Instructional coaching is emerging as a job-embedded professional development tool for schools to utilize in an effort to improve teaching practice and student achievement. Since there is a lack of understanding of the differing roles served by instructional coaches in schools and the functions they perform that influence teacher utilization of best practice procedures in teaching, this study concentrated on giving voice to teachers and administrators regarding their concerns and changes in teaching behavior. By listening to the assertions of educators employed within the schools housing an instructional coach, it is possible to gain an in-depth understanding of how the presence of an instructional coach influences, or does not influence, the efforts or initiatives undertaken by the school and district to positively influence student performance. The intent of this qualitative case study was to examine the roles played by instructional coaches in two schools in the third largest district within the state of Mississippi and how administrators, teachers, and students (the stakeholders) are affected by the presence of instructional coaches within this environment, inclusive of hindrances or problems perceived. Recommendations included: (a) school districts should locate funds to assign an instructional coach to every school, (b) train the principal of the school housing an instructional coach so he understands the roles, exclusions, and possibilities inherent in the position, (c) write a detailed job description for the coaching position and devise a list of tasks the coach is NOT to perform, such as substitute in classes and evaluate teachers, to clarify the expectations for the program and communicate the true mission of the position, (d) make certain through the principal that teachers are aware of the roles to be served within the school by the instructional coach, emphasizing the fact that the coach is not a supervisor and will not serve in an evaluative capacity.