Why Not Inclusion Coaches?
If you really want to learn, find a coach!
Does your school use coaching services to support professional learning?
I have worked with several districts that employ instructional coaches, literacy coaches, and math coaches. Recently, I’ve started to ask, “Why not Inclusion Coaches?”
The term coach is related to the historic meaning for the word “coach – a device to carry people from their present location to their desired location.” So a person who becomes a coach provides supports (knowledge, skills, and dispositions) to carry you to your desired destination.
Think about it; in many fields, coaching is valued for people who want to develop proficiency. From athletics, to wellness, to business, we admire results of individuals who employ coaches to become more effective.
I did a database literature search and discovered 344 published journal articles for the keyword instructional coach, 283 for literacy coach, and 51 for math coach. Clearly, there is a growing body of research about the value of coaching for inservice teachers.
Then I searched for inclusion coach. There were 6 articles, but 2 were about sports coaches who want to be inclusive, 2 were about an inclusion coach in Canada, and 1 was about the role of a principal with leading inclusion (one role was to be a coach). Then left ONE article on inclusion coaches as I propose the role. Really?
If we intend to improve outcomes for students with disabilities, if we intend to improve their academic and social development, and if we intend to improve the working conditions and job satisfaction for the professionals who work with them, don’t we need to rethink our current practices? Shouldn’t this be a priority?
All 50 states have reported a shortage of special educators. The Council for Exception Children conducted a four year survey of 10,000 special educators who resigned. They reported their biggest reasons were lack of mentoring, overwhelm, paperwork, and lack of respect (CEC, 2019). How could we change our working conditions to retain these teachers who entered the profession with big-hearted commitments?
I propose Inclusion Coaches. But, just like the teachers they work with, these Inclusion Coaches will need coaching to fully develop their competencies. I’ve been an Inclusion Coach for more than a decade, so I know their challenges intimately.
This fall, I am launching wraparound supports for Inclusion Coaches to help those with inclusive special education experience develop their skills with coaching, leadership, and cutting-edge special education practices.
If your district has Inclusion Coaches, I would love to connect to see what we can learn from each other. If you want to more more about my services, click the link below. This is not an easy task; the path forward will have some bumps; but the potential rewards will make it worth it. Let’s band together to #TransformInclusion.
PS. I would also like to connect with a higher education researcher who might be interested in working with me to gather data about the experiences and impact of Inclusion Coaches. Let’s publish what we learn!
