Coaching Conversations with Jim Knight
Jim Knight is the founder of The Instructional Coaching Group, a professional development provider dedicated to offering PD for coaches, teachers, and leaders based on a partnership approach that creates better learning environments for all students. As a research associate at the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning Jim has spent 25 years studying professional learning and instructional coaching. He earned his PhD in Education from the University of Kansas and has won several university teaching, innovation, and service awards. The pioneering work Jim and his colleagues have conducted has led to many innovations that are now central to professional development in schools. Jim wrote the first major article about instructional coaching for the Journal of Staff Development, and his book Instructional Coaching (2007) offered the first extended description of instructional coaching. Jim has written several books in addition to those described above, including the bestsellers Unmistakable Impact (2011), High-Impact Instruction (2013), Focus on Teaching (2014), Better Conversations (2015), The Impact Cycle (2018), and The Definitive Guide to Instructional Coaching (2021). He has also authored articles featured in Educational Leadership, The Journal of Staff Development, Principal Leadership, The School Administrator, and Kappan.
Coaching Conversations with Jim Knight
Juliana Urtubey, NBCT 2021 National Teacher of the Year
This week I have the opportunity to sit down with TLC 2025 keynote speaker Juliana Urtubey, the 2021 National Teacher of the Year, to explore what it really means to create schools where joy and justice aren’t just ideas — they’re lived experiences.
Juliana’s story is compelling. As a bilingual, first-generation immigrant, her journey into education has been deeply personal, and that lived experience shows up in every part of her practice.
Throughout our conversation, Juliana talks about how her background has shaped not only how she teaches, but why she teaches. She emphasizes the central role of community and reflection — two elements we know are foundational for authentic learning and growth. Her "Choice and Just Framework" is all about reimagining the classroom as a space for collaboration rather than compliance, where students are seen, heard, and valued.
What I found especially powerful is Juliana’s unwavering belief that classrooms can be places of both rigor and joy — that justice and belonging aren’t add-ons, but essential.
If you’re an educator looking to build inclusive, affirming environments where every student’s strengths are honored, this conversation offers not just inspiration, but real insights you can act on.
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