Coaching "Tight and Loose": Intermediating the Politics of Professionalism in School District Reform

• In Event: 25.035 - The Role of Networks and Social Capital Within and Beyond Organizations in Implementation and Scaling Up

Abstract

This article examines the structural and political roles of instructional coaches in district policy implementation. Current research indicates coaches can improve district instructional capacity and shape teacher instruction in the direction of district reform. Meanwhile, research on intra-organizational knowledge sharing suggests that some organizational units utilize and transfer knowledge better than others. Up till now, however, few studies consider coaching teams as a formal organizational unit, instead focusing on the informal, social location of coaches as an indication of their influence over district reform. This in-depth, one-year case study of a district instructional coaching team addresses this gap. I find that evidence that coaching teams adaptively implement policies, manage system-wide knowledge, and collectively broker policy messages. Scholarly significance is discussed.

Author

• Sarah Hilary Galey, Michigan State University