Moves for Launching a New Year of Student-Centered Coaching

Engaging teachers in coaching is an ongoing process that requires planning and intentionality. Whether you are new to a school or have been there a while, the beginning of the year brings forth the opportunity to envision what your work will look like and how you will deepen the impact it makes on teacher and student learning.

Start the Year Strong with 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 moves, this resource provides:

• Concrete ideas for how coaches can connect with new and returning teachers
• Strategies for supporting teachers to increase student engagement and build classroom community
• Steps for building strong principal and coach partnerships that will last throughout the year
• Tools and artifacts that can be used to message and market coaching
• Ideas for scheduling coaching that is flexible and meets teachers’ needs
• Videos and other resources that dig deeper into each of the fifteen coaching moves that are included

By investing carefully in the first few weeks of school and crafting a clear plan with this guidebook, the foundation you build will support your work far beyond the start of the school year.

Diane Sweeney has been an author and educational consultant since 1999.  The author of Moves for Launching a New Year of Student-Centered Coaching (Corwin, 2022), Student-Centered Coaching from a Distance (Corwin, 2021), The Essential Guide for Student-Centered Coaching (Corwin, 2020), Leading Student-Centered Coaching (Corwin, 2018), and Student-Centered Coaching: The Moves (Corwin, 2016), Diane holds a longstanding interest in how adult learning translates to learning in the classroom. Diane holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Denver and a Master’s in Bilingual and Multicultural Education from the University of Colorado, Boulder. After teaching and coaching in the Denver Public Schools, Diane served as a program officer at the Public Education & Business Coalition (PEBC) in Denver. Since then, she has become a respected voice in the field of coaching and professional development. Leanna Harris is the author of The Essential Guide for Student-Centered Coaching (Corwin, 2020) and Student-Centered Coaching:The Moves (Corwin, 2016). She has worked as a teacher, coach, and consultant across grades K-12 and currently works with Diane Sweeney Consulting to help schools and districts implement student-centered coaching. Her work is based upon the belief that professional development for teachers is most effective when it is grounded in outcomes for student achievement - for every child, every day. Leanna is a passionate skier and cyclist. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband and three kids. Julie Steele has been in public education since 1998 as an elementary teacher, instruction specialist, and consultant. In 2019, she chose to pursue a full-time career in consulting to have a broader impact on students and teachers around the country. Her consulting projects include in-person and online support related to the implementation of Student-Centered Coaching. In addition, Julie has a passion for continuous learning which has led her to present at numerous educational conferences, provide professional learning for school districts around best practices and high-impact instruction, and author several blogs on equity. Julie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education from Missouri State University, Elementary Certification (1-6) from Avila University, and a Master’s Degree in Teaching and Learning from Baker University.