Why Coaching Delivers the Best ROI on Professional Learning

When teachers receive professional learning based in the science of reading, especially with a course such as Lexia® LETRS® with Bridge to Practice activities, they are empowered to meet the literacy needs of all students. This sense of empowerment enhances instructional quality and boosts teacher confidence and satisfaction—two key factors that contribute to teacher retention.

But what happens one, two, or even five years after teachers are introduced to the science of reading-aligned best practices? It’s common to fall back on old habits, especially as new knowledge fades without regular reinforcement. 

When you can provide ongoing coaching after professional learning, teachers maintain their enthusiasm and knowledge, and can continue to apply and sustain that knowledge. Long-term coaching sustains momentum, maximizing administrators’ professional learning budgets and delivering a strong ROI in teacher development and retention.

What Is Coaching?

Teacher coaching doesn’t add more workshop days to the calendar. Coaching is an extension of professional learning that allows teachers to work individually or in small groups with an instructor, either in-person or virtually. Unlike one-time workshops that impart information, coaching encourages ongoing two-way communication and collaboration. Teachers and Professional Learning Communities can ask their coaches questions, gain insights into model lessons, or seek interpretations of classroom data.

By investing in job-embedded coaching, you can sustain the progress your teachers have made while deepening their professional growth. It empowers experienced educators to guide new colleagues, turning each coaching effort into a multiplier for long-term learning and leadership.

Coaches who work alongside teachers can help them confidently apply evidence-based strategies in the classroom. Effective coaching addresses and provides solutions to the daily challenges that teachers face in the classroom, incorporating observations, feedback, instructional strategies, and opportunities for collaboration and reflection. The result? Students receive better instruction, teachers gain confidence, and administrators see more consistent learning gains.

Why is Teacher Coaching Beneficial?

Teacher coaching is more than a “nice to have.” Coaching delivers meaningful support to educators, has been proven to raise student achievement, and helps preserve the momentum your team has built in literacy for lasting impact. 

Coaching doesn’t need to be face-to-face to be effective, either. Several studies support virtual coaching. A meta-analysis that included 60 causal research studies demonstrated that coaching can significantly improve teacher instruction and student achievement. Results of this study also found no differences in effect sizes when coaching was delivered virtually versus in-person.

Here are some of the ways that coaching benefits teachers.

• Improves Instructional Practice. Coaching provides teachers with targeted, actionable feedback that ties back to their classroom instruction. Research shows coaching is more effective than traditional professional development workshops in changing teacher practice.

• Raises Student Achievement. Studies indicate that students whose teachers receive ongoing coaching make greater gains in reading than those whose teachers do not, even if they received long-term professional learning. For example, when teachers completed LETRS Professional Learning plus coaching, their students made greater fall-to-spring gains in word decoding than students of teachers who did not receive coaching.

• Supports Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices. Coaching closes the gap between science of reading theory and practice. For example, literacy coaching supports educators in their specific needs to deliver effective lessons on phonemic awareness, comprehension, and more while providing timely feedback to refine their practice.

• Builds Teacher Confidence and Capacity. Teachers report increased confidence, motivation, and professional satisfaction when they receive consistent coaching and support, according to a recent Learning Policy Institute report. Teachers who feel fulfilled and supported are more likely to remain in the teaching profession.

• Sustains Change. Ongoing access to coaching equips teachers to continuously refine their practice, allowing your district to maintain and build on instructional gains year after year, unlike one-time workshops. Coaching provides the greatest ROI after implementing professional learning such as LETRS, improving both teacher confidence and student outcomes long-term. 

Why Coaching Matters for Long-Term Impact

Comprehensive professional learning programs, such as LETRS, provide teachers with a strong foundation in the science of reading. However, knowledge alone won't sustain lasting change. Without feedback and encouragement, many educators struggle to apply what they've learned in their daily instruction. That's where coaching serves as the bridge—helping teachers move from theory to practice through modeling, feedback, and collaborative reflection.

Equally important, coaching builds teacher confidence in new and veteran educators. Research shows that when teachers receive consistent, job-embedded support, they are more likely to feel capable and motivated to apply evidence-based strategies with fidelity. 

Job-embedded, sustained coaching amplifies the impact of every professional learning dollar spent. When you embed coaching into literacy initiatives, you create the optimal setting for consistent implementation, which leads to stronger student outcomes, year after year.

Maintaining Science of Reading Momentum

When teachers complete LETRS, they often leave ready to make positive, science of reading-based changes to their instruction. But inspiration alone isn’t enough. Teachers need time, practice, and feedback to refine new practices. Without ongoing support, it’s easy to revert to old habits and undo the progress made. Job-embedded coaching gives teachers consistent guidance for continued forward movement.

