Tensions in teacher choice and professional development 

According to some scholars, effective professional development must allow teachers to determine what they will learn (Knight, 2007; Lieberman & Pointer Mace, 2008). Failure to meet this criterion could detract from teachers’ sense of professionalism (Knight, 2007). In response, many U.S. school districts now encourage instructional coaches to tailor professional development to individual teacher needs as part of a coaching structure resembling what Jim Knight (2007) refers to as a “Choice Partnership,” in which “teachers have a great deal of choice in what and how they learn” (p. 25). In theory, the benefit of such a structure is that teachers get to call the shots when it comes to their own professional learning, which positions them as competent professionals and likely increases their investment in working with the coach to improve their instruction. However, the partnership coaching structure also comes with a host of challenges, some of which were unearthed in our recent coaching study. 

Our study took place in Middleton District (a pseudonym, like all names in this article), which had just adopted a coaching structure they called Teacher’s Choice. As the district adopted this structure, three unanticipated challenges arose that limited the instructional coaches’ ability to assist teachers to the degree intended. Awareness of these potential challenges can help administrators plan ahead as they decide which coaching structure to adopt in their school or district.