Instructional coordinators held about 181,600 jobs in 2018. The largest employers of instructional coordinators were as follows:
| Elementary and secondary schools; state, local, and private | 42% |
| Colleges, universities, and professional schools; state, local, and private | 18 |
| Government | 7 |
| Educational support services; state, local, and private | 6 |
Most instructional coordinators work in elementary and secondary schools, colleges, professional schools, or educational support services or for state and local governments. They typically work year round.
Work Schedules
Instructional coordinators generally work full time. They typically work year round and do not have summer breaks. Coordinators may meet with teachers and other administrators outside of classroom hours.
Instructional coordinators need a master’s degree and related work experience, such as teaching or in school administration. Coordinators in public schools may be required to have a state-issued license.
Education
Instructional coordinators in public schools are required to have a master’s degree in education or curriculum and instruction. Some instructional coordinators need a degree in a specialized field, such as math or history.
Master’s degree programs in curriculum and instruction teach about curriculum design, instructional theory, and collecting and analyzing data. To enter these programs, candidates usually need a bachelor’s degree in education.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Instructional coordinators in public schools may be required to have a license, such as a teaching license or an education administrator license. For information about teaching licenses, see the profiles on kindergarten and elementary school teachers, middle school teachers, and high school teachers. For information about education administrator licenses, see the profile on elementary, middle, and high school principals. Check with your state’s Board of Education for specific license requirements.
Work Experience in a Related Occupation
Most instructional coordinators need several years of related work experience as a teacher or an instructional leader. For some positions, experience teaching a specific subject or grade level is required.
Advancement
With enough experience and more education, instructional coordinators may become superintendents.
Instructional coordinators typically have an interest in the Thinking, Helping and Persuading interest areas, according to the Holland Code framework. The Thinking interest area indicates a focus on researching, investigating, and increasing the understanding of natural laws. The Helping interest area indicates a focus on assisting, serving, counseling, or teaching other people. The Persuading interest area indicates a focus on influencing, motivating, and selling to other people.
If you are not sure whether you have a Thinking or Helping or Organizing interest which might fit with a career as an instructional coordinator, you can take a career test to measure your interests.
Instructional coordinators should also possess the following specific qualities:
Analytical skills. Instructional coordinators examine student test data and evaluate teaching strategies. They analyze the information to recommend improvements in curriculum and teaching.
Communication skills. Instructional coordinators need to explain changes in the curriculum and teaching standards to teachers, principals, and school staff.
Decision-making skills. Instructional coordinators must be able to make sound decisions when recommending changes to curricula, teaching methods, and textbooks.
Interpersonal skills. Working with teachers, principals, and other administrators is an important part of instructional coordinators’ jobs. They need to be able to establish and maintain positive working relationships with others.
Leadership skills. Instructional coordinators serve as mentors to teachers. They train teachers in developing useful and effective teaching techniques.
The median annual wage for instructional coordinators was $66,290 in May 2019. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $38,260, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $103,790.
In May 2019, the median annual wages for instructional coordinators in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
| Government | $76,270 |
| Elementary and secondary schools; state, local, and private | 70,690 |
| Educational support services; state, local, and private | 67,580 |
| Colleges, universities, and professional schools; state, local, and private | 60,910 |
Instructional coordinators generally work full time. They typically work year round and do not have summer breaks. Coordinators may meet with teachers and other administrators outside of classroom hours.
Employment of instructional coordinators is projected to grow 6 percent from 2018 to 2028, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
States and school districts will continue to be held accountable for test scores and graduation rates, putting more of an emphasis on student achievement data. Schools may increasingly turn to instructional coordinators to develop better curriculums and improve teachers’ effectiveness. The training that instructional coordinators provide for teachers in curriculum changes and teaching techniques should help schools meet their standards in student achievement. As schools seek additional training for teachers, demand for instructional coordinators is projected to grow.
However, many instructional coordinators are employed by state and local governments. Therefore, employment growth will depend largely on state and local government budgets.
Job Prospects
Instructional coordinators with a solid teaching background and leadership experience should have the best job prospects.
For more information about instructional coordinators, visit
ASCD (formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development)