EPCHS Academic Coaches Have Powerful Impact In Student Success

EVERGREEN PARK, IL – Evergreen Park Community High School has a team of instructional coaches who help teachers better serve their students.

“Our instructional coaches support teachers as they improve their capacity to apply their learning more deeply, frequently and consistently,” said Deb Schillo, EPCHS director of curriculum. “The coaches help our teachers research and implement new ideas, provide resources or co-teach lessons.”

Instructional coaches at EPCHS include technology coach Jim Smith, leadership coaches Megan Schillo and Mike Thomas and reading coaches Colleen McWalter and Jennifer O’Connor.
The coaches work with teachers one-on-one or in small groups to support and connect them, expose them to resources and build professional development. Reading coaches in particular provide model reading strategies for individual classes, assist teachers in the classroom during a lesson, and support students through reading intervention plans.

“It is beneficial and powerful for us to connect with one another based on our strengths,” Megan Schillo added. “Our main goal is to support teachers in whatever they need, whether it be classroom management, discussion strategies or formative assessments.”

EPCHS teachers are thrilled with the help, and it shows in the classroom.

“It is a luxury to be able to pick up some new data-based strategies to assist me with some of my students who struggle with reading,” Pat Flannigan, a social studies teacher and the school’s assistant athletic director, said.

Sarah Marshall, a special education teacher, said she’s “grateful for (the coaches’) knowledge and experience.”

“I look forward to continuing to learn from them to better the outcomes for our students,” she said.