from $3,300 to upwards of $5,200; the existing literature lacks information for a reliable cost-benefit or cost-effectiveness analysis

Target Learners¶

• in-service teachers, prioritizing those most in need of support

Target Learning Goals¶

• improving instructional practice and student achievement through more effective use of existing PD expenditures

Claims¶

• Teacher coaching raises student achievement on standardized tests by a pooled 0.18 SD across 31 causal studies [+M]
• Teacher coaching programs improve teachers' instructional practice by a pooled 0.49 SD across 43 causal studies [+M]
• Coaching program effects shrink substantially at scale: effectiveness trials of larger programs show only a fraction of efficacy-trial effects [~M]
• Pairing coaching with group trainings is associated with larger effects on instruction and achievement; instructional materials with larger, and video libraries with smaller, effects on instruction [+M]
• Coaching effects do not differ significantly across school levels, and in-person versus virtual delivery shows no significant difference [~M]

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Kraft, M.A., Blazar, D., Hogan, D. (2018). The effect of teacher coaching on instruction and achievement: A meta-analysis of the causal evidence. Review of Educational Research, 88(4), 547-588. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654318759268