Mentoring and Coaching and Strategic Development in Education. Illustrate your essay with specific examples.

The current climate of reform which is fundamentally reshaping the national educational system is generating a need for new systems of management.
The changes are driven by a raft of governmental legislation and directives aimed at addressing social issues such as low standards of literacy and numeracy amongst school leavers, Frean (2006), social disengagement of young people, DfES (2006a), child protection, DfES (2004), racism, and community deterioration.
The overarching government target for addressing this social decline is to raise standards of achievement in schools, as a means of bridging the gap between social values and the quality and educational experience of young peoples’ lives, DfES (2005).
The following discussion addresses the key concept of strategic development, proposed by Davies, Davies, & Ellison (2006). This concept underpins the current restructuring in school management systems, DfES (1998), and the role of ‘mentoring’ and ‘coaching’ as professional development vehicles to enable and support it.
Further, some example case studies highlight the ways in which schools are integrating mentoring and coaching as new methods in professional development programmes within a strategic development framework.
In addition, the implications of the international, national, and local perspectives that may impact on future educational thinking and planning are addressed.
Finally, the implications for leadership development are discussed, and their significance in establishing effective strategic development within education.
Mentoring is, CUREE (2007) a structured and continuous process for supporting professional learners during major career transitions. It is usually aimed at a long-term goal, and is a comprehensive learning experience with a professional qualification in sight, for example QTS (Qualified Teacher Status). It is currently used as a training method in ITT (Initial Teacher Training).
However, coaching, CUREE (2007), is a structured and continuous process focussing on the development of a particular aspect of the professional learner’s practice. It targets particular areas for development identified by the learner, and is concerned with enhancing existing practice, experimenting with new strategies, or offering support or critique of professional practice. Mentoring and coaching are very similar and often inter-related training methods, but mentoring generally has career based goals, and coaching, content or strategy based objectives.
Mentoring is also used for the induction of newly qualified teachers when they first join a new school, or when entering the profession as a whole. It is further used as a training method when professional learners are required to understand the values and responsibilities of their new role, and for assisting them to focus on key issues that may impede their progress.
Mentors are experienced and knowledgeable colleagues who understand the educational role of the professional learner. They enable access to a broad range of learning opportunities aimed at personal development. They are selected on the basis of their knowledge and understanding of the specific needs and teaching context of the professional learner. Lasley (1996) advises that the best attribute of an effective mentor is one who can inspire in a person the belief that they are able to surpass current challenges and achieve great things in the future. A professional learner is a person who is embarking on a new or challenging stage of their career, and who requests or is guided towards mentoring.
Mentoring involves a range of activities designed to meet the needs of the professional learner. The goals of the learner are identified and shared, and a system of support to achieve them is provided by the mentor. Emphasis is placed on developing the professional learner’s independence, and techniques of observation, modelling, and discussions are used to establish this. The mentor provides feedback, guidance, and direction when needed, supported by a process of review and action planning. The mentor also assesses, evaluates, and accredits the professional learner’s practice, CUREE (2007).
The mentoring process usually takes place in the mentee’s school, their classroom, and in quiet areas suitable for professional reflection. Trainee teachers are mentored in other colleague’s classrooms in order to support observation. Mentoring as a training method is relevant at the commencement of a professional learner’s career, when there are key changes to assimilate, or as a result of major challenges.
Case studies have highlighted some of the benefits to schools which mentoring can achieve as part of its strategic planning framework. In 2004, Oakdale School in Poole reported placing mentoring as fundamental to their continuous professional development plans. The school adopts the mentoring method for ITT, new colleagues, NQTs, and those concerned with new roles or managing new approaches. The school has its own senior mentor who supports colleagues in a mentoring role by providing effective training and skills. Initial trainees also have the advantage of an experienced external mentor who visits the school to support them individually, CUREE, (2007).
Coaching as a training method in educational institutions also features on many school agendas. Specialist coaching, as its name implies, differs from the mentoring model by focusing on specific learning objectives. Specialist coaches are colleagues who have the professional expertise and contextual knowledge which the professional learner has identified as the goal of their professional development.
