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Coaches

Coaches

How do you help teachers turn DI training into strong, consistent classroom instruction? Effective coaching is the bridge between learning the program and implementing it successfully. NIFDI coaching helps teachers strengthen their instructional skills, use student data to guide decisions, and implement Direct Instruction with fidelity. Grounded in the science of learning and reading, NIFDI’s approach gives coaches the knowledge and tools they need to support teachers and sustain effective implementation over time.

The DI Model
Understand the core principles of Direct Instruction and how explicit, systematic, and carefully sequenced instruction supports how students learn. Learn what makes DI different and why its instructional practices are grounded in research.

Lesson Delivery & Fidelity
Learn what effective DI instruction looks like and how to support teachers in delivering lessons as designed while building confidence and instructional skill. Strengthen your knowledge through NIFDI’s National DI Conference and remote training opportunities, including Coaching Academies.

Giving Effective Feedback
Develop practical strategies for observing instruction, providing specific and actionable feedback, and helping teachers make meaningful improvements based on student performance.

Using Student Data
Learn how to use student performance data to identify instructional needs, monitor progress, and guide coaching conversations and instructional decisions.

Building Teacher Skill
Learn how to model, practice, provide feedback, and gradually build teacher independence and expertise. Effective coaching helps teachers develop the skills and confidence to deliver DI successfully on their own.

Preparing to Coach
Understand what coaches need to know before beginning coaching, including the programs being implemented, expectations for instruction, the coaching process, and the essential elements of successful DI implementation.

Coaching Academies & Leader Institutes
NIFDI’s Coaching Academies and Leader Institutes go beyond program training. Designed for the coaches and leaders responsible for guiding implementation, these opportunities build the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to support teachers, monitor implementation, use data effectively, and sustain DI across a school or campus.

Coaching doesn’t end when training is over. NIFDI provides continued guidance, resources, and implementation support to help coaches navigate challenges, strengthen teacher practice, and maintain high-quality DI implementation over time. Contact us to learn more about how NIFDI can support your coaching team.

Which best describes your role?

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. 

Leaders
Coaches
Teachers
Parents
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.