Building Teacher Confidence

Confident teachers feel more capable of making change. Educators who receive regular coaching are more likely to feel prepared to integrate new practices into their daily lessons and know how to adjust instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners. Studies confirm that professional learning tied to ongoing support builds both teacher confidence and competence, which in turn leads to stronger student outcomes. By reinforcing skills in real classrooms, coaching helps teachers move beyond compliance-driven implementation to authentic, student-centered practice.

Coaching in Action: What Effective Support Looks Like

Effective coaching considers the daily opportunities and challenges that teachers face in the classroom, and incorporates observations, feedback, instructional strategies, and opportunities for collaboration and reflection. Here’s what coaching support looks like in action:

• Observation and Feedback. Instructional coaches regularly observe classroom practice and provide tailored, real-time feedback. Unlike general professional development, coaching feedback is specific to each teacher’s experience and instructional goals.

• Modeling. Teachers can put theory into practice when coaches demonstrate strategies directly with students, either by modeling lessons or co-teaching alongside classroom educators. Teachers can observe best practices in the classroom and apply them in their own teaching.

• Collaboration and Reflection. Coaching supports two-way communication between coaches and teachers. Effective coaches encourage collaborative conversations that help teachers overcome challenges and support continuous growth.

• Ongoing Micro-Learning. Professional learning doesn’t end when a program ends. Coaching provides teachers with ongoing, “bite-sized” professional learning that directly supports teachers’ goals.

Together, these practices move coaching from science of reading theory to a classroom-embedded process that empowers teachers and accelerates student literacy growth.

Coaching Benefits Teachers, Students, and School Leaders

Coaching creates a ripple effect across classrooms and schools. Students thrive with consistent, effective literacy instruction. When teachers feel supported and valued, they tend to experience lower rates of burnout.

• For Teachers. Instead of being asked to interpret new research or seek training on their own, teachers who have coaches gain the guidance to make classroom application clear and achievable. The coaching process not only strengthens instructional skills but also creates a sense of buy-in and professional community.

• For Students. Consistent, effective, and evidence-based instruction tied to the five pillars of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) leads to better student reading outcomes. Coaching can provide teachers with the confidence to deliver science-of-reading-aligned instruction consistently. 

• For Schools. Coaching can help shape your school culture. Promoting a culture that values professional growth signals to teachers that their development matters, which builds morale and trust across the school community.

• For School Leaders. Coaching supports consistent instructional improvement while building a culture of collaboration and growth. It can offer school leaders valuable insight into classroom practice, making it easier to support staff, align goals, and sustain long-term change.

What to Look for in a Coaching Engagement

Many in-person and online coaching services focus on literacy instruction, but not all are created equal. The program you choose should offer sustained, evidence-based support that drives lasting instructional change.

• Science of Reading-Aligned. As your district prioritizes sustaining momentum in the science of reading, coaching programs need to align with evidence-based literacy practices. Ideally, coaches should be highly qualified and LETRS-trained, equipped to translate research into practice and to support educators in applying their learning effectively.

• Personalized Support. Look for personalized, one-to-one support that is available both synchronously and asynchronously. Individualized sessions empower educators to navigate their unique classroom challenges, confidently sustaining and applying their expertise in the science of reading.

• Collaborative, Personalized Goal-Setting. Educators should have opportunities to meet individually with a coach to set clear, personalized goals. With collaboration sessions throughout the year, coaches can provide targeted guidance to help your teachers achieve those goals while adapting to their classroom realities. 

• Flexible, Just-in-Time Coaching. Busy teachers need support that fits into their schedules. Coaching investments can include both live online sessions and asynchronous communication with coaches. Teachers can also reflect on their practice using classroom-recorded videos. This flexibility keeps coaching consistent and meaningful, even during the busiest times. 

• Opportunities for Ongoing Learning. Coaching that comes with access to a professional learning platform where teachers can learn more about relevant topics on demand allows educators to own their growth.

• Administrator Check-Ins for Alignment. Your investment should also address your district's needs. School leaders can check in with teachers’ coaches to identify emerging themes, address challenges, and align teacher goals with school and district priorities.

• Sustained, Research-Based Impact. A gold-standard coaching model is grounded in research and follows five key principles: individualized, skill-focused, context-specific, intensive, and sustained. These principles ensure that coaching is not only rooted in evidence-based practice but is also designed to create lasting instructional change through ongoing, targeted support.

Keep Literacy Momentum Going With Teacher Coaching

Professional learning sparks change, and coaching sustains it. Invest in a literacy coaching service to sustain educators’ LETRS knowledge long-term, and see student reading outcomes continue to improve. Discover the future of professional learning in the LETRS Suite.