Cultivating Coaching Mindsets

“This is an essential guide for teachers transitioning to a coaching role, or for any school leader aiming to have a greater impact on adult learning. The book introduces four foundational mindsets—change agent, facilitator, designer, and advocate—and shows how to apply them in daily practice. Each chapter includes thoughtful questions that encourage deep reflection, empowering coaches to grow their practice as they promote the same level of reflection in the adults they support.”

—Emily Floyd, MEd, ELA instructional coach, Chelsea High School, Chelsea, Massachusetts


“Bean and Ippolito have pivoted from literacy coaching to instructional coaching in this second edition, which retains its focus on coaching as a key lever to improved student achievement. Updating this important resource underscores the authors’ belief that context matters—coaches must consider the ever-changing educational ecosystem in which their work is situated. Coaching is an iterative process of teaching and learning for both teachers and coaches, guided by their values and dispositions. This is a ‘must-have’ book for educators preparing to become coaches and for those currently in coaching positions. Bean and Ippolito provide theoretical frameworks, case studies, coaching strategies, and protocols that serve classroom teachers, coaches, and school leaders well.”

—Pamela A. Mason, EdD, Senior Lecturer, Harvard Graduate School of Education


“From the 'Guiding Questions' to the 'Stop and Reflect' sections in each chapter, Bean and Ippolito provide resources to upgrade our thinking on the complex and changing role of coaching in schools. The second edition builds on the original work's thought-provoking mindsets approach, with an expanded transdisciplinary lens. This book is a fresh, welcome contribution that can help make professional learning more effective and more sustainable.”

—Enrique A. Puig, EdD, Director, Morgridge International Reading Center, University of Central Florida


“Cultivating Coaching Mindsets has been a central resource in Reading Ways’s work supporting literacy coaches in 20 schools. The second edition promises to extend the impact and utility of the first edition in important ways. Bean and Ippolito’s expanded approach to instructional coaching, coupled with a focus on equity and organizational systems, offers an even more versatile and comprehensive set of tools for instructional coaches. The second edition continues to prioritize practical strategies while addressing the evolving needs of schools, making it an invaluable tool for driving instructional improvement across all content areas.”

—Joshua Lawrence, EdD, cofounder, Reading Ways; Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Oslo, Norway