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#1 – Spring 2006

Letter From Australia, Where Direct Instruction is Treated Differently • ADI News • A Lifetime of Achievement • Tips From Teachers • Early Reading First Grant Fuels DI in Kentucky Preschool • Direct Instruction Implementations: Problems to Avoid • The Decoding Programs and the Poor Decoder • How Scientific is Reading First? • Top Five Teaching Errors for Primary DI Teachers • Designing Effective Mathematics Instruction: A Direct Instruction Approach • Review of Dr. Vicki Snider’s Myths and Misconceptions About Teaching: What Really Goes On in the Classroom

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Categories: Volume 06

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Interested in learning how to implement Direct Instruction in your district, school, or home? NIFDI can help. Click a button below to learn more. 

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What is a Peer Coach?

Peer coaches play a critical role in sustaining strong implementation of Direct Instruction (DI) at the school level. Selected during the first year of implementation, peer coaches are classroom teachers who demonstrate strong instructional practice, effective communication with colleagues, and a willingness to support others. Because they teach the same programs as their peers, they bring practical expertise and shared experience that help build trust and collaboration across the school.

As implementation progresses, peer coaches extend the impact of NIFDI consultants by providing ongoing, school-based support when consultants are not on-site. Their coaching is non-evaluative and focused on improving student outcomes. Peer coaches reinforce effective teaching practices and guide colleagues to make targeted adjustments that directly impact student performance and behavior.

Peer coaches participate in a structured, multi-year training sequence through NIFDI. Over the course of two to three years, they are trained to analyze student performance data, conduct both brief and extended classroom observations, and support data-driven problem solving. Advanced training prepares them to lead grade-level meetings and contribute to broader instructional planning with school leadership.

By developing peer coaches, schools build internal capacity to maintain and strengthen DI implementation over time—ensuring continuity, supporting new staff, and driving sustained student achievement.