Doug Lemov's field notes

Reflections on teaching, literacy, coaching, and practice.

04.23.26 Achievement Up, Referrals Down: What Consistency Made Possible at Gem Prep

Our Consulting & Partnerships team works alongside schools, districts, and foundations to accelerate teacher and leader development and improve student achievement. One example is our four-year partnership with the Bluum Foundation in Idaho to support a collaborative of charter schools. Through that work, we’ve partnered closely with Gem Prep Charter Schools, a growing network serving more…


04.15.26 The Champion Advantage: Get the Same Video Coaching as Michigan’s Dusty May

Recently, TLAC founder Doug Lemov was profiled in The Athletic for his work with Michigan Basketball head coach Dusty May. The article, which appeared just before Michigan won the national championship, described how May had studied video tape of his own teaching with Doug. Dusty sent Doug video of his film sessions with players and the…


06.29.22 Instructional Coaching: Insights from Fran Goodship and Delwar Hussain

As a profession we’ve made a pretty big bet on ‘instructional coaching.’  For good reason. It’s a statement about the importance of teachers–they deserve individualized support and guidance–and our faith in them–if we invest valuable leadership time in them, they will upskill quickly and meaningfully in ways that will result in more student success.. and just…