Unmistakable Impact

Dr. Jim Knight, Founder and Senior Partner of Instructional Coaching Group (ICG), is also a research associate at the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning. He has spent more than two decades studying professional learning and instructional coaching. Jim earned his PhD in Education from the University of Kansas and has won several university teaching, innovation, and service awards. The pioneering work Jim and his colleagues have conducted has led to many innovations that are now central to professional development in schools. Jim wrote the first major article about instructional coaching for the Journal of Staff Development, and his book Instructional Coaching (2007) offered the first extended description of instructional coaching. Jim's book Focus on Teaching (2014) was the first extended description of how video should be used for professional learning. Recently, writing with Ann Hoffman, Michelle Harris, and Sharon Thomas, Jim introduced the idea of instructional playbooks with their book on that topic. Jim has written several books in addition to those described above, including Unmistakable Impact (2011), High-Impact Instruction (2013), Better Conversations (2015), The Impact Cycle (2018), and The Definitive Guide to Instructional Coaching (2021). Knight has also authored articles on instructional coaching and professional learning in publications such as Educational Leadership, The Journal of Staff Development, Principal Leadership, The School Administrator, and Kappan. Jim is also a columnist for Educational Leadership and. Through ICG, Knight conducts coaching workshops, hosts the Facebook Live Program, "Coaching Conversations," and provides consulting for coaching programs around the world.

Foreword by Michael Fullan Preface Acknowledgments About the Author 1. Impact Schools The Best Jobs The Failure of the American School System Unmistakable Impact Core Concepts of an Impact School What You Will Find in This Book To Sum Up Going Deeper 2. Partnership Helping Others Partnership: The Theory Behind Impact Schools Equality: Professional Learning With Teachers Rather Than Training Done to Teachers Choice: Teachers Should Have Choice Regarding What and How They Learn Voice: Professional Learning Should Empower and Respect the Voices of Teachers Reflection: Reflection Is an Integral Part of Professional Learning Dialogue: Professional Learning Should Enable Authentic Dialogue Praxis: Teachers Should Apply Their Learning to Their Real-Life Practice as They Are Learning Reciprocity: We Should Expect to Get as Much as We Give To Sum Up Going Deeper 3. Principals Leading Schools and the Partnership Principles Principals as Designers The Target The Big Four Creating the Target Observing and Monitoring Teacher Progress Principals as First Learners Making It All Happen Getting Support From Central Office To Sum Up Going Deeper 4. Instructional Coaching Partnership Partnering With Administrators Workshops and Intensive Learning Teams Components of Coaching Who Should Be a Coach To Sum Up Going Deeper 5. Workshops That Make an Impact Take the Partnership Approach Address the Impact Factors Use Effective Design Apply Learning to Real Life Deliver the Message Powerfully Connect With the Audience Walk the Talk Keep the Energy High Use Dialogue Architectures Tell Stories To Sum Up Going Deeper 6. Intensive Learning Teams The Challenge Partnership Principles Address Impact Factors Partnership Facilitation Intensive Learning Teams To Sum Up Going Deeper 7. Partnership Communication Partnership Principles and Communication Listening Good Questions Finding Common Ground Controlling Difficult Emotions Love Your Partners To Sum Up Going Deeper Final Thoughts Resource A: Impact Toolkit Administrator Resources Big Four Observation Tools Teacher Progress Map (TPM) Resources Coach Resources: What Coaches Do Additional Tools Intensive Learning Teams Resource B: Research Research on Coaching Research on Workshops Research on Intensive Learning Teams References and Further Readings Index

"Unmistakable Impact exemplifies everything Jim Knight advocates: a clear focus, respect for educators' significant contributions, and the value that well-designed professional learning contributes to school improvement efforts." -- Dennis Sparks, Former Executive Director "A must read for anyone who cares about learning, this book is from the heart. Knight uses his own experiences to describe processes and strategies for impacting student and adult learning in today's schools." -- Sandee Crowther, President "Jim Knight's work has had a tremendous impact on the quality of our professional development practices that that are job-embedded and meet the REAL needs of our teachers. He is a consummate relationship builder who models how to establish the types of relationships necessary for second-order change to occur." -- Carolyn J. Teigland, Associate Superintendent for Education Services "Jim Knight outlines a clear path to success for educators to make sense out of the complex nature of external mandates, competing initiatives and prevailing traditional models found within many schools and districts around the nation." -- Ken Geisick, Superintendent "Unmistakable Impact takes us deeper into the realm of grounded school improvement-a great contribution to the field." -- Michael Fullan, Professor and Author "Jim Knight helps us to understand how learning can be infectious, energizing, and humanizing as he eloquently delineates the steps involved in creating an impact school. I suggest buying this book for all principals who want to strengthen their schools. I believe that Unmistakable Impact will be a resource they return to time and again." -- Stephanie Hirsh, Executive Director "The book introduces the reader to the theoretical framework, strategies, structure and findings from qualitative studies on instructional coaching to explain how partnership learning supports effective instruction and student achivement." -- Susan Farber, University of Cincinnati