Support for the Improvement of Practices through Intensive Coaching (SIPIC): A model of coaching for improving reading instruction and reading achievement

• SIPIC was effective in improving teacher's instructional reading practices.
• There was increased student reading achievement in participating classes.
• There was increased reading achievement of readers who struggle with learning to read.
• Coached teachers offered more opportunities with cognitive reading strategies.
• Coach/teacher interactions were associated with improved instruction.

In this study, we examined one model of coaching, Support for the Improvement of Practices through Intensive Coaching (SIPIC), which draws from both direct and responsive models of coaching with classroom teachers. We found the model to be effective in improving the comprehension instruction of teachers and in raising the reading achievement of students, including students who struggle with learning to read. Additionally, we found that the interactions between coaches and teachers were statistical associated with the instructional practices of the teachers, demonstrating empirically that coaches' behaviors do influence the professional practices of teachers.