Introduction
Research Questions
- How commonly did coaches use remote coaching in the fall of 2021 (about 18 months into the pandemic), and how did this compare to before the pandemic?
- What advantages and challenges were there in remote coaching in the fall of 2021?
- Did coaches feel prepared to coach remotely, and did they receive support?
- What coaching strategies were in use for improving practices with children 18 months into the pandemic (in the fall of 2021)? Did coaches use those strategies remotely or in person? How did this compare to before the pandemic?
The Study of Coaching in Early Care and Education Settings (SCOPE) was designed to examine the variations in coaching in ECE. The sample was recruited across seven geographically dispersed states that demonstrated active implementation of coaching in at least one ECE setting. The centers and family child care (FCC) provider homes in the SCOPE sample served children from families with low incomes primarily through a Head Start grant and/or with Child Care and Development Fund subsidies (though many settings had other sources of revenue as well). Surveys were provided to ECE coaches and to a sample of ECE center-based teachers and FCC providers who participated in coaching. Surveys were collected in 2019, and a set of follow up surveys was collected in 2022 from respondents to the 2019 survey. The initial surveys examined a wide range of coaching features and processes, program context and supports provided to coaches. The follow up surveys explored the impact of COVID on coaching implementation for ECE. Data from the SCOPE study is available for secondary analyses at the Child and Family Data Archive.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted services for children and families, and this had implications for the practice of coaching. Within this changed ECE landscape, some coaches discontinued their work, whereas others rapidly adjusted the way they provided coaching; in some cases, this included a shift to virtual coaching services for teachers and FCC providers (Crawford et al. 2021; Lloyd et al. 2021). However, little is known about the specific changes to the strategies or delivery of coaching, or about the challenges coaches faced in making those changes.
Purpose
This brief describes information about coaching that we gathered in 2021—about 18 months into the pandemic—from surveys and qualitative interviews with coaches, FCC providers, and center directors. We focus on understanding remote coaching and various coaching strategies, such as modeling and observation, during this time frame.
Key Findings and Highlights
- Coaches who participated in SCOPE reported using remote coaching meetings more commonly in fall 2021 (about 18 months into the pandemic) than in 2019. They also reported spending more time coaching remotely than before the pandemic.
- SCOPE coaches reported more frequent coaching meetings in general (including both in-person and remote meetings) in 2021 than in 2019. There is some indication that the increased use of remote meetings in 2021 might have enabled coaches to meet with teachers or FCC providers more frequently.
- SCOPE coaches, center directors, and FCC providers identified both benefits and challenges of remote coaching, such as impacts on coach—teacher and coach—provider interactions, increased scheduling and topical flexibility, and technology issues.
- Most SCOPE coaches felt prepared or very prepared to provide coaching remotely in 2021. Most had also received training on conducting coaching remotely, but some indicated additional training (for example, about online meeting platforms and strategies for engaging participants) would be helpful.
- In 2021, SCOPE coaches commonly used a variety of coaching strategies in person and remotely, such as modeling, observations, reflection and feedback, and setting goals. In 2021, most coaches reported demonstrating or modeling skills and strategies with children through video exemplars at least sometimes. Coaches used video exemplars when working in person or remotely with teachers and FCC providers.
- Coaches used a variety of approaches to conduct observations in 2021, including in person, live remote, and watching prerecorded videos, and observed more often in person than remotely.
- Over 80 percent of coaches reported using a variety of reflection and feedback strategies at least once or twice a month in 2021, as in 2019.
- Another strategy common in 2019 remained common in 2021: Almost all coaches reported setting goals with teachers and FCC providers in both 2019 and 2021.