Welcome back and to our second feature, In Conversation with ...

This week we speak to the Godfather of Instructional Coaching, Jim Knight.

Jim Knight is a research associate at the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning and the president of the Instructional Coaching Group. He has spent more than a decade studying instructional coaching and has written several books on the topic including Instructional Coaching: A Partnership Approach to Improving Instruction published by Corwin Press & NSDC (2007). Knight co-authored Coaching Classroom Management. He also edited Coaching: Approaches and Perspectives. His newest book, Unmistakable Impact: A Partnership Approach to Dramatically Improving Instruction.

Jim has authored articles on instructional coaching and school improvement in publications such as “The Journal of Staff Development,” “Principal Leadership,” “The School Administrator,” “Kappan,” and “Teachers Teaching Teachers.”

Several research projects directed by Knight include an I.E.S.-funded qualitative and quantitative assessment of coaching, and Pathways to Success, a comprehensive, district-wide school reform project for the Topeka Kansas School District. Knight also leads the coaching institutes and the Annual Instructional Coaching Conference offered by the University of Kansas.

Frequently asked to guide professional learning for instructional coaches, Knight has presented and consulted in most states, most Canadian provinces, India, the United Kingdom, and Japan. He has a Ph.D. in Education and has won several university teaching, innovation, and service awards. Jim is also author of the popular radical learners blog.

Jim be seen on Twitter: ⁠@jimknight99

Jim's website and award-winning work can be found at: www.instructionalcoaching.com

Join in the conversation on Twitter (we don't officially recognise the rebranding!) where you'll find us on:

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⁠⁠⁠EduPulse⁠⁠⁠ is a brand new think-tank, podcast, journal and nuance-advocating platform.

The music featured in this podcast was written by Chris Passey and produced by Thomas Whitehead Music - all rights reserved.

Growth through Knowledge - About EduPulse

In a world defined by the seemingly binary nature of debate, EduPulse seeks to find balance in the nuanced world of context driven education, providing space for thought, discussion and debate with decency and compassion at the heart of all we do.

Formed in 2023, EduPulse is an education think tank driven by the mission to broaden the conversation, encourage debate and challenge and provide a platform for others to share their views and experiences.

EduPulse was formed by Adam Kohlbeck and Chris Passey in response to the belief that there are very many, as yet, unheard voices within the education sector with something to say but without the platform to say it. EduPulse seeks to connect these people to educational debate, to draw new people into the discussion and to help those entering the profession do so with an evidence informed approach form the outset. It also seeks to promote healthy debate with the overarching belief that context drives decision making in the best schools and as such it should form a crucial part of any educational conversation.

Adam & Chris are currently writing 'Succeeding as a Deputy Head' for Bloomsbury, due to be published in January 2026. Filled with professional perspectives from the some of the UK's best educational minds, this book will be a must-have for any aspiring and current educational leader.