Instructional Coaching for Future-Ready Schools: A Professional Learning Approach to Boost Teacher Retention and Student Outcomes

Instructional Coaching for Future-Ready Schools: A Professional Learning Approach to Boost Teacher Retention and Student Outcomes. Miladys Cepero-Perez, 2025: Strategic Research Project, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Keywords: teacher attrition, instructional coaching, professional learning, strategic planning, M-DCPS, Four-Capital Framework This strategic research project was designed to provide a sustainable, evidence-based solution to the challenge of early-career teacher attrition in M-DCPS. Teacher turnover in this context not only disrupts instructional continuity but also negatively affects student achievement and school culture. The purpose of this SRP is to develop a sustainable, evidence-based solution that improves teacher retention while advancing instructional quality and student success. A comprehensive organizational assessment, which included strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis, identified teacher attrition as the most critical internal weakness among 40 factors, particularly in high-need schools where limited coaching infrastructure and inconsistent professional support compound the issue. This issue was found to be particularly acute in high-need schools, where teachers often face increased demands, insufficient support, and limited access to job-embedded professional learning. As substantiated by national studies and district data, teacher attrition is a key barrier to student achievement and school improvement (Ingersoll et al., 2021; M-DCPS, 2023). The selected solution is the implementation of a districtwide instructional coaching model, grounded in the Four-Capital Framework (Mason & Matas, 2015) and aligned with M-DCPS’s Framework for Effective Instruction. Instructional coaching offers differentiated, job-embedded support that strengthens teacher efficacy and student learning (Darling-Hammond et al., 2022; Knight, 2018). The final strategy is to integrate coaching into strategic school improvement systems, ensuring alignment with Title I School Improvement Plans and leadership priorities. This includes readiness audits, coaching role alignment, collaborative planning, and evaluation protocols (Killion & Harrison, 2017). The five-year action plan includes seven key steps: forming a leadership team, launching pilot programs in high-turnover schools, delivering targeted professional learning, and monitoring longitudinal outcomes in teacher retention and student achievement. Each element is informed by research on professional learning systems and continuous improvement (Guskey, 2002; Kraft et al., 2018). Recommendations include scaling the model districtwide, securing sustainable funding, and aligning coaching with succession planning to build long-term instructional capacity. This SRP positions instructional coaching as a strategic driver of teacher retention and academic success, advancing M-DCPS’s mission of instructional excellence.