They enable impartial support and facilitate the professional learner’s independent development. Coaches are usually selected by the professional learner, and are either from the same school, or from a university. The professional learner in the coaching context is either targeting a specific professional issue, or a leadership challenge. This time the emphasis is on clarifying and reinforcing learning goals and independence, with many of the shared and supportive features of mentoring practice still in place. Reflection, review, action planning, and debriefing underpin the coaching learning experience, whilst assessment, appraisal, and accreditation do not feature, CUREE (2007).
Specialist coaching takes place in the professional learner’s work place, and also in quiet areas suitable for reflection on practice and for reviewing experiments with new strategies. Specialist coaching is appropriate to a professional learner at any point in their career for developing a deeper understanding of current and new educational approaches. A case study example in 2004 illustrates how Ravens Wood School successfully uses a whole-school approach to coaching within their strategic planning framework. In addition to using the coaching model with ITT, NQTs, and ASTs (Advanced Skills Teachers), the school uses it for all staff development. All colleagues have either been a coach or have been coached. As a result student achievement is more marked, and colleagues feel part of a collegiate learning ethos, CUREE (2007).
The NCSL (The National College of School Leadership) runs a number of programmes for school professionals, which focus on the mentoring and coaching models of professional development. ‘Leading from the Middle’ is a 10 month professional development programme for small groups of middle management leaders and one leadership coach in primary, secondary, or special schools. The five areas of leadership development addressed are: 1) leadership of innovation and change 2) knowledge and understanding of their role in leading teaching and learning 3) enhancing self-confidence and skills as team leaders 4) building team capacity through the efficient use of staff and resources, and 5) active engagement in self-directed change in a blended learning environment. The leadership coaches are based in the school and provide support and challenge to their middle leader colleagues. The programme provides leadership coaches with parallel professional development and training, NCSL (2007).
Fast Track Teaching is another programme aimed at accelerating teachers’ careers in the early stages and preparing them for leadership roles. An intensive programme of coaching, mentoring, and development aims to guide teachers towards roles as assistant heads, deputy heads, or ASTs (Advanced Skills Teachers), NCSL (2007).
A variant of the coaching model is collaborative or co-coaching. This involves two or more professional learners in a structured and continuous process of support and interaction. This is aimed at achieving new knowledge and expertise from specialist sources in the daily practice context. Co-coaching is used by teachers and schools as a means of supporting voluntary continuous periods of professional development, in which colleagues share specialist knowledge and relate it to their daily practice. It provides a culture of openness regarding evaluation of professional practice, and provides preparation for other coaching expertise and roles. Co-coaching partners are usually self selecting, and are professional learners committed to reciprocal development, and non-judgemental support based on practice. Co-coaches adopt the responsibility for researching specialist input to enhance their coaching, and this can be from a consultant, a course, a demonstration, or from textual sources. They also switch the roles of professional learner and coach alternately, CUREE (2007).
Co-coaching involves similar activities and methods as specialist coaching, but with a strong shared component. Reciprocal planning, teaching, action planning, and leadership, supported by observation or video are used. A shared analysis of the teaching and learning experiences and of research, evidence, and other practice approaches is enabled. Co-coaching takes place in the same professional context as specialist coaching. The process consists of co-coaches observing each other’s practice and reflecting on their own and their partner’s performance. This method is effective for a practitioner at any career juncture, after specialist participation, or for evaluating or improving practice, CUREE (2007).
In 2004 Blaise Primary School began using the co-coaching or peer coaching model. Two colleagues trained as coaches as part of their EAZ (Education Action Zone) membership, and practised their coaching expertise with partners from other schools and with each other. The head teacher and teaching staff at the school are impressed with the learning benefits to themselves and the pupils. Peer coaching has now been extended as a professional development blueprint to enhance learning across the school, CUREE (2007).
