Instructional leadership is often described in aspirational terms. But for principals and assistant superintendents navigating staffing shortages, evaluation cycles, and the daily unpredictability of schools, aspiration isn’t enough. It has to work in real conditions, with real people.
That practical lens shaped a recent webinar that Vector hosted in partnership with The Danielson Group, “Leadership Habits That Transform Schools: Nurturing High Expectations Through Instructional Coaching.” The session builds on ideas originally explored in Habits of Resilient Leaders, a book that examines how leadership habits grounded in trust, clarity, and coherence create the conditions for sustainable instructional improvement.
Throughout the session, Dr. Lindsay Prendergast, Assistant Director of Strategy & Development, emphasized a clear message: instructional coaching is most effective when leaders build trust, use evidence thoughtfully, and treat professional learning as a connected system rather than a series of isolated events.
Below are key ideas school leaders can apply right away.
Trust is the Foundation for Growth
Dr. Prendergast began by naming a reality most leaders recognize: adults don’t learn or take risks without trust.
Participants identified conditions that support adult learning, including relevance, curiosity, time for reflection, and psychological safety. These are the same conditions teachers often describe when they ask for feedback that actually helps them improve.
When coaching feels evaluative or compliance-driven, growth tends to stall. Trust isn’t a “soft” leadership skill—it’s the foundation that allows professional learning to take hold.
Coaching Works Best Inside a Coherent System
Instructional coaching has the greatest impact when it doesn’t stand alone. Instead, it should live inside a coherent professional learning system where structures reinforce one another.
Dr. Prendergast highlighted three elements that support teacher growth:
- Self-Assessment and Reflection
- Collaborative Inquiry
- Instructional Coaching
These work best when anchored in a shared language for instruction, such as The Danielson Group’s Framework for Teaching or another common model.
When teachers see how coaching connects to professional learning communities (PLCs), goal setting, and evaluation, professional learning feels purposeful rather than fragmented.
Collective Efficacy Grows from Daily Experiences
Research shared in the session reinforced the importance of collective teacher efficacy – teachers’ shared belief that their work can positively impact student learning.
A central leadership question emerged:
What conditions have we created that make strong teaching more likely to thrive?
When teachers experience meaningful collaboration, clear expectations, and supportive feedback, efficacy grows. Over time, this belief influences not only instruction but also retention and student outcomes.
Symmetry in Professional Learning Matters
One of the most resonant ideas from the webinar was symmetry:
If we want teachers to teach students in a particular way, we need to give teachers opportunities to learn in that same way.
For leaders, this is a useful lens for examining staff meetings, PD days, and coaching conversations. When leaders model inquiry and reflection alongside teachers, trust and credibility grow
Evidence Protects Trust in Feedback
Another key shift discussed was moving from opinion-based feedback to low-inference evidence during classroom observations.
Rather than statements like “students were disengaged,” low-inference evidence focuses on what was actually seen and heard, what questions were asked, how students responded, and what patterns emerged.
This approach creates a neutral starting point for reflection and keeps coaching conversations focused on growth rather than judgment.
The Conversation After the Observation Matters Most
Dr. Prendergast emphasized that the real value of an observation lies in the conversation that follows. Effective coaching conversations:
- Use Shared Instructional Language
- Focus on Patterns Over Time
- Begin with Curiosity and Questions
- Connect Feedback to Goals
- Stay Narrow and Actionable
When feedback feels collaborative rather than corrective, teachers are more likely to reflect and try new strategies.
One Habit to Strengthen
Leaders were encouraged to choose one coaching habit to strengthen, such as:
- Collecting Clearer Evidence
- Asking Better Reflection Questions
- Co-Analyzing Evidence with Teachers
- Modeling Curiosity and Vulnerability
Small, consistent shifts can meaningfully change how teachers experience feedback.
Final Thought for School Leaders
High expectations don’t come from pressure alone. They grow in environments where teachers feel trusted, supported, and safe to reflect.
When instructional coaching is grounded in trust and evidence, it gives school leaders a powerful way to raise expectations, without burning people out.
Continue the Conversation
Instructional coaching is most powerful when it is grounded in trust, evidence, and a shared vision for teaching and learning.
To explore these ideas in more depth, watch the full webinar, Leadership Habits That Transform Schools: Nurturing High Expectations Through Instructional Coaching. Dr. Lindsay Prendergast shares practical strategies for strengthening coaching conversations, building collective efficacy, and aligning professional learning systems.
How Vector Can Help
Vector’s Professional Growth Suite helps districts bring evaluations, coaching, and professional learning into one connected system. Instead of managing growth through disconnected tools and processes, leaders can align observations, feedback, goal setting, and professional development within a single platform.
Districts gain real-time insight into educator growth, streamline evaluation workflows, and connect professional learning directly to instructional priorities. By creating greater alignment and visibility, districts can strengthen instructional consistency, support educator effectiveness, and improve overall district performance.
Through our partnership with The Danielson Group, Vector supports the use of the Framework for Teaching within Evaluations+, helping districts build coherence and sustain meaningful instructional improvement.
