INSTRUCTIONAL COORDINATOR

Instructional coordinators are high-level specialists in the education field. Their work typically consists of determining whether or not a school's curriculum is working and adjusting it if necessary.

What does an instructional coordinator do?

Here's a list of responsibilities that instructional coordinators handle in their day-to-day working lives:

• Evaluating school curriculums to determine their effectiveness
• Reviewing and suggesting new materials and approaches, such as online courses
• Developing new curriculum elements and helping implement them
• Training teachers and staff on new educational content or programs

Where do instructional coordinators work?

Instructional coordinators typically work in a traditional office environment, but they may travel to various schools or district offices to monitor curriculum adjustments or help teachers become comfortable with new practices. They're mostly employed by public or private schools at various levels. Here's a list of the top employment settings for instructional coordinators, from the most to the least common:

• Grade schools and high schools
• Colleges, universities and professional schools
• Government agencies
• Educational support services

How to become an instructional coordinator

Becoming an instructional coordinator requires a substantial amount of education. Most people who enter the profession complete an instructional coordinator degree program at the master's level before taking on their first position. Here's a quick list of steps that you can follow if you've got your eye on an instructional coordinator career:

1. Earn your high school diploma or equivalency degree
2. Complete a bachelor's degree, either in education or in a specialized subject field like math or history
3. Go on to earn a master's degree in education or curriculum and instruction
4. Acquire a teacher's or education administrator's license in your state (if required). Learn more about becoming an education administrator.

Most instructional coordinators also need to have quite a bit of experience working at various levels of the education field. Several years of teaching experience is common, and some type of leadership experience can also be helpful.

Exams and licensing

Each state has its own licensure and certification guidelines for an aspiring instructional coordinator. Degree requirements may remain the same from state to state, but be sure to check with the Board of Education in your area to find out what type of credential you'll need before you can begin work.

Important skills and abilities for instructional coordinators

• Active listening helps instructional coordinators hear concerns that teachers or administrators may have about the curriculum and address them effectively
• Oral expression skills work to ensure that your explanations of the new curriculum you're implementing can be understood by faculty and staff
• Written expression is just as valuable as the spoken kind, particularly because many teachers and staff will learn the finer points of your new system through written material
• Learning strategies are at the heart of an instructional coordinator career, and having a good command of multiple teaching methods can help you choose the right one for each situation
• Instructing is important because not only are you designing instructional approaches but you'll also need to train teachers on how to put them into practice

Career outlook and salary for instructional coordinators

Most jobs vary in salary and even job growth, based on factors like experience, education completed, and location. For an idea of what instructional coordinators could expect in the coming years, see the table below:

2019 Occupational Employment Statistics and 2018-28 Employment Projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov.

Professional organizations for instructional coordinators