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Tinley Park High School introduces instructional coaching team to boost classroom support
Summary
Tinley Park High School principals described a new instructional-coach structure intended to increase in-classroom support for teachers, featuring four named coaches, weekly coordination, a Google form for teacher invitations, and ongoing external certification and training.
Tinley Park High School principals told the Bremen CHSD 228 board on Feb. 18 that the high school has restructured supervisor roles to create a team of instructional coaches aimed at increasing in-classroom support for teachers.
Why it matters: The coaching model is intended to deepen instructional practice through non-evaluative observations, follow-up visits and data-driven conversations. Principals said the goal is to increase teacher capacity and student learning by making coaching routine and relationship-based.
What the board heard: The presenter (identified in the record as the Tinley Park High School principal speaking to the board) introduced the instructional-coach team by name as Lori Vick, Vivian Turek, Abel Nakaza and Wendy Bumpus, with Bumpus described as leading teaching and learning. The principal said the team began the school year with informal “meet-and-greet” classroom visits, then added an incentive and data process: coaches meet Mondays at 9 a.m., use a Google form for teachers to request visits in quarters 2–4, and keep a data log of classroom visits to track invitations and follow-ups.
The principal described examples of coaching work: short, focused follow-up visits when students struggle with a skill; co-planning and rapid-cycle feedback that led a teacher to request the coach return the next day; development of a form (later generated with AI tools) to help PE teachers track injured students’ restrictions and follow-up so teachers, coaches and athletic staff have consistent information.
Training and credentialing: The coaching team participates in district professional development called the Simply Instructional Coaching program led by Nicole Turner and is enrolled in an instructional leader certification coaching pathway from ISTE and ASCD. The presenter described the certification process as a portfolio with five modules (student learning experiences, data-driven decision making, innovation and change management, improving teaching quality, and development) and said the team expects to complete the pathway and carry the learning back into the schools.
Quotes and attribution: The Tinley Park High School principal said the work started as relationship-building: “At the very onset, it was ‘we're not coaching, we're just meeting and greeting.’” The principal added that once coaches had built rapport, teachers began requesting targeted follow-ups: “Can you come back in tomorrow? Let's try to work on this together now.” The principal also noted the team uses non-evaluative visits to support teachers prior to any evaluative processes.
Next steps: The principal told the board the team will continue outreach this semester, remain present in classrooms, complete the certification pathway by August, and use follow-up data and coaching artifacts to drive future work.
Ending: Board members were presented with the coaching team’s early results and a plan for formal credentialing; the district will monitor the initiative as the team completes external training and expands invitations from teachers.
