Hailey Couch serves as a District Elementary Instructional Coach for Norman Public Schools in Norman, Oklahoma. With experience as a Kindergarten and 2nd Grade teacher, as well as a former Instructional Coach for the Oklahoma State Department of Education, Hailey is passionate about supporting both educators and students through meaningful coaching, collaboration, and professional learning.
Throughout her career, Hailey has been a strong advocate for early childhood education and instructional excellence. She has served on the Kindergarten Advisory Board and Early Childhood Advisory Committee and played a key role in revising Oklahoma’s kindergarten standards-based report cards to align with updated state academic standards. In 2018, she was honored with the prestigious Milken Educator Award and was also named Teacher of the Year during the same school year.
Hailey co-authored the Oklahoma Play to Learn Act, which was passed in 2021. This legislation empowers educators to incorporate play-based learning experiences that support movement, creative expression, exploration, socialization, reading for pleasure, and dramatic play in the classroom. She continues to advocate for innovative, student-centered practices that foster meaningful learning opportunities for all children.
In addition to her coaching work, Hailey leads the Norman Educator Exchange, a professional development opportunity centered around teachers teaching teachers. This collaborative experience provides educators across the district with opportunities to connect, share ideas, learn from one another, and celebrate innovative practices happening in classrooms across Norman Public Schools.
As a District Instructional Coach, Hailey is committed to continuous improvement and lifelong learning. Through coaching conversations, professional development, and ongoing educator support, she helps teachers strengthen instructional practices, classroom culture, and student achievement. She works alongside both novice and veteran educators to create engaging, supportive learning environments where students and teachers can thrive.
She cares deeply about educator well-being and believes that supporting teachers is essential to student success. She is passionate about creating spaces where educators feel valued, connected, and empowered through collaboration, reflection, and meaningful professional learning. Through her coaching and leadership, Hailey encourages sustainable practices that prioritize balance, wellness, and a positive school culture so both educators and students can thrive.
Hailey earned a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Oklahoma City University and a master’s degree in Educational Administration, Curriculum, and Supervision from The University of Oklahoma. She remains deeply committed to advocating for public education across Oklahoma and hopes to positively impact as many educators and students as possible throughout her career.
When Hailey was in the classroom: Hailey Couch’s kindergarten classroom at Madison Elementary in Norman, Oklahoma, runs like clockwork. Couch’s mastery of classroom management includes predictable routines, clear expectations, smooth transitions, effective lesson planning, and engaging instruction with both small groups and the whole class. She holds high expectations for all her students, including those with special needs, believing that the higher she sets the bar, the harder students will work to reach it. Couch keeps a binder with data on each student to help her differentiate instruction and track growth for every child. She seeks innovative and creative solutions when challenges arise, determined to create the best learning environment for each and every student.
Couch is a leader both at Madison and within Norman Public Schools. She has served on the kindergarten advisory board and early childhood advisory committee. Couch helped to revise the kindergarten report cards, realigning the standards-based report with new state academic standards. She hosts observers from around the district as part of the Fast Track to Classroom Management professional development training, opening her classroom to both new and career teachers to share best practices. She participates on Madison’s Climate Committee, focused on nurturing a positive school climate and creating enrichment activities for students, staff and families. Couch is a facilitator and trainer for Great Expectations, leading presentations and workshops over the summer to help educators develop approaches to improving school culture.
Several years ago, Couch traveled to China for a teacher exchange program with the University of Oklahoma’s Confucius Classroom. When the program sent a teacher to Oklahoma as part of the exchange, Couch welcomed her into the classroom. This was fitting as Madison sits in a neighborhood popular with international students working and studying at the university, and the student body includes many English language learners with up to 13 different native languages. The intern taught the children Chinese language and culture, while Couch schooled the Chinese teacher in American pedagogy and classroom expectations—an exchange that provided vast benefits on both sides.
Press release: By raising the bar for students, kindergarten teacher Hailey Couch earns a $25,000 Milken Educator Award
