By John Willis
As we approach the three-year mark since many schools across North America closed their doors to slow the spread of COVID-19, attention is rightly focused on supporting mental health in schools—not only for students, but also for teachers, principals, and other education professionals.
Educators and school leaders have carried heavy, sustained stress since the pandemic began. That strain has taken a measurable toll on their wellbeing and on the stability of the workforce. Surveys show a markedly higher rate of frequent job-related stress among teachers and principals compared with adults in other professions, and greater levels of burnout as well. The combination of adapting instruction to keep everyone safe, recovering lost learning time, addressing students’ social and emotional needs, and responding to community concerns about COVID-related policies has driven many committed educators to leave the profession.
Amid efforts to support teachers and administrators, school leaders must not overlook learning coaches—professionals who work alongside teachers to design lessons, improve classroom practice, and strengthen instruction systemwide. Learning coaches face many of the same pressures as classroom teachers and principals, yet their role, contributions, and struggles are often less visible. Supporting coaches is essential because they play a pivotal role in improving teaching, accelerating student learning, and helping schools recover from pandemic-related setbacks.
Below are four practical ways school systems can ensure learning coaches receive the support they need to be effective and resilient during this challenging time.
Include learning coaches in teacher wellness initiatives
Any district-level program, survey, or service established to support teacher wellbeing should explicitly include learning coaches. When collecting staff wellbeing data, make sure coaches are invited to participate so leaders understand their needs and job satisfaction. Extend counseling and mental-health supports to learning coaches, and include them in wellness programming such as mindfulness sessions, peer-support groups, and employee assistance services. Involve coaches in district conversations about workload, scheduling, and mental-health resources so their perspectives help shape decisions that affect all instructional staff.
Resources from federal and state education partners outline ways to grow staff wellbeing and can inform district plans to support all adults in schools, including learning coaches.
Make sure coaches know their work is valued
Recognition and respect are powerful contributors to morale. Learning coaches often work behind the scenes to support teachers and improve instruction; making their efforts visible matters. School and district leaders should actively listen to coaches’ feedback, acknowledge their successes in staff meetings and communications, and create formal recognition opportunities when appropriate. Simple but sincere gestures—public thank-yous, citations in newsletters, or mention in leadership updates—help coaches feel seen, appreciated, and connected to the mission of improving student learning.
Provide the professional learning coaches need to excel
Coaches want to be effective. Research and practitioner experience show that meaningful professional growth fuels job satisfaction. Many coaches transition from highly successful classroom teaching to a role that requires adult learning facilitation, peer coaching, and systems-thinking skills. These competencies differ from classroom instruction: coaching adults is a dialogical role focused on guiding, questioning, and enabling change rather than delivering content as the sole expert.
Leaders should invest in high-quality, targeted professional development for coaches—training in adult learning theory, coaching cycles, observation and feedback techniques, data-driven instructional planning, and equity-centered coaching practices. Ongoing, job-embedded learning opportunities, mentorship from experienced coaches, and collaborative learning communities help coaches deepen their craft and see measurable impact on teaching and student outcomes.
Give coaches the time and space to do coaching work effectively
Staffing shortages and competing priorities have sometimes pushed learning coaches into substitute teaching or other temporary roles, reducing their capacity to coach and increasing their workload and stress. To preserve their primary function, districts should explore creative staffing solutions that relieve coaches from non-coaching duties—temporary paraprofessional coverage, dedicated substitute pools, or reallocated budgets to hire short-term support staff. Protecting coaches’ schedules so they can conduct classroom observations, hold follow-up conversations, analyze instructional data with teachers, and plan collaborative professional learning is essential to sustaining systemic improvement.
Learning coaches are central to efforts to accelerate learning recovery, close widening achievement gaps, and support educators as they adapt to new instructional demands. By including coaches in wellbeing initiatives, valuing their work publicly, investing in targeted professional development, and protecting their time for coaching, school systems can empower coaches to support teachers and strengthen instruction across classrooms.
About the author
John Willis is a veteran educator and virtual coach with nearly three decades in education. He taught high school for 17 years before serving as a district learning coach and learning coordinator. He now works as a consultant and master coach for Sibme, a professional learning and coaching platform.
This article was originally published by The Learning Counsel, a research institute and news media hub focused on the digital shift in K-12 curriculum and instruction.