A new case study from Teaching Matters and NYC Community School District 6 shows what coaching-driven implementation looks like when it works.
When New York City Public Schools launched NYC Reads, every district faced the same challenge: turning a system-level mandate into meaningful change in the classroom. The districts that navigated that challenge most successfully are the ones that treat implementation as a learning problem and invest in the right coaching to support teachers through the transition.
Community School District 6 in Washington Heights-Inwood partnered with Teaching Matters to meet that challenge. Together, they built a layered, co-created system for improvement that supported educators at every level of the organization, from the superintendent’s office to the classroom.
The Results
- D6 students gained 8.3 percentage points in ELA proficiency in a single year, rising from 40.4% to 48.7% of grades 3–5 students scoring proficient or above on the state assessment (Source: NYC DOE InfoHub, 2024–2025)
- Districts where Teaching Matters provided support demonstrated the highest NYC Reads outcomes among all supported districts citywide
- Teachers demonstrated measurable gains in unit unpacking, student progress monitoring, and curriculum-aligned assessment.
What Made It Work
The D6 partnership was built on four principles that set it apart from typical coaching engagements: genuine co-creation between Teaching Matters and district staff; a shift from compliance-based fidelity to teacher-led integrity; real-time responsiveness when the district raised concerns; and alignment at every level of the organization — from the superintendent’s office to individual classrooms.
Inside The Case Study
The case study explores:
- The context behind District 6’s NYC Reads implementation.
- How Teaching Matters and District 6 designed and delivered systemwide coaching.
- What coaching looked like in practice across schools.
- The partnership strategies that supported successful implementation.
- The instructional and student outcomes that followed.
- Key lessons for district leaders implementing high-quality instructional materials.
What Teaching Matters and our collaboration did is we brought coaching out of the silo — so that everybody kept rising.
-Renzo Martinez, Superintendent, District 6