Transforming school leader Coaching: Harnessing Data with LeadNow

By Marita Adhiambo

In the heart of our bustling office, there’s a palpable sense of excitement. Every day, our team is uncovering innovative ways that are transforming the way we support and coach school leaders. The source of this excitement? Data collected from our digital training and coaching toolkit, LeadNow.

Imagine this: a teacher, Mrs. Pendo, has completed an online training and has scored an Advanced in her training, she has also set goals on what she is planning to implement. Despite her eagerness to practice what she has learnt, she feels unsure if her methods are effective.

Teacher Pendo is just one in many school leaders who struggle to transfer skills after going through an online training/module or course. Each year many organizations, TSC and MOE invest resources, time and energy into school leader professional development but the transfer of skills is difficult. Some key reasons include:

1. Lack of Practical Application: Some online training often focuses on theoretical knowledge without providing sufficient opportunities for practical application. School leaders may struggle to translate this theoretical knowledge into real-world classroom practices.
2. Insufficient Follow-Up Support: After the initial training, school leaders may not receive the ongoing support and feedback needed to implement new strategies effectively. Continuous coaching and mentoring are crucial for successful skill transfer.
3.  Inadequate Resources: Implementing new skills may require resources that are not available in every school, such as specific technology, materials, or additional training for students and other staff.
4. Resistance to Change: school leaders, like all professionals, can be resistant to change. They may prefer familiar methods and be reluctant to adopt new practices, especially if they are perceived as time-consuming or complicated.
5. Evaluation and Feedback Mechanisms: Effective transfer of skills requires mechanisms for evaluating implementation and providing constructive feedback. Many online professional development programs may lack robust systems for this, leaving school leaders without clear guidance on how to improve.

Despite this challenge, LeadNow isn’t just a repository of modules; it’s a dynamic, data-rich ecosystem that offers a window into the learning experiences of every school leader. By capturing detailed metrics, such as goal setting on each module, assessment scores, competency level and expert feedback on assignments, we gain a comprehensive understanding of each school leader’s journey.

The Power of Data-Driven Insights

Data can often feel cold and impersonal, but in our hands, it becomes a powerful tool for personalized coaching. For Mrs. Pendo, the data revealed that she excelled in lesson planning but struggled with transition of activities into her lessons. This insight was a game-changer.

Using this data, her coach observed her lesson, did a feedback session with her and they tailored a plan specifically for her. They introduced her to different ways that she can transition from one activity to the other and provided step-by-step guidance on how to integrate them into her lessons.

The Impact: Personalized Coaching Intervention

This has enabled our coaching team to be able to leverage LeadNow data to craft personalized coaching interventions. Here’s how we did it:

1. Data-driven: Data collection through LeadNow is systematic and ongoing. We track a variety of metrics, including:

• Engagement Data: Interaction with module materials.
• Performance Data: Assessment scores and competency level.
• Behavioral Data: practicing key leadership and classroom practices.

2. Individualized: School leaders receive detailed feedback highlighting their strengths and areas for improvement. This feedback included specific data points, such as their performance on certain assessments or their level of engagement in modules.
3. Competency-based: Based on the competency level data, our coaches focus on the areas where each school leader needs the most support. For example, a school leader struggling with classroom management received tailored strategies and resources to address this challenge.
4. Goal-oriented: After every module the school leaders are challenged to reflect on what they have learnt and as a result they get to set clear actionable next steps that they will practice in their classes.

The Future of Teaching and Coaching

As we look to the future, LeadNow’s potential to revolutionize teaching and coaching is boundless. We’re exploring advanced analytics and AI-driven insights to support training and coaching. Our vision is to create an environment where every school leader feels empowered, supported, and equipped to thrive in any teaching scenario.

In conclusion, the data from LeadNow is more than just numbers and metrics—it’s the heartbeat of our coaching efforts. By leveraging this data, we’re not only enhancing the skills of individual school leaders but also fostering a community of lifelong learners. And in this community, every school leader has the potential to shine, inspire, and transform the lives of their learners.

Follow us on socials as we continue to explore and contribute to the exciting world of evidence-based, technology-enabled teaching and learning.