Instructional Coaches Academy
Empower your instructional coaches
Instructional coaches are an invaluable resource in any learning system. Coaches have the power to influence teaching, student learning, and school culture. Effective coaches can ensure that 90% of staff learning transfers to the classroom.
Effective instructional coaches are master teachers with substantial instructional and content expertise. Coaches, however, often lack deep expertise in professional learning. Learning Forward’s Coaches Academy focuses on developing coaches’ skills in building relationships, leading professional learning, and individual and team coaching.
The curriculum and learning design of the Learning Forward Coaches Academy reflects best practices in adult learning theory, is grounded in the Standards for Professional Learning.
Using strategies from Taking the Lead: New Roles for Teachers and School-Based Coaches and Coaching Matters, Learning Forward’s Coaches Academy provides comprehensive learning and ongoing support for your system’s coaches and the leaders who support them.
We host Coaches Academies at your location and design each academy to meet your coaches’ most pressing needs.
For more information, contact us at the link below,
What We Do
Coaches Academy helps coaches embrace their roles as learning leaders and better understand their relationships with teachers and principals. The academy also helps teachers develop skills in:
Building relationships
Presentation and facilitation
Leading professional learning
Providing effective feedback
Coaching individuals and teams
Selecting learning designs
Our Work

Coaching for Impact: Six Pillars to Create Coaching Roles That Achieve Their Potential to Improve Teaching and Learning
Despite decades of efforts to support teachers with coaching, most teachers still do not get the support they need in…
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Coaching Matters
Each chapter in this book describes an element of what research and the authors’ firsthand experiences know it takes to make coaching effective.
Read more.Learn More
Inquire
Fill out our web form and let us know about your system and how you’d like to support your coaches.
Connect
We’ll connect you with one of our coaching consultants to talk about our coaching work and how we can support you.
Engage
We’ll work with your coaches on site and virtually to ensure they’re work gets results for teacher and students.
Coaches Academy Team

Joellen Killion
Austin, Texas
Joellen Killion is a senior advisor to Learning Forward and served for many years as the association’s deputy executive director….
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Valerie Mitrani
Miami, Florida
Valerie Mitrani is a Learning Forward senior consultant with expertise in planning, designing and implementing professional learning initiatives in a…
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Julie Lambert
Miami, Florida
Julie Lambert is a Learning Forward senior consultant with expertise in planning, designing and implementing professional learning initiatives in a…
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Callie Brownlee-Groff
Florissant, Missouri
Callie Brownlee-Groff is an experienced teacher with a demonstrated history supporting primary and secondary educators. She served in Denver Public…
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