Educators take new approach to creating change in their classrooms and their own lives

(ARA) - Today's teachers face far more challenging situations than Johnny dipping Jenny's ponytail in the inkwell. Increased pressure to perform and increased administrative demands in the face of reduced resources and less control have led to low job satisfaction and high burnout rates. Educational experts easily agree: when teachers succeed, students succeed. So, initiatives that help teachers perform to the best of their abilities also directly and indirectly aid students and their performance.

Across the country, schools, principals, teachers and the communities they serve are all looking for ways to help teachers, and in turn, help students. Programs like Coach Training for Educational Leaders, offered by the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), help educators empower themselves and their students to reach their highest potential.

Successful programs teach educators - from teachers to principals to superintendents - leadership and team-building skills and tools that focus on the whole child and engage all stakeholders - students, teachers and the community. Such programs work, says D. Luke Iorio, President and CEO of iPEC Coaching, because they help educators redefine their vision of educational success - and then turn that vision into implementable leadership and development plans that will directly impact overall student performance beyond the test scores and prepare our children to be tomorrow's leaders, thinkers, and inspirations.

Susan Gonzales, a former teacher and administrator in San Antonio, Texas, agrees. Gonzales personally experienced the need to see her role in a new light when she taught fourth grade in an elementary school with a high number of at-risk students.

"The responsibility to fill in the academic gaps of the students so they are ready for the following grade level is daunting," she says. "I soon realized that a lot of the challenges students faced in the classroom had to do with things outside the school setting that were beyond my control. I couldn't control what happened in a student's home, but often, they brought the impact with them when they walked through the school door every day. I saw my role shift, to not so much being a provider of knowledge, but a provider of a setting or environment where learning could occur."

After serving as an administrator at both the elementary and secondary levels, Gonzales moved into a role serving more than 350,000 students and thousands of leaders at the Education Service Center, Region 20. "It very quickly became evident that school leaders were seeking professional development that would prepare them for the challenges they face daily; such as dealing with conflict, resistance, discussing the work in a candid fashion, setting goals and action plans, and getting buy-in," she says.

The ability to build meaningful relationships is a key component to success in any professional setting, and especially in education, experts agree. "Establishing communication protocols and processes that invite sharing, candor, and reflection is key to building relationships," Gonzales points out. "But in talking with our clients, we found that most were unprepared for dealing with these types of issues. As a result, their jobs became overwhelming, and relationships suffered or didn't form."

"Educators across the country could benefit from training and support in key areas, such as leadership, business and management theories, and best practices that reinforce the link between the individual efforts of school leaders and the impact their influence has on their organizations," Iorio says. "In this day and age, educators need coaching skills to create an environment that optimizes learning."

"There is a heavy responsibility on educators to develop young people, and they often lack the tools or resources to be effective," Gonzales says. "They are also often besieged by limiting beliefs about the potential of their students, which impacts their ability to be successful. This has a significant impact on our students' ability to achieve. By arming all educators - from superintendents to teachers -- with coaching skills and a new paradigm, a significant shift can happen in the classroom."

"By bringing coaching to school campuses, I've seen everyone, at all levels, become more empowered because the conversations have reached a new level - they're clearer, deeper, and more insightful," says Melinda Salinas, principal at Kirby Middle School in San Antonio. "Coaching skills have helped me work with leaders throughout the school to reach their potential and be a part of bringing change to our school culture and environment. My coaching skills have positively impacted my relationships with everyone I deal with. As a campus principal, the coach approach allows me to embrace challenges and view situations from different perspectives, which is leading to better, more informed, and more well-rounded solutions."

To learn more, visit www.ipeccoaching.com, the home page of the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching.