The Pennsylvania High School Coaching Initiative (PAHSCI)

What is PAHSCI?

The Pennsylvania High School Coaching Initiative (PAHSCI) is a distinctive school reform design - centered on “instructional coaching and mentoring” - developed to improve student achievement and to spark effective education reform nationwide.  Formed in 2005 as a partnership between The Annenberg Foundation and the Pennsylvania Department of Education, PAHSCI represents a $31 million, three-year investment in high school instructional coaching and mentoring. The initiative places one literacy and one math coach for every 600 students in 24 high-need high schools located in 15 school districts across Pennsylvania, with a total enrollment of over 32,000 students.  The PAHSCI model is the nation’s only multi-tiered teacher coaching and mentoring initiative -- providing trained teacher-leaders, called coaches, to schools and school districts; coaches and school/district administrators, in turn, receive professional and program support from the initiative’s team of mentors and facilitators. 

Our Vision

To build capacity within school districts to more effectively and positively impact instruction, student learning, and attitudes through collaborative whole school reform practices that embrace collegial networking, coaching, and embedded professional development across curricula.

Improving Student Achievement Across the State of Pennsylvania

PAHSCI is actively influencing the field of instructional coaching and mentoring across the State of Pennsylvania through its work with the Collaborative Coaching Board, convened by Dr. Gerald Zahorchak, Secretary of Education of the Pennsylvania Department of Education. For more information on coaching across Pennsylvania, please click here.

In addition to statewide coaching, PDE has also initiated Project 720, named for the number of days a Pennsylvania student spends in school from 9th through 12th grades. Funding from this project enables participating schools to offer students: college-preparatory courses in core subject areas such as math, English, science and social studies; additional Advanced Placement and dual enrollment courses; and, decreased class sizes for better one-on-one teacher-to-student interaction. Project 720 funding includes $8 million for the 2006-2007 school year, allowing the program to be expanded to 95 school districts, representing 113 individual high schools, plus 3 comprehensive vocational technical schools and one charter school.

Please visit www.pacoaching.org for more information on instructional coaching, mentoring, and PAHSCI’s work statewide to improve student achievement.