The Teacher-Coach Pilot Model: Transforming Education from Within
- Greg Mullen
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
Teacher isolation, burnout, and the overwhelming demands of managing classroom challenges remain some of the most critical yet unaddressed issues facing schools today, issues that directly limit instructional quality and student success.
Despite having talented educators and dedicated school leaders, many districts still overlook one of the most effective solutions to these persistent problems: the Instructional Coach.
When I was a classroom teacher, I wished I had a coach; and not just a supportive colleague or friend, but someone trained explicitly to help me reflect, grow professionally, and feel truly supported in my practice as a classroom teacher. Now, with a Master's Degree specializing in instructional coaching on top of my years of experience as a classroom teacher, I see both a clear gap and an exciting opportunity to address these pressing challenges through a creative, practical, and sustainable approach.
Here's how we can make it happen.
What’s the Big Idea?
The Pilot Lead Teacher & Instructional Coach is a new kind of role designed to strengthen classroom instruction and build schoolwide capacity from the inside out.
By combining the responsibilities of a full-time teacher with the support functions of an instructional coach, this role allows one educator to model innovative teaching, support colleagues through real-time collaboration, and guide lasting instructional change without requiring schools to create (and fund) two separate positions.
Here's how it works over a three-year implementation plan:
Year 1: Demonstrating Success
In the first year, the focus is on visibility and proof of concept. While a principal or district leader may already be convinced of the value of a novel teaching model, the broader staff will likely hold a range of perspectives—curiosity, skepticism, or even quiet resistance. That’s not a problem; it’s a predictable part of school culture that this role would embrace.
To meet that reality head-on, the Pilot Lead Teacher & Instructional Coach must be strategically placed in a grade level and subject where the model’s relevance can be clearly seen and easily connected to others’ work. Ideally, this would be a classroom with frequent vertical or horizontal collaboration (e.g., upper elementary, middle school core, or a foundational high school subject). The goal is to position the model where it naturally sparks conversation across the staff.
Throughout the year, this educator teaches full-time to develop this classroom built on principles of the novel approach; in this case, let's focus on self-directed, student-led learning (i.e. the Self-Directed Schooling model). The classroom is open for walkthroughs, peer observations, and professional reflection. Staff can talk with students about their challenges in learning how to set and manage goals, use learning strategies, collaborate with peers, all while meeting academic expectations and demonstrating personal growth.
This isn’t theoretical. It is happening down the hall in a classroom designed to show, not tell. The result? A powerful, low-pressure way to generate curiosity, open minds, and begin shifting beliefs through a real-world experience.
Year 2: Collaborative Coaching & Learning
This is the crucial year! In the second year, this role evolves to meet growing interest and increased awareness by staff for this model. This means staff have seen this model in action from start to finish and have responsed in one of three ways:
On-Board and Curious -- How can I start doing this in my classroom?
Reasonably Reserved -- But how would I deal with... [negative concern]?
Strongly Resistant -- I've heard... [negative misinformation] or This won't work because...
This second year is when the Pilot Lead Teacher & Instructional Coach may find the role naturally transitioning into more coaching than teaching, especially if the role is allowed to cycle along with the students. This means that many of the students experiencing this in Year 1 would continue to the next grade level with the same Pilot Lead Teacher again in Year 2. This ensures consisteny for the students and allows the teacher to shift their focus on coaching since their students will largely be ready to engage in self-directed learning at the start of the school year. This also maintains the credibility of the Pilot Lead Teacher as a practicing teacher while offering targeted, hands-on support to colleagues.
Furthermore, students in Year 2 are encouraged to work collaboratively with other students in other classrooms, further instilling the principles of self-directed learning across the school campus. Teachers who are not yet on board may choose to wait before allowing students to submit evidence of learning from outside of their syllabus requirements, but the students would be free to engage across classrooms and determine for themselves if it is something they would like to see grow and develop in their school.
The big takeaway here:
This isn’t about dropping off a binder of strategies or delivering weekly one-size-fits-all PD. It’s about walking alongside teachers as they explore new instructional territory. Through embedded coaching cycles, the Pilot Lead Teacher co-plans lessons, observes instruction, provides feedback, and (when helpful) co-teach side-by-side with staff. Teachers aren’t expected to leap into this self-directed schooling model alone. They’re invited to try, tweak, reflect, and grow with support.
At the same time, depending on the need, the Pilot Lead Teacher could facilitate monthly Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) tailored to staff needs. This means the sessions aren’t about compliance, they’re about community. It is strictly on an as-needed basis with an open-door policy -- the session would be scheduled and the Lead Teacher present and open to questions and guidance to help others seeking to listen and reflect. This provides a safe, judgment-free space where educators can unpack new ideas, voice hesitations, and share real classroom stories. This allows for celebrationion of small wins, troubleshooting sticky moments, and building shared language around what this model looks like in context.
