Randolph School District Randolph, NJ
June 21, 2019 - 3 minutes readWhen I first became an instructional coach in 2012, I read books, articles, and websites to inform and guide my practice. However, nothing had as much of an immediate impact as when I began working with Bruce and Ellen Eisenberg through the Pennsylvania Institute of Instructional Coaching.
Under their guidance and leadership, I attended approximately 10 PIIC conferences each one proving more influential than the last. Their focus on literacy, pedagogy, and immediately practical applications of coaching and coaching strategies would transform my everyday practice time and time again. From each of these conferences, I would take the wisdom shared from seasoned coaches and return to our school to incorporate them into our program. It was because of these sessions that Randolph High School was able to grow our program so successfully that is utilized by 99% of our staff. Our instructional coach program at the high school unofficially adopted PIIC’s model of coaching, focusing on literacy, data and a non-evaluative model. As coaches, we adopted and focused on the growth mindset and methodology demonstrated at each conference.
Bruce and Ellen’s constant willingness to provide advice and support throughout the school year was the perfect manifestation of their belief that professional learning should not be “one and done” but an ongoing process to change practice. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to learn from Bruce and Ellen and know that I am a better instructional coach and educator because of their mentorship.
Lena Wasylyk, Instructional Coach
Randolph School District
Randolph, NJ
Bruce and Ellen are nothing short of visionaries! They have transformed the coaching environment and create actionable, supported, and measurable ways to empower coaches to aid educators. I had the distinct pleasure and honor of meeting Bruce and Ellen at the PIIC conference and I was inspired and finally able to put into action researched based practices that affected and continues to help the teachers I work with daily. They taught me the importance and practice of the BDA cycle of coaching and have since that first meeting visited out school and program to provide us with even more personal feedback. Truly and honestly, I am a coach because of their professional development and continued support. They have the perfect balance of research-based practices and practicality. Bruce and Ellen’s model of coaching is transformative and sustainable through time. We are now in our seventh year of coaching and continue to use the techniques that we discovered through PIIC and our relationship with Bruce and Ellen. I was so excited when I was able to buy their book and couldn’t wait for them to sign it! Bruce and Ellen, thank you from the bottom of my heart for both your expertise and your friendship!
Adriana Coppola, Instructional Coach
Randolph School District
Randolph, NJ
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