In education, we all will have encountered the jingle/jangle fallacy, where teachers and leaders frequently refer to the same concept by different names or, conversely, use the same name to describe different things. All too often, this semantic confusion can cause inefficiency, hinder progress, and derail efforts to improve teaching and learning.
So why, you might ask, would Lift Schools introduce another term — ‘instructional excellence’ — into an already crowded field of educational terminology? With phrases like ‘instructional coaching,’ ‘instructional leadership,’ and ‘instructional approaches’ already part of the discourse, do we really need another?
Unpacking instructional excellence
The first misconception we must address is using the word ‘instructional’ and its various forms. For many, the term ‘instruction’ may immediately bring to mind the well-known teaching method of ‘direct instruction,’ leading to the assumption that any instructional approach is necessarily rigid, teacher-centred, and driven by strict models. This is not the case.
Instructional approaches, while they may include structured elements, do not have to be prescriptive. Instead, the term ‘instructional’ simply refers to what happens in the classroom — it is pedagogical in nature, yes, but it is not tied to any one particular style or model of teaching.
Instructional coaching, for example, focuses on improving classroom practice through targeted feedback and support for teachers. Whereas, instructional leadership is about aligning all aspects of school leadership — from systems and resources to policies and strategies — with the goal of improving what happens in the classroom. The key here is that the word ‘instructional’ is a broad, flexible term that encompasses the various ways in which we can support and enhance classroom practice.
A second common misconception arises when a general instructional approach is confused with a specific implementation of that approach. For example, Paul Bambrick-Santoyo’s ‘Leverage Leadership’ is a widely respected and highly successful instructional leadership model. However, it is only one interpretation of instructional leadership. While Bambrick-Santoyo’s model is undoubtedly effective, instructional leadership can look different depending on the context. That is where the idea of ‘instructional excellence’ comes into play.
Why 'instructional excellence'?
Instructional excellence is crucial because it encapsulates the breadth and depth of what we are trying to achieve at Lift Schools as we focus on classroom-centred leadership, coaching, and improvement. The phrase ‘instructional excellence’ speaks to the totality of the work involved. It is not just about implementing a coaching model or adopting a particular leadership style. It is about understanding what we are coaching, what classroom excellence looks like, and how we can ensure that all of our leadership systems, resources, and policies are aligned with this.
In essence, instructional excellence captures both the scope of the work and the high standards to which we aspire. It is not enough to focus on one aspect of classroom improvement; instructional excellence requires an approach that addresses multiple dimensions simultaneously. For example, it is not just about creating a coaching model, but also about defining what excellent teaching looks like, what we should be coaching, and how leadership should support the work. In short, instructional excellence is about more than just adopting strategies — it’s about ensuring that those strategies are deeply embedded.
Instructional excellence in our context
Instructional excellence is so important as it reflects our commitment to developing an approach that is tailored to the specific needs and contexts of Lift’s 57 schools. We are not simply interested in importing a ready-made model from elsewhere. While there is much to learn from successful examples of instructional leadership and coaching, such as Bambrick-Santoyo’s Leverage Leadership, we believe that we must develop our own approach. Instructional excellence, as we define it, will be unique to Lift Schools.
The questions surrounding any instructional approach may be universal, but the answers must always be local. What works in one context may not work in another. This is why, while we are inspired by models like Bambrick-Santoyo’s, we are not seeking to replicate them. Instead, we are using our deep understanding of the schools we serve to develop an approach that works for us. Our version of instructional excellence will be informed by the best of others but adapted to fit the specific needs, challenges, and ambitions of our network.
That’s why we launched our Instructional Excellence Programme: to collaborate closely with school leaders and develop Lift’s instructional approach to school improvement. Our goal is to equip leaders with the tools and resources needed to accelerate classroom improvement across the network, reduce variance, and raise the quality of teaching and learning. Eighteen months into this three-year programme, we are currently working with 24 schools to establish a shared, network-wide understanding of what instructional excellence looks like and work out the best ways for it to be delivered across Lift.
During the programme’s first twelve months, and in partnership with One World Network of Schools, we conducted a detailed fact-finding exercise on existing approaches to instructional leadership across our schools. Alongside this, we delivered a year-long training programme for thirty leaders from our ten Cohort 1 schools. Through this work, we captured models of excellence in leadership, coaching, and practice clinic delivery, allowing us to codify key components of instructional excellence for Lift schools and learn how to implement these approaches at scale.
From these experiences, we learned that following a structured scope and sequence for training is essential in building leaders’ mental models and instructional practices. Coaching leaders emerged as a critical driver in supporting schools to develop their practices and adapt implementation to their specific contexts. Additionally, our commitment to spending extensive time in classrooms proved invaluable. Through three focused school visits to each participating Cohort 1 school, we directed our attention to what matters most: our pupils’ learning and well-being.
Now in the programme’s second year, we have expanded to include fourteen new schools in Cohort 2, introducing forty new leaders to the year-long training programme. Each leader is paired with a highly skilled coach to support implementation and refine approaches to instructional excellence. At the same time, we remain committed to supporting our first cohort of schools to sustain and deepen their instructional practices, benefiting not only their pupils but also children and young people across the entire network through their commitment to our goal of network-wide instructional excellence.
As we are now at the halfway point of our programme, our focus is on building a sustainable and resilient system within Lift. This includes cultivating expertise across the network to support colleagues at regional and national levels. We are also reflecting on the progress made so far, using these insights to shape a clear, network-wide vision for instructional excellence that will guide our next steps. This reflection is helping us identify the "connective tissue" between our various education strategies, enabling us to develop a comprehensive Instructional Excellence Framework. This framework is key to ensuring that every pupil receives an excellent education, in every classroom, every day.
Our work ahead is exciting. We are committed to deepening our understanding of what instructional excellence means within Lift schools and working collaboratively to achieve this vision across our network of 57 schools. Instructional excellence isn’t just another term in the jingle/jangle jungle of educational jargon — it’s our strategy for transforming teaching and learning across our schools, ensuring we focus on what truly matters in the classroom.
This post was co-written by Matt Dunne, Associate Director of Teacher Development at Lift Schools, and Mark Gregory, Regional Director at One World Network of Schools.
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