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The Multi-Classroom Leader (MCL) represents a significant departure from business as usual in teacher leadership. In contrast to typical coaching and mentoring roles, MCLs take full responsibility for the students and the teachers on their teams.
This combination of teaching and team leadership requires new skills that few teachers have developed, even excellent ones. MCLs told us that existing leadership programs, which focus on aspiring principals or traditional coach/mentor roles, don’t suit their unique MCL role. In response, Public Impact created this free kit of training and development sessions for MCLs. Some teacher-leaders who are not MCLs may benefit from some sessions.
New and experienced MCLs can experience these sessions in formal training, study them on their own, or study them in meetings with other MCLs in their schools. District professional learning staff, principals, and assistant principals can facilitate sessions. Public Impact can organize formal training or train-the-trainer sessions—with experienced, successful MCLs—and help districts and schools establish a clear process for MCLs to support one another’s growth throughout the school year. Other training providers may also use these materials.
Each MCL training session includes:
- PowerPoint presentation with embedded facilitator’s notes
- Handouts that can be completed electronically or printed
- Information about additional materials for activities (where applicable)
See training sessions organized by topic, as well as more resources focused on Instructional Leadership and Excellence.
Additional training modules, such as subject-specific training based on the science of instruction, are available with our low-cost School Excellence Portal package, which helps districts and schools monitor and improve Opportunity Culture quality to achieve strong student learning long-term.
Contact us to learn more.
List of MCL Training Sessions
Public Impact suggests that MCLs work through the sessions in three summer days of training followed by several monthly sessions. Facilitators for the sessions should include icebreaker and team-building activities in the summer sessions to ensure that attendees get to know one another (some may be new to their schools or district), and to reinforce the need for collaboration and communication.
The optional handout, Self-Assessment: Multi-Classroom Leader Training, is intended to help MCLs reflect on their knowledge and skills as they progress through the three days of training. It should be completed before the training starts, at the end of each session or day, and at the end of the full 3 days of training.
Principals and/or assistant principals who oversee and support MCLs should attend the sessions indicated in bold below, designed for administrators and MCLs to plan this new role together.
Here are the training sessions, in the sequence we recommend:
| Sequence | Session | In this session, participants: | Approx Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer Day 1 | 1.1 Defining the MCL Role | Define roles and responsibilities for MCLs; use their job descriptions to define key high-impact activities; define how all school leadership positions work together. | 75 min |
| Summer Day 1 | 1.2 School and District Support for MCLs | Learn about establishing norms for sharing leadership with administrative teams, and supports needed to succeed. | 95 min |
| Summer Day 1 | 1.3 Launching Leadership | Explore steps to building an effective team by setting group norms for collaborative interaction. | 90 min |
| Summer Day 1 | 1.4 Delivering Effective Feedback | Learn how to deliver effective feedback to team teachers, examine mindsets that affect team teacher’s receptivity to feedback, and approach teachers who have fixed mindsets. | 100 min |
| Summer Day 2 | 2.1 Coaching Day Introduction | Get a quick overview of the essential coaching skills covered in Day 2 sessions. | 25 min |
| Summer Day 2 | 2.2 What to Coach: Instructional Excellence | Learn how to define and prioritize key elements of instructional excellence for your team teachers find resources for coaching teachers toward excellence, and observe teachers in action. | 110 min |
| Summer Day 2 | 2.3 How to Coach | Learn and employ the elements of a coaching cycle, the tools used during informal observations, and practice coaching conversations. | 105 min |
| Summer Day 2 | 2.4 Summative Coaching Session | Practice more coaching, watching a lesson on video to practice identifying action steps and leading a coaching conversation. | 50 min |
| Summer Day 2 | 2.5 Co-Teaching and Modeling | Define and explore the characteristics of effective co-teaching and modeling; practice co-teaching and modeling, learning how these are effective coaching tools. | 70 min |
| Summer Day 3 | 3.1 Situational Leadership | Learn how to use Hersey-Blanchard framework to diagnose team teachers’ needs and tailor leadership and development styles accordingly. | 60 min |
| Summer Day 3 | 3.2 Building Effective Working Relationships | Explore five influence styles to use in strengthening working relationships. | 60 min |
| Summer Day 3 | 3.3 Finding Time for Collaborative Learning | Learn how to maximize MCL schedules to create high-impact collaborative opportunities with team teachers. | 75 min |
| Summer Day 3 | 3.4 90-Day Entry Plan | Create SMART goals for success in first 90 days as teacher-leader, including strategies for quick wins and adjustments. | 85 min |
| September | 4.1 Collaborative Team Building | Learn how to assess a team’s collaborative culture in its early days and address and cultivate effective team norms. | 105 min |
| October | 5.1 Directive Coaching | Practice coaching skills with fellow MCLs and conduct brainstorming exercises, building on tactics from Situational Leadership session. | 95 min |
| November | 6.1 Maintaining a Successful Team | Celebrate successes and make adjustments to 90-day entry plan and goals. | 110 min |
| December | 7.1 Management 360 | Learn about managing team relationships from all angles. | 60 min |
| January | 8.1 Leading Difficult Conversations | Learn about leading difficult conversations, reviewing/receiving help with challenging cases from first half of school year. | 70 min |
| May | 9.1 Year in Review | Reflect and review the year’s accomplishments, provide feedback to partners, their schools, and the district; make end-of-year and summer plans. | 90 min |
These Multi-Classroom Leader training sessions and tools were made possible in part by support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. All content is solely the responsibility of Public Impact.
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