Consultant Carrie Purcell details three years of instructional coaching and 57 visits to Blackstone-Millville schools

Carrie Purcell, an instructional leadership consultant introduced by Superintendent Dr. Defalco, described a year of focused coaching and systems work in the Blackstone-Millville schools at the May 13 meeting.

Purcell said she had been in the district 57 times during the year, delivering principal coaching, partnering with instructional leadership teams, calibrating feedback and helping implement a data cycle and a protocol called the “slice” to analyze student work. She presented examples of schools turning quality indicators from red to green, described professional learning communities led by teachers and outlined plans to transition responsibilities to local leaders through learning walks and peer observation.

“Your leaders have risen to the occasion,” Purcell said. “We have ... gone through an unprecedented, unimaginable time in history ... and yet through it all your leaders have risen to the occasion not because it was easy but because those students were waiting for them.”

During questions, committee members asked how the 57 visits compared with prior years. Purcell said virtual work allowed more flexibility, enabling multiple visits in a single day and more frequent just-in-time support. She said the goal for next year is to continue targeted support while building local capacity so the district can sustain improvements.

Why it matters: Instructional coaching and consistent feedback are core levers for improving classroom instruction, and the district framed the work as moving from compliance to use of school-improvement plans as living documents.

What’s next: Administration will continue the coaching model, add learning walks and encourage teacher-led professional development as Purcell phases toward a support role.