What Instructional Coordinators Do

Instructional coordinators oversee school districts’ curriculums and teaching standards. They work with teachers and school administrators to implement new teaching techniques to improve the quality of education.

Duties

Instructional coordinators typically do the following:

• Oversee the development of the school system’s curriculum
• Arrange for professional development opportunities for teachers
• Evaluate the effectiveness of both the curriculum and teaching methods by analyzing student test data
• Ensure that schools in their district are meeting local, state, and federal regulations and standards
• Review and choose textbooks and other educational materials, such as computer programs
• Stay up to date with teaching techniques and help teachers adopt new strategies
• Help teachers understand and use new technologies in their classes
• Develop procedures to ensure that teachers are properly implementing the curriculum
• Train teachers and other instructional staff in new content or programs
• Mentor or coach teachers who need help improving their skills

Instructional coordinators assess the effectiveness of the district’s curriculum and teaching techniques. They make changes to the curriculum and adopt new teaching strategies and techniques to improve students’ test scores and outcomes.

For example, when a state or school district introduces new standards for what students must learn in specific grades, instructional coordinators explain the new standards to teachers and help them develop ways to teach so students learn what the standards cover.

Instructional coordinators are also known as curriculum specialists, instructional coaches, or assistant superintendents of instruction. In some school districts, they specialize in particular grade levels, such as elementary or high school, or specific subjects, such as language arts or math. Other instructional coordinators focus on special education, English as a second language, or gifted-and-talented programs.

Coordinators generally travel to schools in their district to work with school administrators and teachers, teach professional development classes, and monitor the implementation of the curriculum.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition