Prepare to be an Instructional Coach.
This is the one NextGround path being built first. Everything below describes what it is designed to cover — it isn't open yet.
Availability
Planned for January 2027
This is the first NextGround path. It isn't open yet, and there is no enrollment.
Time commitment
Plan for at least 2 hours per week
Asynchronous learning and practice, plus a small number of live sessions.
Expected pricing
$70–$90/month
Final launch pricing is still being set. We expect NextGround paths to cost between $70 and $90 per month, with early pricing available to waitlist members.
Five stops, in order.
Stop 1
Understand the role
What an instructional coach is actually responsible for day to day, how the job is evaluated, and where new coaches most often struggle.
Stop 2
Build the core skills
Coaching conversations, adult learning, facilitation, feedback, and talking about student data with teachers who may not want to hear it.
Stop 3
Practice the hard moments
Scenario work on resistance, a teacher who agrees and then changes nothing, and being handed data and asked what you notice.
Stop 4
Show your thinking
You finish with work you can point to: a coaching plan, a week map, reflections, and language that connects your teaching experience to the role.
Stop 5
Prepare for the move
Resume and application support, interview practice for coaching questions, and preparation for the first 90 days in the seat.
This may fit you if
- You already coach the teacher next door, informally
- You like adult learning as much as you like teaching kids
- You want influence without leaving the school building
- You'd rather be evaluated on other people's growth than your own test scores
This probably isn't your destination if
- You want a role with less people-facing conflict
- You're looking for an immediate pay jump above all else
- You want to step away from schools entirely — look at the education-adjacent and beyond-education destinations instead
Guided by someone who has held the role.
Devin LewisFounder of NextGroundDevin has been a paraprofessional, teacher, instructional coach, and most recently Director of Teacher Evaluation for the largest school district in Texas. He is building this path from the coaching work itself, not from a course outline.
Meet the practitionersWhat you'd walk away with
- A clear picture of what the role requires
- A better sense of whether it actually fits you
- Practice with the conversations coaches have
- Work you can show in an interview
- Language that connects your classroom experience to the role
Not sure this is the one? Keep looking.
Instructional Coach is the first path being built. Other destinations are possibilities we're exploring, not products yet.