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#2 – Summer 2008

Challenge and Be Surprised by Your Students • Ohio Elementary School on Track to ‘Achieve Greatness’ • The Curriculum as the Cause of Failure • Litmus Test for Urban School Districts • Direct Instruction Reduces Special Education Referrals in Louisiana School District by Half • Miami Elementary School Boosts FCAT Scores with Reading Mastery • If the Children Aren’t Learning, We’re Not Teaching: Siegfried Engelmann • Cognition, Logic, and Instruction • Reading Mastery Helps Florida Students Advance Two Grade Levels in Reading • California Blue Ribbon School Closes Achievement Gap with Reading Mastery

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Categories: Volume 08

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Curriculum Decision Maker
School and District Leader

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.