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Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H.: Empower Teachers and Achieve Schoolwide Literacy Excellence with Instructional Walks

The Coaching Framework for Literacy Leaders

A Proven System to Transform Your School's Literacy Culture

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What you can achieve in as little as four weeks:

From: Feeling isolated and burdened by administrative tasks
From: A top-down, command-and-control leadership style
From: Generic, evaluative feedback provided once or twice a year
From: A hodgepodge of disconnected instructional practices

To: Becoming a leader who is present and passionate about instructional excellence.
To: A collaborative, empowering culture where teachers are leaders.
To: Strengths-first, non-evaluative coaching system that fosters trust and professional growth.
To: A coherent, school-wide literacy vision that drives results for every student.

👩 Who This Is For

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New principals feeling overwhelmed by all the expectations of classroom observations
Veteran school leaders stuck in an evaluation-centered mindset
District leaders trying to engage school leaders in intentional classroom visits
Department heads who are ready to step into instructional leadership
Coaches who are looking for a practical approach to schoolwide continuous improvement

⛰️ Envision (and Enact) Your Best School Year Yet

Imagine and describe what you want to see five years from now. This course will help you start your school’s journey to excellence.
Let go of a command-and-control approach to leadership in favor of respectful and reciprocal interactions with teachers and students.
Empower teachers to be leaders, professionals who are trusted to make decisions that best support the students in their classrooms.

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Investment: $497 $397 for a limited time

💫 Redefine Instructional Leadership

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Engage in instructional walks: non-evaluative, strengths-first classroom visits.
Use your notes as a third point for coaching conversations for noticing strengths and asking questions.
Sustain focus on teaching vs. the teacher to foster a community of learners.

🛠️ What You'll Get

4 live virtual sessions (75 minutes long, Mondays starting at 5:30 PM CST)
Practical implementation tools (observation templates, conversation guides)
Weekly action challenges to build your instructional leadership practice
Private cohort community for support and accountability
Email and newsletter templates for follow-up with teachers and the school community
Personalized support from Matt Renwick, highly experienced teacher, school leader and systems coach
Live “Empower Hours” at the end of each month for connecting with community members
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Matt Renwick, course facilitator and author of Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H.: Five Strategies for Supporting Teaching and Learning (Corwin, 2022)

Investment: $497 $397 for a limited time

🎓 What you will learn:

Strategies for building relationships based on respect and trust with staff.
A process for determining your school’s continuous improvement priority.
How to conduct non-evaluative instructional walks that focus first on strengths
The art of asking probing questions to stimulate professional conversations.
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📅 Week-by-Week Breakdown

1️⃣ Week 1: From Avoided to Welcomed (Oct 6)

Building Trust Through Presence
Visit classrooms repeatedly to build trust and relationships
Reduce teacher anxiety and stress through frequent, positive interactions
Develop an awareness of the “instructional pulse” of your school.
Outcome: Complete 15+ brief classroom visits and receive positive feedback from at least 3 teachers

2️⃣ Week 2: What to See When You Don't Know What to Look For (Oct 13)

Develop Your Leadership Lens
Build buy-in for your school’s strategic plan
Implement a simple note-taking system that works
Turn your observations into actionable data that can inform your continuous improvement goal
Foster a high-expectations/high-support culture to ensure all students can succeed
Outcome: Build an instructional leadership team of 3-5 teacher leaders and implement a 2-minute note-taking system that works

3️⃣ Week 3: From “Gotcha” to Growth (Oct 20)

Conversations That Transform Instruction
Affirm what is already going well in classrooms before making suggestions
Align teaching practices with an evidence-based instructional framework
Follow up on observations with confidence and curiosity
Pose questions that support teacher reflection and inquiry
Outcome: Establish ongoing conversations with teachers that lead to mutual learning

4️⃣ Week 4: Make it Stick (Oct 27)

Systems for Sustainable Leadership
Acknowledge successes through newsletters, staff meetings, and community updates
Build on what’s going well through reinforcement of the most promising practices
Strengthen your systems to protect your time and promote teacher interdependence
Handling resistance with honesty and compassion
Outcome: An adaptive coaching/leadership toolkit that grows with your practice

🦄 What Makes This Different

Practical, not just theoretical - You'll start visiting classrooms in Week 1
Research-backed yet simple - No complex frameworks to memorize
Built for busy leaders - Designed around real administrative constraints
Supportive community - Learn with other leaders facing the same challenges

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Investment: $497 $397 for a limited time

Less than most one-day conferences, but with ongoing implementation support
Typical leadership coaching: $150-300/hour (you'd get 5 hours for $750-1500)
Conference + hotel + travel: $800-1200 for 2 days with no follow-up
This program: $397 for 4 weeks of implementation support + ongoing monthly community meetings
(Next cohort not until January 2026)

🎁 Total Resource Breakdown:

4 Live Virtual Sessions
Private Online Group Access
Downloadable Guide for Instructional Walks
Instructional Walk Planning Templates
Observation Note-Taking System
Email Templates for Teacher Follow-Up
Weekly Newsletter Template
Communication Strategy Guide
Coaching Up Framework
Quick Wins Checklist
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💬 Testimonials

“Matt Renwick’s ideas about walking alongside teachers to grow them in the same ways we want them to grow students are just-right advice. He brings the research on trust and collective efficacy to life through concrete ways to operationalize rituals and routines of observation, goal setting, and planning with teachers.”
- Samantha Bennett, instructional coach and author
“As a teacher who worked at an elementary school where Matt Renwick was principal for several years, I was able to experience the process he highlights in his book in real time. Matt knows how to look for effective strategies in the classroom, as well as how to help the teacher arrive at areas of growth in a supportive way.”
- Michelle Steffes, classroom teacher
“Matt Renwick reminds us of a key element of our shared professional leadership work: we can’t do it alone. He keeps us focused on the value of coaching tools and the pillars he references to keep instruction at the center of the work of educational leaders.”
- Jason Drysdale, assistant superintendent, Wi

Ready to transform your instructional leadership?

Time is Running Out:

Next cohort starts October 6, 2025, 5:30-6:45 pm CST

Questions? Reach out to Matt at to set up a time to chat
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