The drive to raise educational standards of achievement in schools means that institutions must have effective leaders who can use strategy to enhance whole school development. Davies, Davies, & Ellison (2006) refer to strategy as consisting of key foci. These are aimed at taking a global view of the educational institution, and asking questions which reveal the nature of current strengths and weaknesses. In this way a direction for improvement can be identified, and ‘direction setting’ can then be established. Strategic leaders need to convert strategy into action, in this way they provide direction for their staff.
Taking a strategic perspective involves taking the medium to long-term view of the organisation, Davies, Davies, & Ellison comment on the importance of addressing short-term goals concurrently with medium to long-term goals. They stress that a style of leadership which focuses on short-term solutions for raising standards is not addressing the bigger picture, that is, the whole institution and its broader trends and actions. Effective leaders are those who are people orientated, and involve and motivate all staff in an organisation to succeed.
Fundamental to the notion of strategic development is the concept of sustainability. The authors state that real success and achievement is gained from a leader with vision, who does not count success by test score agendas but by the capacity of the institution to grow and respond to change. In this way the staff are valued and empowered in a constant process of development, where they are able to participate in the school’s future vision. A strategy provides a template or blueprint for future action, but this future should not be interpreted as an end in itself. Davies, Davies, and Ellison (2006), point out that it is not ‘maintainability’ which is the goal but rather ‘sustainability’. How can we continually evolve together as an achieving and successful educational institution, in order to meet the learning and development needs of the students and staff?
The process of strategic development that an educational institution faces in achieving success and sustainability is embedded in futures thinking. For example, a pupil who arrives at primary school in the foundation stage will have a different set of learning needs and experiences to those when they leave in year 6, Davies (2006).
Hargreaves & Fink (2005), state that sustainability is about managing the now situation and providing strategic leadership for the future. Strategic thinking, operational planning or target setting should be a shared experience encompassing all staff. The concept of sustainability impacts on all of us, and is described in a recent government report as “guided by a commitment to care” DfES (2006b, pg.1). This is care for ourselves, for others, and for the planet.

“A Sustainable School puts a high value on the well-being of its pupils and the school environment. It is also a great place to learn, where pupils develop self-esteem and reach high standards of achievement.” DfES (2006b) pg.1.

The NCSL Project, Davies, Davies, & Ellison, (2005) ‘Success and Sustainability: Developing the Strategically-Focused School’, examined how schools address sustainability, capability, and capacity building as an extension to short-term development planning. The findings were that effective strategic leadership was determined by an ability to set direction, and convert strategy into action. Effective leaders aligned staff, the institution, and the strategy, defined appropriate intervention points, and developed capabilities in the school.
The strategic leadership process is rooted in futures thinking and strategic analysis. Successful leaders in the study had vision, could conceptualise, engage people, articulate the strategy, and implement it. School leaders who successfully engaged and motivated their staff were able to strategically analyse the institution as a whole, set achievable targets, and develop sustainable strategic plans, Davies, Davies, & Ellison, (2005).
International trends that may impact on education in the future are personalised coaching and mentoring, technology, globalisation and sustainability, and health. With the growth of technological communications, networking has enabled the pooling of ideas, resources, expertise, and strategies, between countries.
Similar advantages can be seen nationally and locally as networking between groups of educational institutions can be effectively developed as part of a sustainable and achievable future.
In conclusion, a number of implications for leadership development are evident for promoting effective strategic development. Leaders need knowledge about their students and staff, and about current legislation that impacts on the school and its teaching and learning. They need to be conversant with learning theories and current research in education, and knowledgeable about the level of capability and capacity needed to undertake effective strategic development. They also need understanding about people, and how to empower and motivate them to achieve goals. They need high quality inter-personal and communication skills, the ability to analyse and take the long view, to think strategically, and be able to reflect on strategic planning and long-term objectives.
The values, attitudes, and qualities of an effective leader in strategic development, are the ability to challenge and question whilst prioritising their own strategic thinking and learning. They also require an ability to construct mental models, and to value sustainable achievement as part of a shared long-term strategy. They need to be able to value the future, and the skills of their staff and students in developing a vision of it. They need to be able to maximise the potential of those around them, and develop strong personal and professional networks.