Teachers in some of Columbus City Schools’ lowest-performing buildings are receiving some assistance through an innovative partnership drawing together some of central Ohio’s strongest resources.

	Instructional coaches have participated in several trainings to help bring new approaches to Columbs City Schools.

Nationwide Insurance, The Ohio State University and the ESC of Franklin County are teaming with Columbus City Schools to improve learning at the district’s 58 lowest-performing elementary and middle schools.

Nationwide collects and analyzes data, which Ohio State uses to suggest some research-based strategies and best practices. Instructional coaches from the ESC take the input from those sources and add some of their own suggestions to work with Columbus teachers and principals to develop an improvement strategy.

“It’s really kind of neat,” said John Dean, project coordinator.

The coaches are able to use data from benchmark and practice assessment tests—which translates to tests roughly every nine weeks—to show patterns to determine students’ strengths and weaknesses.  

“With that amount of data, we can target strategies to specific student needs,” Dean said.

One of the ways success will be measured is through improvement on the Ohio Achievement Test.

The project is funded by a three-year federal grant. The ESC became involved in October when Columbus was looking for an organization to manage the coaching project. The coaching project being implemented in Columbus City Schools has a specific focus on data informed decisions leading to evidence-based practice.

Through three waves of training, a total of 51 instructional coaches are now working in the schools.

“Our charge to our coaches this year is to get in and build a supportive relationship with their school,” Dean said. “They have to perceive you as a help to what they’re doing. Once you’ve gained their confidence, they’re more likely to ask you for suggestions.”

“Our coaches have been so impressed with what goes on in Columbus City Schools. It’s staggering how hard Columbus teachers and administrators work to provide a great educational experience for Columbus’ children.”

“When you roll out something this big, there’s naturally a bit of “getting to know one another” at the beginning,” he said. “But it has really come along well. We’ve developed a professional learning community among ourselves, Columbus City Schools, Nationwide and OSU. We’re communicating daily about data, strategies, and school- specific plans.”

Along with the instructional and data coaches, the project team consists of John Dean, grant facilitator, Jean Kugler, coaching coordinator—who Dean said deserves a lot of credit for the project’s early progress—and the recent addition of Sarkis Mahdasian, Project Manager.

“I still think we’re on the opening cusp, but we’re feeling very good about what has happened so far.”