Dissertation Proposal Announcement Ed.D. Program: Gina Mazzariello “More Than a Hire: Instructional Coaches’ Perspectives on Coaching for Systems Reform”

Instructional coaches are increasingly called upon to promote systems reform goals by supporting individual teachers while also advancing organization-wide systemic change. Although research has established the potential for systems-reform coaching, less is known about how coaches perceive and enact their role in the implementation of a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), a specific systems reform framework. This gap is especially salient in New Jersey, given recent New Jersey literacy legislation and New Jersey Department of Education guidance positioning instructional coaching as a central mechanism for implementing MTSS for early reading (i.e., K-3). This qualitative study examines how instructional coaches in urban and suburban districts serving K-3 students perceive their role in coaching for systems reform, how they navigate individual teacher needs alongside systems reform goals, and what organizational conditions enable or constrain their work. The study will be guided by Spillane et al.’s (2002) three dimensions of sensemaking and the implementation science Formula for Success (Fixsen et al., 2015), which holds that effective interventions, effective implementation…