District PIIC Point of Contact

June 21, 2019 - 2 minutes read

While participating in the PAHSCI and PIIC initiatives, there was a triangulation of support with connections established at the school level, the district level, and the state level. Although there were differences in the implementation of instructional coaching, the basic premises of BDA were present as were central goals of increasing student achievement and enhancing teacher performance.

The PIIC initiative forced participants to “go deep” looking at data, preparing professional development, refining instructional delivery, and interacting with other school districts. For administrators and teachers, alike, the training and opportunities provided by PIIC to share and connect with other districts changed the conversation from complaints about what students were not doing to what do “we” need to do differently to engage our students.

Lots of school initiatives come and go. The investment in on-going, embedded professional development that PIIC provided is like an internal flame. I can still see the influence of PIIC in what former instructional coaches and teachers have accomplished as they continue to “Go Forward.”

My PIIC experiences are evident in my own professional journey. I now teach at King’s College where I participated in the development of the graduate program’s Instructional Coaching Endorsement Program and teach a Literacy Leadership course. Additionally, I joined the author team of Brenda Shearer and MaryEllen Vogt on the 4th edition of their textbook, Reading Specialists and Literacy Coaches in the Real World.

Dr. Deb Carr
Former Director of Curriculum & Instruction/Hazleton Area School District
District PIIC Point of Contact

King’s College
Associate Professor of Education