The research is clear: instructional coaching and new-teacher mentoring have a strong and quantifiable impact on teacher retention. High-quality programs make a statistically significant difference in a teacher’s likelihood of staying in the profession.

High-quality collaborative coaching or new-teacher mentorship programs have specific research-based elements in common — and KickUp has the features to support them.

Best practice: Encourage incremental improvements through self-reflection.
When coaches or mentors provide objective observations and thoughtful prompts for reflection, teachers gain the ability to think through their curriculum or teaching practices to ensure they are being intentional with every decision occurring within the classroom.

KickUp feature: Coaching Activity
KickUp lets coaches or mentors log a complete and objective record of what’s happening in a classroom, organize meeting notes, and track the amount and kind of support a coach is providing. Coaching entries appear in a teacher’s personal dashboard, providing gentle but consistent reminders to act on feedback. 

Best practice: Establish collaboration norms between the coach or mentor and the teacher.
Trust, empathy and mutually understood norms between a coach or mentor and the teacher enhance professional growth for both parties.

KickUp feature: Threaded Messages and Action Items
KickUp puts messages and tasks together, so you can get more done with less effort. Conversations and Action Items live in the same place, instead of scattered across email.              

Close the loop between feedback and action with shared to-do lists that keep everyone focused on the next steps.              

Best practice: Focus professional learning on intentionality and instructional behavior.
Dunne & Villani’s research indicates that coaching focusing on intentionality (the practice of staying consciously mindful of each decision regarding teaching, learning or assessment, and how those decisions impact students), as well as consistent and differentiated instructional behavior, has the greatest positive impact on student learning.

KickUp feature: Coaching Cycles and data views
KickUp Coaching Cycles provide an all-in-one scaffolding for intentionally developing instructional practice. Cycles are customizable to your district’s specific framework, with shared data views that give teams the clarity and context to do their best work.

For district leaders, KickUp’s data insights let you evaluate your mentorship or coaching program’s implementation. View the amount and type of support logged for one individual or the entire district at a glance, or customize a dashboard for a real-time view of the pieces fitting together.

KickUp’s purpose-built features ensure that your district’s coaches, mentors, and teachers are equipped to work together seamlessly, measurably improve practice, and get the right support for growth.

Want to see how KickUp can help kick start your collaborative coaching or mentoring programs? Schedule a demo today.