The Coaching Cycle project creates an online course for K-8 mathematics instructional coaches. The project targets coaches in rural areas and small schools who do not have access to regular district-wide professional development. It provides training in the skills needed for effective instructional coaching in mathematics by using artifacts collected by practicing coaches to engage course participants in the practice of coaching skills. Because online learning and instructional coaching are fairly recent models of staff development, the project adds to the developing knowledge base about how these interventions support more effective coaching, changes in teachers'' practice, and increased student achievement.
