31 Alexander Russo 2004 <p> The professional development strategy known as school-based coaching &quot;generally involves experts in a particular subject area or set of teaching strategies working closely with small groups of teachers to improve classroom practice and, ultimately, student achievement,&quot; writes Alexander Russo in this article from the Harvard Education Letter (July-August 2004). The growing interest in the school-based coaching model is supported by research suggesting that &quot;professional development must be ongoing, deeply embedded in teachers' classroom work with children, specific to grade levels or academic content, and focused on research-based approaches. It also must help to open classroom doors and create more collaboration and sense of community among teachers in a school.&quot; While school-based coaching shows &quot;apparent promise,&quot; Russo writes, experts who have studied the phenomenon in a variety of U.S. school systems caution that &quot;educators should be clear about their goals and expectations before making an investment.&quot; He quotes one researcher who found that in some school systems, leaders failed to invest &quot;the time, thought, and resources necessary to launch and sustain a coherent program and to address other serious problems within schools or districts that create barriers for in-school staff developers.&quot; </p> <p>  Citation: Russo, A. (July/August 2004). &quot;School-based coaching.&quot; <i>Harvard education letter. </i>Retrieved from Edletter.org 2 Apr 2008. Link: http://www.edletter.org/past/issues/2004-ja/coaching.shtml </p> http://www.edletter.org/past/issues/2004-ja/coaching.shtml