Project Activities
Research question
- What is the impact of 8 structured cycles of written feedback and one-on-one coaching on teaching practices and student achievement?
- What is the impact of 5 cycles, and are these effects different from providing 8 cycles?
Structured Abstract
Design
The effectiveness study included approximately 350 fourth- or fifth-grade teachers in over 100 elementary schools from 14 districts across the country. Schools were randomly assigned into three groups: one where teachers received five highly structured cycles of focused, professional coaching during a single school year, one where teachers received more coaching (eight cycles), and one that continued with its usual strategies for supporting teachers. Teachstone was selected through a competition to provide the virtual coaching largely because their program, My Teaching Partner, already had some evidence of effectiveness in a smaller-scale study. Data collection included: Teachstone's online platform and coach logs to provide information on implementation; a teacher survey to gather information on teacher characteristics and professional development experiences; teacher observations to provide information about classroom practice; and administrative records to assess students' state math and English language arts achievement for school years 2017–18 and 2018–19.
Key findings
- Compared to teachers not receiving the study's coaching, five cycles of video-based coaching improved student test scores in English language arts at the end of the school year.
- Although the 5-cycle coaching led to a similar improvement in student scores in math, the study could not definitively conclude that the coaching improved math achievement.
- Eight cycles of coaching were not effective, perhaps due to time constraints.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
The study report, titled Study of Teacher Coaching Based on Classroom Videos: Impacts on Student Achievement and Teachers' Practices, was released in June 2022.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
