Dozens of educators from districts across Long Island came together at Massapequa High School on Jan. 9 to share best practices and improve instruction for students. The theme for the 2025 Coaching Collaborative was “Reflecting Back, Thinking Forward.”
The program began with remarks in the Little Theater from Curriculum Associate for ELA and Library Media Tina Farrell, Curriculum Associate for Math 6-12 John Watson and Superintendent Dr. William Brennan. In his remarks, Dr. Brennan noted that today’s educators are preparing students for careers that will likely extend into the 2070s and for jobs that don’t even exist yet. It is extremely important for educators to adapt to a fast-changing world and instructional coaches are key to that.
“You help teachers see what’s on the other side,” Dr. Brennan told the 47 guests from 18 school districts. “You lead them through the change process.”
In the library, the visiting instructional coaches and department leaders attended two workshops. They could choose from one of four topics during each session. The workshops were led by Massapequa’s instructional coaches and administrators.
Among the topics were “Embracing AI In Education,” “Resources for Instructional Coaches,” “Sharing in Best Practices Through Learning Walks” and “Effective Strategies for Supporting New Teachers.” The idea for Massapequa’s Coaching Collaborative was sparked by secondary instructional coaches Laura Bottan (ELA) and Carol Dacey (math), who had attended similar programs hosted by other districts.
“I'm very lucky to work with an incredible team of instructional coaches at Massapequa and hosting this collaborative gave us the opportunity to highlight our hard work and connect with instructional coaches from across Long Island,” Ms. Bottan said.
“There was a positive and supportive energy in the air. Hosting our first Coaching Collaborative was a tremendous success.”
Dr. Michele Walsh, assistant to the superintendent for instructional services and general administration, said that prior to the event, Massapequa put out a survey to prospective participants. From there, workshops were developed, which represented a wide spectrum of topics to support K-12 education.
“It’s a great opportunity for Massapequa to share and learn with other districts about the value of instructional coaching,” she said.
Ms. Farrell, who noted that coaches are essential members of a school’s instructional program, said the Coaching Collaborative reflects the value of networking.
“What’s great is how our coaches got inspired by attending this type of event in other districts,” she said. “It opens up new learning opportunities that we can transfer to our teachers and set our students up for success.”
Mr. Watson added that while this was a great opportunity to showcase the work being done in Massapequa, it was also a chance for the district’s instructional coaches to come away with new ideas.
“It’s a collaborative event,” he said. “Our coaches get to share what they do day to day and our guests are sharing what they’re doing.”