School Standards Coach

School Standards Coaches work alongside teachers to support standards-aligned instruction and improve student outcomes — observing lessons, providing feedback, leading professional development, analyzing student performance data, and helping teachers understand and implement academic standards effectively. The role sits in the instructional support space between classroom teacher and instructional leadership.

The relationship with teachers is central and requires genuine skill to navigate. You're working in a non-evaluative support role, which theoretically makes teachers more open to feedback — but in practice, coaching can feel like scrutiny, and building trust that makes teachers willing to be vulnerable about their practice takes time and interpersonal investment.

Data use is a defining competency. Standards coaches help teachers look at student work and assessment data to identify patterns, draw conclusions about instructional effectiveness, and adjust practice accordingly. Doing that without making teachers feel blamed for outcomes they don't control requires both analytical clarity and emotional intelligence. People who thrive tend to have strong classroom teaching backgrounds that give them credibility, genuine belief that teacher practice and student outcomes can improve, and the relational skills that make coaching conversations productive rather than defensive.