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Info@NIFDI.org

Coaching Institute

Direct Instruction Coaching Institute

Intended Audience: Lead, Mentor, or Master Teachers and Consultants who serve as a staff development resource
Experience Level: Experienced
 
Whether you’re an instructional coach, peer coach, or another administrator responsible for improving student performance, one of the most critical roles in a successful Direct Instruction implementation is the Coach. With good, careful coaching, teachers will become more skilled and proficient in teaching the DI programs, and students will excel with improved instruction.

In an implementation that does not incorporate high-quality coaching, some teachers will become stars. Still, others may demonstrate little to no improvement, keeping the implementation as a whole from achieving a high level of success. With effective coaching, staff development, and strong leadership, teachers using Direct Instruction will improve dramatically, and students will progress farther and faster than they ever have before.

This Institute will equip building and district-level instructional coaches, peer coaches, lead teachers, and mentor teachers with critical coaching and support skills.

Participants will learn how to:

  • Gain meaningful information from lesson progress and in-program mastery data.
  • Model how to improve written records.
  • Conduct supportive classroom observations and demonstrations to increase student success.
  • Provide effective oral and written feedback to instructors to directly impact student performance.
  • Design and deliver effective, ongoing professional development sessions.
  • Facilitating rehearsal sessions. – Determine the appropriate intervention based on data and observation.
  • Facilitating Data Analysis Team meetings to find and solve student performance problems in a timely manner.

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.