Coaching

About Me: 

I started my career teaching at Liberty High School (LHS) as a business teacher in 1996. Helping lead our digital transformation to a 1:1 district, I stepped out of LHS to serve Liberty Public Schools as the K-12 Instructional Technology Coach from 2008-2015. Now I'm back home and loving my time at LHS where I'm working with staff and students as an Innovation and Learning Coach!

Click here if you would like to learn more about my journey.

Contact Me:
Tracey.Kracht@lps53.org
LHS Room 336 (in the Guidance area)
(816) 736-5672
Twitter: @TraceyKracht
Blog: https://traceykracht.wordpress.com/

Our District Coaching Philosophy:
In Liberty Public Schools we use the Student Centered Coaching model and have been coached by national consultant, Diane Sweeney. As a coach, we partner with teachers to focus on specific goals for student learning. 

Coaching Partnerships With Teachers Include:
  • Breaking down unit standard(s)
  • Identifying what students need to know and be able to do throughout the learning process
  • Determining success criteria for how we will know when students achieve the standard and give feedback
  • Creating (or adjusting) rubrics for assessing the standard(s)
  • Reviewing student evidence (work and/or conferring notes) and reflect for changes in instruction
  • Celebrating student growth and planning for instructional adjustments throughout the unit
Our Work:

We work to achieve a 60/40 zone where we are constantly analyzing our calendars and striving to increase our time spent in deep and sustained coaching with classroom partnerships. Below is an example of how I color code my calendar. 

Green = 60% time working with teachers in coaching conversations, co-planning, formal coaching cycles including connected conversations with student centered goals, student work, and co-teaching in the classroom

Yellow = 40% time includes building and district meetings, curriculum work, and quick questions or research to support teachers.

Pink = 40% time directly engaged in professional learning (self, building, and district).



Telling Our Story
Fundamentally I believe we should tell our story through multiple venues. As a coaching team, we have selected the Student Centered Coaching Trait VI: Maintains a Learning Stance, specifically looking at the Learning Target: Create systems for teachers to share ideas and resources with one another to focus in on how we might improve in this area. 

As a result of our learning, LHS has committed to:
  • Hosting monthly JayWalks where teachers pre-brief, visit classrooms, and debrief to share and build upon what they learned.
  • Promote the use of digital connections with #lhsjayway #lpsleads and the use of the LHS Learning Hub.
  • Connect with each other through a closed Facebook group to connect staff in a more private setting and encourage sharing with peers in a safe social media environment.
  • Provide face-to-face venues to discuss current trends and ideas to build relationships across a large high school staff through the use of scheduled Coffee Talks.
Coaching as Personalized Professional Learning
I'm incredibly lucky to work in a building of instructional leaders who align systems and support teachers. Starting 2017-2018, LHS teachers will be able to engage in a coaching partnership which will count for their entire semester's worth of job-embedded professional learning. Learn More

Promoting Coaching:
One of the most important aspects to promoting coaching is to be constantly visible in the building. This can be challenging when you have heavy weeks of requirements that are not in your 60% work zone. 

Here are some ways we have promoted coaching at LHS:
Promoting Learning:
We need to celebrate learning! Starting Summer 2017, my goal is to share the learning that we are doing in Liberty Public Schools a little more intentionally and beyond 140 characters. 

Be on the lookout for:
Additional Innovation and Learning Coach Resources:
Innovation and Learning - District LEADS Site
Coaching Documents - District Examples of Coaching 

Want to engage in a partnership? Contact me today!





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