Courtney Tate, Ph.D.

Leading From the Middle

Education EN ↓ 5 episodes

Instructional coaching is the heartbeat of school improvement, yet it remains one of the most misunderstood leadership roles in education. Hosted by researcher and leadership coach Dr. Courtney Tate, Leading From the Middle explores the complexity of navigating instructional change without formal authority. This season, we dive deep into the lived experiences of Black Women Instructional Coaches (BWIC) to uncover what it truly means to influence teaching and learning from the center of our school systems.

Author

Courtney Tate, Ph.D.

Episodes

Rewriting the Script: Counterstories and Confident Leadership with Dr. Felecia Tolliver 19.06.2026 38:33

Who writes the script for your leadership journey? In this episode of Leading From the Middle , Dr. Courtney Tate dives into Dimension 1: Identity of the BWIC Framework to explore counterstories —reclaiming our narratives to disrupt dominant, restrictive systemic assumptions. Joining the conversation is Dr. Felecia Tolliver, Director of Educational Support Programs . From classroom teacher to dist...

Leading Through the Lean: Resilience, Resistance, and Reclaiming Your Energy with Dr. Damion Lewis 25.05.2026 36:27

Coaching isn’t just about pedagogy; it’s about people. And where there are people, there is heavy emotional labor. In this episode of Leading From the Middle , Dr. Courtney Tate sits down with leadership expert Dr. Damion Lewis to unpack Dimension 2 of the BWIC Framework: Resilience . Whether your district calls it Social Emotional Learning (SEL), professional life skills, human development, or ch...

Redefining Leadership Identity with Dr. Shanita Anderson 17.04.2026 50:07

"You are there because you are supposed to be. Period. Your expertise is the evidence, and your impact is the receipt." In this episode, Dr. Courtney Tate is joined by her first guest, Dr. Anderson, a former state-level instructional coach, professor, and mentor, to dive into the first dimension of the BWIC Leadership Framework: Identity. In this masterclass conversation, we discuss: The...

The Invisible Leadership of Instructional Coaches 27.03.2026 33:02

In this episode, Dr. Courtney Tate moves beyond the "what" of coaching and dives into the "how" by introducing the BWIC Leadership Framework. If you’ve ever felt like your role was viewed as "extra help" rather than "essential leadership," this conversation is for you. Drawing from her doctoral research on Black Women Instructional Coaches (BWICs), Dr. Tate...

Why Instructional Coaches Matter 20.03.2026 15:31

In this debut episode, Dr. Courtney Tate explores the complex reality of "leading from the middle." Drawing on 18+ years of experience and her research on Black Women Instructional Coaches (BWIC), she explains why the coaching role is so often misunderstood and introduces the BWIC Leadership Framework. Key Highlights: The "Tightrope": Balancing principal goals with teacher real...