My Teaching Partner is a secondary school program developed at the University of Virginia in the Curry School of Education and Human Development. This program is used to coach teachers on effective interactions with students to encourage social and emotional development. The program provides teachers with appropriate methods to support students within an organized classroom structure.

During an academic year, approximately every three to four weeks, coaches observe teachers’ practices, assess teachers on a standardized scoring system, and provide feedback to teachers on their interactions with students. It is recommended that this program be implemented across three years, starting with a two-day training followed by online coaching across the first year. The program plays a supportive role thereafter.

Program resources includes a video library, a college course, and individualized online coaching. My Teaching Partner is listed as a SELect program on the CASEL guide, which reports positive outcomes in students according to two studies from 2011. Students in middle and high school grades whose teachers received this program demonstrated more prosocial behavior and higher academic achievement.

Evaluation data from (as reported on CASEL website):  Allen, J. P., Pianta, R. C., Gregory, A., Mikami, A. Y., & Lun, J. (2011). An interaction-based approach to enhancing secondary school instruction and student achievement. Science, 333(6045), 1034-1037.

Mikami, A. Y., Gregory, A., Allen, J. P., Pianta, R. C., & Lun, J. (2011). Effects of a teacher professional development intervention on peer relationships in secondary classrooms. School psychology review, 40(3), 367.