After we have a clear picture of reality, have set a PEERS goal, and have identified and learned strategies we believe will help us reach the goal, we are ready to enter the last phase of the Impact Cycle: Improve. This is where the magic happens! We suggest you keep a clear focus on the goal, stay patient and open-minded, and let the fun-and change-begin!

The Improve stage is where ideas turn into action, where real improvements do or do not occur. Improve is the most challenging phase of coaching since it demands a high level of imaginative brain power from teacher and coach who think together to improve the learning and well-being of students. The foundation for coaching is laid in Identify and Learn, but the learning gets real during Improve. (Impact Cycle, 2017)

During the Improve phase, the coach and teacher move through a four-step process. They (a) Confirm Direction, (b) Review Progress, (c) Invent Improvements, and (d) Plan Next Actions.

Through all four steps of the Improve stage, coach and teacher conversations primarily focus on one question but in different ways:

Did we hit the goal?

How a coach and teacher move forward is determined by their answer to that simple question.

Step One: Confirm Direction

When a coach and teacher meet to discuss progress toward the goal, the first thing to do is to unpack the collaborating teacher's most pressing concerns by asking questions.

Two questions are especially helpful:

1. Given the time we have today, what's the most important thing for us to talk about?
2. What's on your mind?

Step Two: Review Progress

During instructional coaching, there are primarily two reasons why data are gathered: (a) to assess how close students are to the goal to identify what adjustments need to be made in order to ensure the goal is hit; and (b) to help gauge how the teacher is implementing the new strategy.

If goals have been met, the coach and teacher plan their next actions. If the goal has not been met, they can move through a series of questions to take a deeper look at what the data reveal.

1. What has gone well?
2. What did you learn?
3. What roadblocks are you running into?

Watch: Cat reviews data to monitor progress

Watch: Crysta discusses the progress she has made

Step Three: Invent Improvements

During instructional coaching, most changes are made to address challenges that surface in the improvement stage, and the kind of challenges faced are usually technical or adaptive. This is important because different kinds of challenges require different responses.

Kinds of Tasks

1. Simple
2. Complicated
3. Complex

5 questions for adaptive problem solving

1. Do you want to stick with the strategy as it is?
2. Do you want to revisit the way you use the strategy?
3. Do you want to choose a new strategy?
4. Do you want to change the way you measure progress toward the goal?
5. Do you want to change the goal?

Watch: Crysta changes how she assesses engagement

Step Four: Plan Next Actions

As teachers move through the Impact Cycle, there will be highs, and there will be lows. Collaborating teachers may find themselves frustrated and discouraged. This is a normal part of change. It is this feeling that Michael Fullan (Leading In a Culture of Change, 2001) and Seth Godin (The Dip, 2007) refer to as The Implementation Dip, or more simply, The Dip.

Coaches can help guide teachers through these rough patches by...

1. confidently and calmly helping them stay focused on the goal
2. pointing out gains already made
3. reminding them that change is messy. A coach is a living, breathing assurance. "It's OK. We can do this!"
4. helping identify ways to get over the roadblocks

Planning in Coaching

A rule of thumb: Too much planning is better than too little!

Making a plan for next actions with your collaborating teacher involves four steps:

1. Establish the date and time for the next meeting.
2. Identify which tasks need to happen before the meeting.
3. Identify who will do which tasks.
4. Estimate when the tasks will be completed.

The "Next Steps Planning Form" can be especially helpful at this stage. Here are some tips for how to use the form:

1. Use the form when you are meeting the teacher to plan next actions.
2. Complete the form from left to right.
3. Use it while moving through the four steps of the Improve Questioning phase or with teachers after they have worked through those questions.

The Improve stage of the Impact Cycle can be the most complex because during this stage the coach and teacher often have to invent adaptations and solutions so that teachers and students can hit their goals. When coaches guide teachers through this stage, it's helpful to move through the four steps outlined above. View the clips below, to see how Jim coached Crysta and Cat through the entire Improve stage.

Watch: Crysta makes plans for next actions

Watch: Cat makes plans for next actions

Watch: Crysta's Complete Improve Stage

Watch: Cat's Complete Improve Stage

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To learn more about the Improve Stage or The Impact Cycle, join us in our next virtual cohort, or contact us to learn about bringing The Impact Cycle to your school/district.