Some very good news!

I am thrilled to report, to all of you who are familiar with the Pathways to Success project in Topeka, that we just won a GEARUP grant for the next six years. The grant puts Instructional Coaches at the heart of school reform in all six middle schools, and provides for many other services to help all students in Topeka.

Kansas University has sent out a press release where you can read more about the grant if you're interested.

Can we keep the term coach?

In the past year, my colleagues and I have struggled with whether or not we should use the term coach. The idea of a coach, for some of us, seemed to conjure up very negative images--say, angry men throwing chairs across the court. However, if you go to the NBA website and watch this clip of Maurice Cheeks, you might get another perspective on the concept of what a coach can be. I'm grateful to Anita Friede, a great professional developer from NYC, for pointing out this clip to me. Maybe coach is the right term for the work we do in schools.