“We’re a Well-Oiled Machine”: An Analysis of a State-Implemented Multi-Level Coaching Model in Low-Performing Schools

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 9:50 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Evaluations of Programs Supporting Teachers (Table 11)

Abstract

In 2021, North Carolina piloted the CARES Transformation model, a multi-level coaching intervention delivering support to district personnel, school leadership, and teachers. Implemented through federal ESSER III funding, this model focused on areas such as instructional leadership, curriculum alignment, leadership capacity, and data-informed instruction. We investigate the implementation and impacts of this program through a sequential exploratory mixed-methods study. Findings indicate that coaching was well-received in its tailoring to school contexts and its consistency. School accountability data indicated greater increases in student performance. However, as ESSER III funding ends, participants struggle to conceptualize sustainability. We discuss the implications of these findings, the challenges of sustainability given constraints in school personnel capacity, and the pitfalls of evaluation in short implementation windows.

Authors

• Rachel Rana, North Carolina State University

• Jennifer Sawada Vega, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Julie Marks, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill