Key Qualities of a Head Coach

Key points:

As a principal coach for Wichita Public Schools, I have seen how effective principals drive positive change throughout an entire school. They create collaborative and supportive learning cultures, attract high-quality teachers, and promote good student results. While it may seem like some people are simply cut out to be strong leaders, I believe that with training, more districts can develop administrators prepared for the complexity of leading a building.

The value of a head coach

Head coaches can make a big difference, especially now. School leaders continue to face big unknowns, including a lack of funding, a student mental health crisis, chronic absenteeism, and lack of student engagement. At the same time, the school environment that has been affecting teacher retention has also taken its toll on administrators. Most school principals maintain his position only for four years and veteran leaders are leaving the profession at higher rates.

The complex challenges and experience gaps that school leaders sometimes face show the need to focus more on supporting principals. The role of a head coach is to develop the capacity of leaders to guide schools through change and ensure high-quality instruction. In my experience, providing effective support to principals requires a combination of mentoring leaders, developing learning communities, and active participation.

Guide, do not prescribe

Mandates play a role in districts, but their impact is often limited. Instead, trainers of effective principals understand the importance of showing them how to encourage teachers to take ownership of change. I like to remind the principals I work with that embracing teacher-led change is not about giving up power, but about leveraging teachers' unique strengths to recognize what will and won't work in their classrooms.

In my district, we recently used a “guide, don't prescribe” mentality while adopting a new approach to learning. We were interested in presenting a new instructional approach in our district. The change would go beyond the use of new technology; asked teachers (and principals) to create assignments, organize classrooms, and even assess knowledge in new ways where students could push the pace of their learning. At the district level, we knew this approach would effectively support student learning, but we did not make it a mandate. We also did not establish a schedule for teachers who chose to use the model.

At first, the lack of standardization was difficult for some construction leaders. They worried that if the change was not necessary, only a small group of teachers would use it. Additionally, there was concern that students would have inconsistent experiences between teachers who used the model and those who did not.

Those fears turned out to be unfounded. Initially, a small group of educational leaders and teachers were trained in the model. Some managed to quickly incorporate the model into their classrooms and others needed more time. But by taking a more hands-off approach, interest grew organically. In just a few years, interest in the model has grown so much that we offer 200 paid training places each year for the model.

Engage with learning communities

We all learn better together because it creates psychological safety. When I coach principals, I look for opportunities to build professional learning communities (PLCs) that connect leaders.

PLCs are particularly effective when managers try something new. Having a building leader take on a big change alone at their school or within a district can make a person feel isolated. Instead, I pair them with another person who can share the experience and collaborate closely. I have seen amazing results when educators can fight, solve problems, and find breakthroughs together. The relationship often extends beyond the PLC as well, providing school leaders with strong professional connections that last a lifetime.

Play an active role

A great master coach demonstrates that impactful leaders lead by doing. When we adopted the Modern Classroom Project model, my fellow district leaders and I were among the first people to receive training from the program. As an initial training group, we were able to understand and think about the change not only from the perspective of introducing it to a building, but also as people who would use the model every day. We wanted to make sure teachers in our district understood that we weren't just asking them to make a change, but we were making it with them.

Because we take that approach, we can engage in collaborative problem solving. When teachers are starting or taking steps to advance their practice, we can be better coaches. Participating in the training gave us a unique insight into the educator's perspective so we can provide more practical solutions.

Helping principals develop leadership skills can create thriving school environments. I have seen it firsthand in my district. By investing in support like head coaches, districts can facilitate that path and ensure there are more leaders who can help students and teachers grow.