Teacher Professional Development Coaching in the Saint Paul School district is detailed in the Project for Academic Excellence (PAE) and the district Professional Development Plan (PDP) Why content-focused coaching? Content-focused coaching is designed to create a professional culture where learning is valued and celebrated along with performance. Through this program, trained coaches work individually with classroom teachers and teacher teams. The coaches offer collaborative support, helping teachers recognize and strengthen their abilities. Coaches are classroom teachers who possess deep knowledge about a range of issues central to lesson design and delivery in their content area including: theories of teaching and learning, standards, group dynamics, conflict resolution, instructional practices, assessments and curriculum resources. Highly skilled, content-focused coaching has been a district component since the inception of PAE. However, in the past, not enough coaches have been available to move the reform at a quicker pace. Now, by investing resources in school-based instructor coaching, SPPS can focus on instructional practices that integrate engaging strategies with content and literacy. In the 2007-08 school year, in order to truly embed content coaching, elementary schools not making AYP and Safe Harbor elementary schools will need to fund at least a .5 literacy and/or .5 math coach to work with classroom teachers on the full implementation of Reader’s, Writer’s and Math Workshops. At the secondary level, the district will provide .5 English/language arts and .5 math coaches who will also teach .5 in their respective content areas. AYP and Safe Harbor secondary schools will fund two additional .5 building coaches (science and social studies) who will also be .5 classroom teachers in their respective content areas. The district will fund an additional .5 district coach who will support the work of the school coach. Commencing with the 2008-09 school year, coaches will be embedded in every school. The ultimate goal of this coaching is to help our instructors internalize the core issues and habits learned from their coaches.