Session: Innovative Coaching Models to Optimize Implementation of School-Based Preventive Interventions (Society for Prevention Research 23rd Annual Meeting)

There is growing interest in coaching as an implementation support for school-based prevention programs. However, only recently have prevention researchers begun to conceptualize coaching as a central component of the implementation support process and articulate a specific coaching model. Consistent with the Type II Translational Research Framework, there is a need for more research on coaching and consultation models and innovative approaches for tracking outcomes associated with different coaching models. Toward that end, this panel provides an overview and findings on three innovative coaching models which aim to optimize the implementation quality of different school-based preventive interventions.  All three prevention programs examined pertain to classroom management and student engagement, and use coaching strategies to optimize the fidelity of these programs. The first study reports findings from a randomized controlled trial testing the impact of a coaching model on implementation and student outcomes. This study has a particular focus on cultural proficiency, student engagement, and classroom management using the Double Check model. It incorporates a structured coaching model, called the Classroom Check-up, which is a data driven framework for tailoring the coaching to meet the teachers’ unique needs and context.  The second paper draws on data from a randomized trial of the BankingTime program, which is implemented in early elementary school.  This study examines teachers’ perception of the teacher-consultant relationship, associated BankingTime implementation, and the link between the teacher-consultant relationship and improvement in teacher practice as mediated by BankingTime implementation. The third study focuses on the process of designing a web-based coaching model to optimize the implementation of the Good Behavior Game. This mixed-methods study indicates that the teachers found the web-based training offered convenience, flexibility, and individualized support. Classroom observations also showed that teachers implemented the Good Behavior Game at a level of quality similar to when training was delivered on-site and in-person. Together, these three studies all address issues related to school contextual factors influencing implementation quality, and the challenges teachers face implementing prevention programs. These studies contribute to the growing body of research documenting the effectiveness of coaching as an implementation support. Recommendations for future studies of novel coaching models will be discussed. Methodological innovations for rigorously testing coaching models are also considered.