Certified Cognitive Coaching implemented by UTCULP to support educational leadership

Through funding from the US Department of Education, The University of Texas at Austin's Principalship Program (UTAPP) created The University of Texas Collaborative Urban Leadership Project (UTCULP), an extension of UTAPP’s efforts to increase academic achievement by developing 120 effective leaders prepared to meet the unique needs of urban secondary schools. Collaboration on the project with three high-need LEAs – Dallas Independent School District (DISD), Houston ISD (HISD), and Harlandale ISD has begun. Over the five-year course of the grant, the integration of the Cognitive Coaching model will be employed to bolster leadership preparation and augment the principalship program experience.

The UTCULP grant focuses on developing two-year cohorts of secondary educational leaders in alignment with three critical actions: 1) increasing the number of qualified principals and placing them in leadership positions in high-need secondary schools; 2) supporting and retaining effective principals of high-need secondary schools; and 3) developing and implementing a retention and capacity building plan for each partner district to ensure long term leadership sustainability. UTCULP works toward accomplishing these critical actions by meeting five goals tailored to address each partner districts’ individual needs.

The UTCULP grant’s five goals aim to 1) identify unique district needs; 2) recruit, select and prepare at least twelve candidates from partner districts per grant participation year; 3) conduct formative and annual summative evaluations of individual participant’s growth as well as over all program effectiveness; 4) collaboratively recruit, select, and develop five coaches/mentors in each partner district; 5) develop and implement a retention and capacity building plan for each partner district.

Cognitive Coaching supports and enhances the grant’s critical actions and goals (specifically, Goal 2, Goal 3, and Goal 4) and focuses on the following: provide training, follow-up, and expert advice on cognitive coaching strategies and techniques for the UTCULP cohort members and their external coaches. The ongoing determination of progress of cohort participants and their non-supervisor coaches (Goals 3 and 4), will be evaluated periodically.

The cognitive coaching activities include a series of training and practice sessions, leading to certification, as well as follow on individual coaching sessions for each coach. Dr. Michele DeBellis and Ms. Lucila Garza, Cognitive Coaching Training Associates, Thinking Resource, format activities to meet project, state, and national guidelines. Texts and workbooks utilized in training are Cognitive Coaching: A Foundation for Renaissance Schools, Arthur L. Costa and Robert J. Garmston, and Cognitive Coaching Foundation Seminar – Learning Guide, Arthur L. Costa and Robert J. Garmston (ed. Jane Ellison and Carolee Hayes).

The coaches-in-training support assigned colleagues (cohort members) in their educational leadership roles according to the UTCULP Goals and Objectives through telephone, technology-supported and/or face-to-face conferences about issues of leadership and the application of leadership standards (ELLC/ISLLC) in day-to-day practice.

The results of the cognitive coaching component will be evaluated by the UTCULP Co-Principal Investigators and the UTCULP Project Director to determine the effectiveness of cognitive coaching to strengthen the link between leadership preparation and student success.

The University of Texas at Austin, College of Education, Department of Educational Administration

SZB 310, 1 University Station D5400, Austin TX 78712   Tel. 512-475-8573