Wayne County RESA Training: The DG Coaching & Mentoring Institute

This two-day institute is designed for coaches, mentors, and instructional leaders who support teacher growth and development. The Institute focuses on the mindsets and skills needed to deliver impactful feedback and sustain meaningful professional learning. Participants will strengthen their capacity to bring out the best in teachers through reflective practice, collaborative inquiry, and growth-focused coaching. They will deepen their understanding of The Danielson Group’s Framework for Teaching (FFT)™ as a professional learning tool and learn strategies for building trust, empathy, and psychological safety within coaching and mentoring relationships.

Location:

Wayne County Community College Downriver Campus

21000 Northline, Taylor, MI 48180

***Important Note For Registration & Payment***

We are offering the option to purchase tickets by purchase order. When paying by PO, please contact Lindsay Prendergast at prendergast@danielsongroup.org at your earliest convenience.

DAY 1:

October 27, 2026

Day 1 builds a foundational understanding of how The Danielson Group’s Framework for Teaching (FFT)™ supports coaching and mentoring for growth. Participants will explore the beliefs, dispositions, and conditions that create trust-based, learning-focused coaching relationships. Through discussion and practice, they will strengthen their ability to use reflective practice, curiosity, and empathy to promote adult learning and professional dialogue that drives improvement.

Topics include:

• Understanding the three key spheres of influence: Reflective Practice, Collaborative Inquiry, and Instructional Coaching
• Building conditions that support trust, psychological safety, and open communication
• Shifting from evaluation to coaching: language, stance, and mindset
• Applying Danielson Group Coaching Dispositions (Maintain Trust, Lead with Curiosity, Believe in Progress, Learn Side-by-Side)
• Collecting low-inference evidence aligned to FFT™ components and Elements of Success
• Using the Framework™ to promote inquiry-based, growth-centered feedback

DAY 2:

October 28, 2026

Day 2 builds on foundational knowledge to deepen participants’ coaching and observation skills. Using the Framework for Teaching™ as a guide, participants will learn how to design growth-focused observation cycles, deliver meaningful feedback, and co-create sustainable professional goals that enhance instructional practice and student learning.

Topics include:

• Implementing the DG Coaching Cycle: planning, observation, reflection, and feedback
• Practicing feedback using the Praise–Probe–Push protocol
• Using lesson artifacts and evidence to support reflection and planning
• Aligning observations to Levels of Performance and Elements of Success
• Goal setting and reflection strategies that promote continuous growth
• Developing a culture of professional inquiry and collective efficacy

Participants in these sessions will learn how to implement collaborative observation cycles, inquiry cycles, and structures for team learning that can put professional development back where it belongs – in the hands of teachers.

MEET THE FACILITATOR

The Danielson Group Framework Specialist, Kathy Andreasen, will lead this Institute .

Kathy Andreasen has dedicated over two decades to education, serving communities in Milwaukee and Baraboo, Wisconsin. For eleven of those years, Kathy had the privilege of leading as an Elementary Principal and District Educator Effectiveness Coordinator, where she focused on instructional excellence and student success. As a District Educator Effectiveness Coordinator, Kathy observed, supported, and provided growth-focused feedback to a diverse group of educators, including teachers, coaches, social workers, counselors, nurses, and school psychologists. She is a strong advocate for the Framework for Teaching, using it to enhance instructional practices and improve student learning. Demonstrating her commitment to educational advancement, Kathy developed an alternative pathway for special education and elementary education licenses. This initiative, created in partnership with The Danielson Group, Inc., was made possible through a Department of Workforce Development Fast Forward grant. Kathy earned her Principal and Director of Instruction Certification from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota and her Masters of Arts in Education from Viterbo University, Wisconsin.