Measuring the Transformational Impact of Coaching with Kyle Craighead & Joshua Childs

What if the most powerful thing a coach does never shows up in a box score?

Every athletic department tracks wins and losses. Many track all-state selections, district championships, and tournament appearances.

But the metrics that often matter most — the ones tied to connection, resilience, attendance, joy, accountability, academic growth, and long-term student development — have largely gone unmeasured.

Until now.

In this episode of The Athletics of Business Podcast, Ed Molitor is joined by Kyle Craighead and Joshua Childs to talk about the transformational impact coaches have on student athletes and how data is finally helping bring that impact to light.

Their work gives coaches, athletic directors, and school leaders a way to measure what many have always felt but have not always been able to prove: great coaching reaches far beyond wins, championships, and the scoreboard.

Kyle and Joshua unpack how the Coaching Effects Survey helps uncover the hidden metrics of coaching, why fun is one of the most overlooked indicators of student engagement, and what the data reveals about the coaches who challenge athletes most effectively.

The answer may surprise you.

It is not simply the toughest coaches who create the most growth. It is the ones who connect first, build trust, create structure, and then challenge their athletes from a place of care.

The conversation also explores one of the biggest issues facing youth sports today: the risk of pricing out and excluding the very kids who could benefit most from having a great coach in their lives.

Kyle and Joshua make a powerful case that athletics should not be viewed as an extracurricular activity. It is a co-curricular experience that plays a critical role in shaping young people, building life skills, and keeping students connected to school, community, and purpose.

This is a conversation about coaching, culture, data, and what it really means to measure success.

Because the true impact of a coach is not always found in the final score.

Sometimes, it is found in who a student becomes because someone believed in them, challenged them, and helped them see what was possible.

 

OUR GUESTS

Kyle Craighead is the President & Chief Product Officer for EverRise. With over 15 years of experience in public education as a teacher, coach, athletic director, school administrator, and district administrator, he has had the opportunity to serve various grade bands and demographics in the K-12 setting.

Kyle has now brought his school-system experience to EverRise the last three years to measure the importance and effectiveness of key relationships, such as teachers with students, coaches with athletes, and administrators with teachers. 

He has studied the effects of interim assessments and modifying instructional practices that lead to improved outcomes on summative assessments. Kyle is an adjunct professor at Lipscomb University, teaching classes on Strategic Change, Instructional Leadership, Coaching for Change, and Collaborative Leadership in Schools. Kyle is dedicated to improving the educational and athletic experiences of students, student-athletes, teachers, coaches, and all educational leaders. 

Joshua Childs is the Senior Advisor of Research and Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at The University of Texas at Austin. His research examines the role of inter-organizational networks and cross-sector collaborations to address complex educational issues. 

He also investigates collaborative approaches involving organizations (local, state, and national) that have the potential to improve academic achievement and opportunities for students in urban and rural schools.

 

This includes ways to improve student engagement and attendance in school, interscholastic athletics, and expanding educational opportunities through concentrated policy design and implementation. Joshua is a Co-PI (Principal Investigator) of the Expanding Computing Education Pathways Alliance, a consortium of 30 states focused on broadening participation in computer science.

A former Division I athlete, Joshua graduated from Plano West High School (TX). 

 

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why the most meaningful impact of coaching often goes unmeasured

• How student-athlete feedback reveals what coaches truly make possible

• The six pillars that shape trust, growth, connection, and performance

• Why connection and psychological safety must come before challenge

• How great coaches create accountability without fear

• The overlooked role fun plays in athlete engagement and development

• How data can strengthen coaching without becoming punitive

• Why athletics should be viewed as a co-curricular part of education

• How coaches can help reduce absenteeism and improve student outcomes

• Why mentorship may be the most valuable outcome sports provide

RESOURCES & LINKS 

Kyle Craighead & Joshua Childs

• Website - EverRise

• LinkedIn - Kyle Craighead

• LinkedIn - Joshua Childs

 

Ed Molitor

• LinkedIn - Ed Molitor

• Website - coeffex.com

• YouTube Channel - The Athletics of Business

 

Timestamps

 

• [00:00] Dynamic Intro

• [01:40] Welcoming Kyle Craighead & Joshua Childs

• [02:17] EverRise’s mission and measuring real coach impact

• [03:52] The Coaching Effects Survey explained

• [07:50] The six pillars: Connection, psychological safety, structure, communication, skill development, and challenge

• [10:35] Thought experiment: The coaches who impacted your life

• [13:30] Kyle’s journey using these tools as an administrator

• [18:12] Powerful story of a football coach’s emotional response to his data

• [24:36] How connection leads to better challenge and resilience

• [31:28] How data drives daily habits and continuous improvement

• [35:54] Speaking the language of decision-makers with data

• [43:40] Joshua’s journey and passion for expanding access to sports

• [48:22] Where to learn more about EverRise

• [55:50] Final thoughts and call to action