Empowering Educators, Advancing Students: Inside the Dallas County Coaching Summit

This school year, we were proud to launch the Dallas County Coaching Summit (DCCS), the largest countywide coaching convening in Texas, bringing together instructional leaders from 12 Dallas County school systems and three technical assistance partners (SustainED,MGT, and Instruction Partners) to impact more than 400,000 students. The summit’s goal is to ensure that every Dallas County student from pre-K through 12th grade has access to rigorous, effective instruction that leads to content mastery and readiness for college and career.

High-quality instruction is a catalyst for improving these student outcomes, but many of our teachers need more support to teach as intended. Within Dallas County, one in three newly hired teachers have yet to earn their certification, and too often face systemic roadblocks that prevent them from accessing the highest-qualitypathway. When teachers are supported, students can be better prepared. The DCCS helps instructional leaders bridge that gap by providing data-informed coaching and collaborative learning communities.

Instructional leaders across the county recognize the importance of being prepared to support their colleagues.

“We have a lot more new teachers than veterans, so it’s really important that I’m equipped with the skills I need to help foster new learning for those teachers,” said Gwendolyn Larry, an instructional coach at Grand Prairie ISD.

To improve teacher and student performance simultaneously, the Dallas County Coaching Summit helps instructional leaders connect isolated initiatives into a unified instructional framework, which can then be supported by a robust coaching strategy. From early literacy to high school math, the Dallas County Coaching Study connects every stage of a student’s journey and strengthens instruction today. The goal is to help school systems sustain investments in instructional coaching as research and landscape analyses are conducted to show its measurable return on investment. In session 1, participants reviewed data and strategies to strengthen elementary literacy and numeracy as well as secondary math and reading language arts. The DCCS keeps students at the center by providing instructional leaders with the tools and strategies to strengthen their coaching and support of teachers.

Support doesn’t stop here. The DCCS is designed not only to provide professional learning but also to ensure effective implementation on campuses. Research shows that one-time professional learning sessions rarely lead to lasting changes in coach and teacher practice, which is why we’ve built in ongoing, monthly campus-based implementation supports. Participating districts will complete a series of in-person professional development sessions and take part in cross-district learning walks that include classroom observations and data collection. In addition, implementation schools will receive monthly, campus-based support to put new learning into practice.

“We don't see the instructional coach as a separate component. [They really are] hand in hand working together to make sure that instructional best practices are being implemented,” said Sile Robinson, Chief Regional Impact Officer at Commit.

To learn more about the Dallas County Coaching Summit, click here.