The Coach’s Compass
Navigating Tiered Coaching in a PLC at Work®
Find your true north with the Coach’s Compass model, a practical framework for strengthening instructional coaching. This guide helps coaches navigate MTSS-C across teams and individuals, using actionable tools that nurture trust, align practice, and support growth within a PLC at Work® context.
Navigating instructional coaching toward true north
The Coach’s Compass model, from authors Tesha Ferriby Thomas and Jennifer Parker, presents instructional coaching as a collaborative journey toward a shared destination. The unique MTSS-C framework adapts MTSS student intervention principles to support teachers through tiered coaching interactions. Founded on four quadrants—trust, goals, modeling, and resources—the Coach’s Compass provides a framework that fuels professional growth and drives continuous improvement.
This guidebook equips K–12 instructional coaches and leaders to:
- Align coaching efforts with PLC priorities and instructional improvement goals
- Adapt coaching strategies based on readiness, context, and need
- Identify who to support using the MTSS-C framework to differentiate coaching for teams and individuals
- Define what to focus on through four coaching quadrants—trust, goals, modeling, and resources
- Determine how to shift from isolated interventions to purposeful, tiered interactions
Related Topics
Professional Learning Communities at Work®Professional Learning CommunitiesSchool ImprovementTeams




