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Supporting Universal Prevention Programs: A Two-Phased Coaching Model

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Abstract

Schools are adopting evidence-based programs designed to enhance students’ emotional and behavioral competencies at increasing rates (Hemmeter et al. in Early Child Res Q 26:96–109, 2011). At the same time, teachers express the need for increased support surrounding implementation of these evidence-based programs (Carter and Van Norman in Early Child Educ 38:279–288, 2010). Ongoing professional development in the form of coaching may enhance teacher skills and implementation (Noell et al. in School Psychol Rev 34:87–106, 2005; Stormont et al. 2012). There exists a need for a coaching model that can be applied to a variety of teacher skill levels and one that guides coach decision-making about how best to support teachers. This article provides a detailed account of a two-phased coaching model with empirical support developed and tested with coaches and teachers in urban schools (Becker et al. 2013). In the initial universal coaching phase, all teachers receive the same coaching elements regardless of their skill level. Then, in the tailored coaching phase, coaching varies according to the strengths and needs of each teacher. Specifically, more intensive coaching strategies are used only with teachers who need additional coaching supports, whereas other teachers receive just enough support to consolidate and maintain their strong implementation. Examples of how coaches used the two-phased coaching model when working with teachers who were implementing two universal prevention programs (i.e., the PATHS® curriculum and PAX Good Behavior Game [PAX GBG]) provide illustrations of the application of this model. The potential reach of this coaching model extends to other school-based programs as well as other settings in which coaches partner with interventionists to implement evidence-based programs.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by grants from the Institutes for the Education Sciences (R305A080326) and the National Institute of Mental Health (P30 MH086043 T32 MH018834). We wish to acknowledge the wonderful contributions of our teacher and administrator colleagues in the Baltimore City Public School System as well as the tremendous efforts of our coaches: Sandy Hardee, Brenda Kelly, Michael Muempfer, Kelly Schaffer, and Tiffany Stuart. We also appreciate the invaluable contributions of Dennis Embry, Ph.D. and Mark Greenberg, Ph.D. Dr. Domitrovich is an author on the PATHS Curriculum and has a royalty agreement with Channing-Bete, Inc. Dr. Domitrovich receives income from PATHS Training LLC. This has been reviewed and managed by Penn State's Individual Conflict of Interest Committee.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA

    Kimberly D. Becker

  2. Department of Educational School, and Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

    Dana Darney

  3. Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Celene Domitrovich

  4. Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Jennifer Pitchford Keperling & Nicholas S. Ialongo

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  1. Kimberly D. Becker
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  2. Dana Darney
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  3. Celene Domitrovich
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  4. Jennifer Pitchford Keperling
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  5. Nicholas S. Ialongo
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Correspondence to Kimberly D. Becker.

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Becker, K.D., Darney, D., Domitrovich, C. et al. Supporting Universal Prevention Programs: A Two-Phased Coaching Model. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 16, 213–228 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-013-0134-2

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