Coaching & Mentoring and Training Professionals

Resources from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

  • Coaching – The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) provides resources for educators to implement effective coaching systems. The department offers self-assessments, book studies, and networking opportunities for coaches to enhance their skills. One of the resources available is the Coaching Competency Practice Profile , a framework for coaching in educational settings.
  • Teacher Induction and Mentoring – The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s (DPI) Education and Workforce website shares information on teacher induction and mentoring programs. It details the requirements for these programs, including mentor training and support for beginning teachers. The website highlights resources available to districts, such as guidebooks and training series, to help them build effective programs.

WI Registry Professional Development Approval System (PDAS) – website provides information on its professional development approval system (PDASystem), designed to improve the quality of Wisconsin’s early childhood care and afterschool education workforce. The system works to ensure Wisconsin professional training meets high standards and aligns with state competencies.

YoungStar Coaching Resources – outlines various coaching supports available to participating providers. These coaching services aim to guide providers through the YoungStar process and enhance their quality improvement efforts. Learn more about Youngstar coaching at My Youngstar Connect and the Department of Children and Families’ Youngstar Training and Professional Development.

Resources from HeadStart.gov

  • Establishing Mentoring Programs in Head Start – highlights the numerous workforce benefits of mentoring, including improved job satisfaction and staff retention, emphasizing its alignment with Head Start’s philosophy. Three types of mentoring are described: peer, career, and life mentoring.
  • Supporting Staff to Effectively Implement Curricula – emphasizes the importance of training, professional development, and ongoing support for education staff. Resources like webinars and guides are offered to support program leaders and staff in these efforts.
  • Practice-Based Coaching – a suite of resources supports the use of this cyclical professional development strategy. Resources include fact sheets, resources for coaches, and resources for systemic implementation.

Dialogue Education – Global Learning Partners (GLP) offers resources and training focused on learning-centered approaches. Their website features a blog with articles discussing topics like effective adult learning event design and the distinction between learning events and meetings.

Getting it Right: The Conversation Guide for Preparing the Next Generation of ECE Practitioners – This conversation guide from The Foundation for Child Development explores implementation research in early care and education (ECE) to improve outcomes for young children. As a resource, this guide supports higher education faculty to initiate and sustain conversations with students about effective ECE practices and policies, what still needs to be learned, and how to deepen our understanding of young children’s development and learning.

The IRIS Center for Professional Development Providers – The IRIS Center, based at Vanderbilt University, provides resources and professional development opportunities for educators, particularly those working with students with disabilities. The Center offers tools for PD providers, including sample activities and planning forms, designed to enhance educators’ knowledge of evidence-based practices. Educators can access free PD certificates upon completing modules

Mentoring in Early Childhood Settings: Elements of Effective Relationships – This document from eric.ed.gov explores instructional coaching as a professional development strategy within early childhood education (ECE). The text analyzes various coaching models, highlighting key design features and implementation considerations. It presents recommendations for program leaders, policymakers, and researchers to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of coaching in ECE.

Primetime for Coaching: Improving Instructional Coaching in Early Childhood Education – This paper from BellWether Education Partners examines instructional coaching in early childhood education (ECE), focusing on its effectiveness, implementation challenges, and policy implications. It reviews existing research on coaching’s impact on teachers and students, highlighting both positive findings and knowledge gaps. The paper also explores various coaching models used in different ECE settings, and case studies of several programs illustrate diverse approaches and lessons learned.

The Early Childhood Personnel Center Video Library – The video library is a compilation of almost 500 videos that may be used in early childhood intervention pre-service courses or in-service training. The videos are sorted by the category topics: Assessment; Development; Families; Interactions, Interventions, and Instruction; Professionalism; and Teaming.

Foundations of Coaching in Early Childhood: Partnering with Parents and Professionals Video Series – The Hartford Foundation is an organization in Connecticut working through partnerships to remove persistent disparities in its community. The purpose of the videos is to give professional learning facilitators materials to use with coaches as examples, thinking prompts, and opportunities for discussion about practice. These videos can be applied to a number of early childhood settings.

Results Matter Video Library – This collection of videos from the CO Dept of Education is designed to be used for professional development activities. Video categories include: Authentic Assessment and Preschool Outcomes; Children’s Outcome Stories; Practices for Using Technology to Improve Instruction; Clips for Practicing Observation, Documentation, and Assessment Skills.

 

Updated 5/14/2025