As we coach, so shall we consult: A perspective on coaching research in education

In taking stock of educational coaching research, I consider the extant literature and content of four articles comprising a special issue of the Journal of School Psychology (viz., Glover et al., 2022; Pas et al., 2022; Pianta et al., 2022; Reddy et al., 2022). Before reviewing these specific articles, the thesis offered for the broader field is that without the solid foundation afforded by the school consultation literature, the science of educational coaching would not be as advanced as it is today. Following a description of each study and comparisons between/among them, I consider unique and shared aspects of consultation and educational coaching. The article concludes with four proposed directions for future coaching research based on prior consultation research: (a) documenting coaching procedural integrity and intervention fidelity/integrity to an equal degree, (b) changing teacher behavior utilizing social influence/behavior change frameworks, (c) incorporating greater use of technology (i.e., telecoaching), and (d) moving toward the concept of prescriptive coaching.