Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Joplin success with instructional coaches to be trumpeted at national convention

It was just a few weeks ago that Joplin R-8 Assistant Superintendent Angie Besendorfer sent an e-mail to the district's teaching/learning coaches telling them they were not administrators and they were not spies.
Apparently Joplin's teaching/learning coaches have succeeded so much (including seven more added this year) that the R-8 School District is planning to spread its plan across the United States.
Besendorfer, Sarah Stevens, Jennifer Doshier, and Jill White will present a workshop on "Pioneering Partnerships, Powerful Practices That Pay Off" Tuesday, December 10, at the annual Learning Forward Conference at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Dallas, Texas.
Tuesday night, the R-8 Board of Education approved payment of $2,316 for the conference. It would have been $2,916 except for a $600 discount since Joplin will be making a presentation.
The presentation is described in this fashion on the conference's website:

Engage in the leadership journey of two high-poverty elementary schools to make teaching visible, student learning viable, and the process replicable. Collaborate around the idea of choosing a focus to drive results, using learning communities, and uncovering the powerful practices of peer observations and data teams. Evaluate the effectiveness and impact an instructional coach can have.

The topic will include information about


  • Coaching and school coaches
  • Effective teaching and instruction
  • Learning communities/teams
  • Title I School Improvement
  • 6 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    4 musketeers at it again...Angie & her drones spending $$$$ I thought the R8 District did not have...when will this madness stop!

    Anonymous said...

    4 musketeers at it again...Angie & her drones spending $$$$ I thought the R8 District did not have...when will this madness stop!

    Anonymous said...

    Define success. It isn't academic. Not teacher satisfaction. Good fodder for future principals?

    Anonymous said...

    With the district at dangerously low reserves, is this really necessary? Seems like this would be the time to tighten the belt. It's past time for a reality check for these spendthrifts.

    Anonymous said...

    What's new about data driven instruction, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), and instructional coaches? They've been around for several years now.

    Anonymous said...

    Did anyone get the stats on how much turnover those buildings had? Both had almost new staffs each year.