Developing school-based peer coaches is an important part of building long-term capacity and sustaining a successful Direct Instruction (DI) implementation. Peer coaches provide ongoing support to teachers when NIFDI consultants are not on site and help maintain strong implementation over time.

Peer coaches are experienced DI teachers who are selected by school leaders, with NIFDI input, based on their instructional skills, communication, and ability to support colleagues. Because they teach the same DI programs as their peers, they bring practical, firsthand experience to coaching and problem-solving.

Peer coaching is non-evaluative and focused on student performance. Coaches help teachers identify what is working, address challenges, and make targeted instructional improvements.

NIFDI provides peer coaches with four levels of training over two to three years, progressing from analyzing student performance data to conducting classroom observations, providing feedback, leading grade-level meetings, and participating in schoolwide data analysis and problem-solving.

Building a strong team of trained peer coaches helps schools develop internal expertise, support new teachers, and sustain high-quality DI implementation for years to come.