Beyond the Classroom Door: Organizational Shifts for Lasting School Change

best practices coaching role organizational shifts Oct 27, 2025

Written by Katie Maciulewicz

Here in the amazing, sometimes wild, world of instructional coaching, you probably jumped in ready to make a difference – helping a teacher rock a new lesson or getting students excited with a new tech tool. And that one-on-one work you're doing is vital – it’s where so much of the magic happens.

But as you get your bearings in the school year, you might start to feel a little like the "fixer." A teacher needs help with a tricky student. Another needs a tool for a specific project. It can feel like you’re constantly putting out small fires, and you might start to wonder, “How do I make a bigger impact?”

You’re not alone! This is where one of the most powerful, and perhaps least understood, parts of instructional coaching comes in: Organizational Shifts. It's the key to moving beyond being a helpful presence to becoming a true agent of sustainable, systemic change.

What Even Are Organizational Shifts?

Think of it this way: while coaching individual teachers helps them grow, organizational shifts are about cultivating a school-wide environment where growth is supported for everyone.

This concept is an important part of the Core of Coaching Framework — it’s what sets truly impactful coaching apart. It pushes us beyond just individual teacher support to a more systemic approach. It means that the changes you're helping to foster aren't just one-off improvements, but are actually becoming part of how your school operates every day.

As a coach, understanding this is key. It helps you see how your daily interactions connect to the bigger picture. When you work within this domain, you're not just supporting teachers. You're engaging with school leaders, advocating for policies that help teachers thrive, and helping to build a school-wide culture of continuous growth.

It’s about taking the amazing work you do every day and embedding it so deeply into the school's culture that it becomes part of the routine.

Your Starter Pack for Driving Organizational Shifts

So, how do you start to make these big, systemic changes without feeling overwhelmed? It might sound daunting, but it's totally achievable if you start small and think strategically. The Core of Coaching Framework outlines some key areas for you to focus on.

1. Partnering with Leadership

Connect with your school administrators and leaders. It’s not about demanding things or trying to control the school, but about building a strong partnership where you are seen as a valuable partner in school improvement.

Align with school goals: Connect your coaching work to the school's main goals for the year. When you demonstrate how you’re helping meet a priority, like improving reading scores, you become an indispensable partner.
Share your wins: Take a minute to email your principal or curriculum director a quick, positive note about a teacher you worked with: “Just wanted to share how excited Ms. Jones was after our co-planning session for her new science unit. She’s really embracing project-based learning and the students are going to love it!”
Propose ideas based on what you see: If you notice a school-wide need (e.g., teachers are struggling to use the new gradebook), bring it up in a meeting and suggest how a brief, optional PD session could help.

2. Policy Alignment

Look at the big picture of how your school works. Are there policies or systems that are making it harder for teachers to try new things or improve their instruction? Your role here is to help identify those barriers and suggest ways to remove them.

Ask "why": When you see a recurring challenge for teachers, dig deeper. Is it just an individual issue, or is there a systemic reason behind it? Is there a policy that is a roadblock to growth?
Suggest adjustments: If you find a policy that's a barrier, work with leaders to suggest modifications. For example, if teachers struggle to find time for collaboration, you might advocate for dedicated PLC time in the schedule.

3. Capacity Building & Sustainability

This is the ultimate mic drop for coaches: empowering teacher leaders and developing systems that ensure coaching efforts continue – even after you’re not directly involved. You want to build a school where "coaching" is something everyone can do, not just you.

Identify potential teacher leaders: Look for teachers who are eager to learn and share. These can be your future peer coaches!
Encourage peer learning: Help teachers connect with each other. Can they observe each other's classrooms? Can you facilitate a small group discussion where teachers share strategies?
Think long-term: Consider how the strategies you're teaching could be integrated into the school's ongoing professional development or new teacher mentoring programs.

The Big Payoff: A Lasting Legacy

When you start to weave these organizational shifts into your coaching practice, you'll see a profound difference. You're not just improving individual teaching practices; you're helping to transform the entire school culture. This leads to sustained improvements in student outcomes and a school environment where everyone is continuously learning and growing.

You can build a legacy of growth and collaboration that will outlast any single coaching cycle. Your small, consistent actions are the threads that weave this new culture together.

You got this!

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