Maryland Bets on Coaching to Boost Teachers - and Student Scores

State of MD - Maryland is making a major investment in its public schools, and this time, the focus is on the people doing the teaching.

State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carey M. Wright announced this week a hiring campaign for more than 60 new teacher-coaches across the state. The effort is backed by more than $14.2 million in state funds approved for instructional coaching in Maryland public schools.

The Maryland State Department of Education, known as MSDE, plans to recruit, hire, train, and lead the new coaching staff in time for this fall. The team will include 52 school-based literacy coaches and nine regional coaches focused on both literacy and math.

Of those coaches, 35 literacy coaches will be placed in schools across the state. An additional 17 literacy coaches and one regional literacy coach will support an expanded pilot program in Prince George's County Public Schools, with philanthropic funds continuing to back that effort.

Dr. Wright is no stranger to using coaching as a tool for school improvement. She is widely credited as the architect of the so-called "Mississippi Miracle," a dramatic turnaround in student literacy outcomes during her nine years as Mississippi's State Superintendent from 2013 to 2022. Under her leadership, Mississippi became a national leader in literacy instruction.

She believes the same approach can work here in Maryland.

"Coaching works as well for teachers as it does for athletes. Both teachers and athletes rely on practice, feedback and continuous improvement," said Dr. Wright. "Whether on the sports field or in the classroom, a coach helps to refine your skills and strategies for optimal performance. When teachers have access to strong, high-quality, effective instructional coaching, students win."

The statewide coaching program was established by the Maryland General Assembly in 2025. It was designed not only to raise student achievement, but also to help keep experienced educators in the classroom by giving them consistent, meaningful support.

Coaches will work directly alongside teachers on a weekly basis, providing what's called job-embedded support. That means real-time guidance during the actual school day, not just occasional workshops or training sessions.

MSDE won't be assigning coaches randomly. Schools will be selected based on three specific data points: third-grade student performance in English language arts and math over the past three years, the percentage of conditionally-licensed teachers on staff, and the academic performance of special education students and multilingual learners.

That targeted approach is meant to direct resources where they are needed most.

For educators interested in becoming a coach, or community members who want to learn more, job postings for all coaching positions are currently listed on the MSDE website.

This is a significant step forward for Maryland schools. If the results mirror what happened in Mississippi, students and teachers across the state could feel the impact for years to come.