By the end of year two, the model is no longer just a classroom down the hall—it’s a shared learning in motion (much like the students!), supported by coaching, driven by curiosity, and built on the core values rooted in this model: trust, respect, responsibility, integrity, fairness, and community.
Year 3: Building Sustainable Capacity
By year three, the Pilot Lead Teacher & Instructional Coach may be allowed to shift fully into an instructional coaching role, with the original model classroom now serving as one of many thriving reference points (and not the only example). At this stage, the focus is on building sustainable, schoolwide capacity by empowering teacher-leaders, deepening collaboration, improving onboarding processes for new staff, and fostering an authentic, student-centered culture that doesn’t depend on any one person.
But here’s the truth: even after two years of demonstration and dialogue, some educators may still hold strong reservations. And that’s not failure! It’s a sign that we’re respecting the diversity of thought, experience, and readiness that exists within any staff. The solution isn't to pressure or push. It’s to lead with agency, not ultimatums.
That’s where this third year becomes transformational.
Supporting the Full Spectrum of Readiness
By leaning into the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) and techniques rooted in Motivational Interviewing (MI), the approach in Year 3 becomes as personalized for staff as the teaching model is for students. The goal is to mirror the student experience for adults by offering choice, autonomy, and meaningful support based on individual readiness and capacity.
For educators who are still hesitant or strongly resistant, I would not approach them with mandates or blanket expectations. Instead, I would:
Acknowledge their perspective with empathy and without judgment.
Ask open-ended questions that invite reflection:
“What are the principles guiding your classroom right now?”
"What are you desired outcomes for students, and how are outcomes measured?
“Which principles in this model feel mismatched, and which could we explore?”
"You’ve shared how much you care about students developing independence. Are you open to hearing how students in this model also develop independence?”
Highlight potential blindspots in existing alignment, connecting their stated goals with opportunities they may not have considered:
“It sounds like you're already fostering a lot of student ownership. I wonder if some of these strategies could build on the foundation students are getting from you.”
Offer differentiated entry points tailored to their comfort level:
Short-term experiments
Co-teaching a lesson
Observing a student-led classroom in action
Trying one routine that mirrors the model’s structure
Celebrate autonomy over compliance, reinforcing agency at every step:
“You’re the expert in your classroom. This model is here to support your goals, not replace your voice. You get to decide how, when, and if it fits.”
This is agency-based leadership rooted in respect, trust, and authentic professional agency. The idea is to offer a model that is inherently, instrinsically aligned with the values and virtues of agency and autonomy in a professional schooling environment.
By the end of Year 3, it comes down to how many staff are still strongly resistant and to what degree their resistance is exhibited. It is reasonable for a school with significant percentage of resistant staff at the start of this process (in Year 1) to find themselves with a strongly resistant staff by Year 3. However, schools with moderate resistance going into this will likely find change more reasonable and, by Year 3, have only a few teachers with reasonable reservations and few, if any, who remain at the school and strongly resistant to the change.
Shifting the School’s Center of Gravity
While addressing individual readiness is expected (and respected!), the broader focus of this three-year implementation plan is clear:
a schoolwide shift toward student-centered, student-led learning.
This shift means:
Teachers across the school are collaboratively designing lessons where students take ownership of what, when, how, and why they are learning in their classrooms.
Students are setting goals, tracking progress, supporting peers, and participating in cross-classroom learning opportunities.
Staff meetings and PLCs are driven by inquiry, reflection, and shared learning about how to help students develop agency, not just logistics and mandates.
Internal teacher-leaders are stepping up to lead sessions, coach peers, and continue growing the model organically.
And crucially, this self-directed schooling model is no longer a “pilot”; it is now a fundamental driver of the school’s culture and values.
Beyond the Pilot: What This Means Long-Term
By the end of Year 3, the school community has more than a new teaching model. What your school ends up with is:
A core group of empowered teachers who model innovation and collaboration.
A coaching structure that supports ongoing growth.
A student body that sees themselves as partners in learning, not passive recipients.
A leadership model that values readiness, respects resistance, and believes change is a conversation, not a command.
The result? A school culture where meaningful change feels not just possible—but inevitable.
Next Steps: Making It Real
If you're interested in this innovative approach, here’s how to start:
Principals: Consider advocating for this pilot with your district leadership, highlighting how it aligns with strategic school and district goals.
District Leaders: Reach out for more detailed proposal materials, including timelines, data-tracking methods, and sustainability plans.
Teachers: Share this concept with your colleagues and administrators to start conversations around instructional innovation and meaningful teacher support.
Bridging this gap doesn't happen overnight; not with an email, not with a conversation, but with ongoing collaboration, openness, and strategic planning. In a way, we are learning how to trailblaze new paths in education with an ideal that aligns with our shared understanding of culture, values, virtues, in the context of 21st-century skills (Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity).
Schedule a conversation with me to learn more!
Greg Mullen
April 23, 2025
