Instructional Leadership in Student-Focused Coaching: Creating Effective Systems to Cultivate Student Success
by Daryl Michel, Ph.D., Dawn Brookhart, M.Ed., M.A.T.
Student-Focused Coaching (SFC) is a highly effective way to improve educator professional development and learning and student outcomes—but to succeed, coaches need to be empowered to lead alongside supervisors and other teacher leaders. Building on Hasbrouck & Michel's widely used guide, Student-Focused Coaching, this book shows educational leaders how to develop and lead a sustainable coaching model. It emphasizes that leadership isn’t defined by a title—anyone with insight, commitment, and a student-focused mindset can serve in a coaching role and make a lasting impact.
Aligned with Implementation Science and developed by two internationally known consultants, this is the practical guidebook educational leaders need to build their knowledge of coaching and master their critical role in the coaching system as instructional leaders. Administrators, supervisors, and other leaders will gain expert guidance, actionable strategies, purposeful exercises, and engaging activities for supporting the transformative work of coaches. As more states mandate coaching as part of their reform efforts, this thought-provoking book will help a wide variety of educational leaders grow sustainable coaching programs that bridge the research-to-practice gap and cultivate student success.
Learn how to:
- Create the conditions and culture to implement and sustain a coaching model
- Establish clear and open communication about roles and responsibilities
- Prioritize de-implementation of outdated or ineffective practices before introducing new initiatives
- Plan and execute professional development and learning to ensure the successful transfer of research- and evidence-based skills to the classroom
- Lead complex change—not just manage it—by modeling expectations through shared leadership, collaboration, and continuous learning
- Use a structured Collaborative Problem-Solving Process to strengthen teamwork and prioritize foci
Practical features: Instructional leaders will strengthen their skills and take confident next steps with the reflection prompts, application exercises, and action items in each chapter.
Product details
ISBN13: 978-1681258270
Format: Professional Book, October 3, 2025
Pages: 240
Grades: Kindergarten - 12
Language: English
Editorial Reviews
Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D., Educational Consultant, Brookins Consulting, LLC
“Instructional Leadership in Student-Focused Coaching shows school leaders that coaching is not an add-on but the system that sustains teaching and learning. By naming both the technical structures and the adaptive shifts leaders must navigate—and providing pathways such as the SAILS Instructional Model—it equips administrators to build coaching systems that truly develop capacity across a school.”
Nancy Young, BA, Bed, MEd, EdD, creator of the translational framework The Ladder of Reading & Writing© (2023), and co-editor of Climbing the LADDER OF READING & WRITING: Meeting the Needs of ALL Learners (2024)
“Drawing on their extensive knowledge and experience, Daryl Michel and Dawn Brookhart deliver a must-read for educational leaders, offering a clear blueprint for successfully integrating a Student-Focused Coaching model into schools. With insight and clarity, they tackle the complexities of implementation, respect the vital roles of coaches and teachers, highlight the need for cultivating a thriving adult learning environment, and provide actionable strategies to not only launch but sustain the model long-term.”