It is more than halfway through the school year…testing is in full swing…there appear to be more IEPs on your calendar than days left in the school year…completing summative evaluation conferences and final evaluation reports is looming large…and I am supposed to have time to get into classrooms? If you can relate to this sentiment, you are not alone. This is a very busy time of year and the last day of school is fast approaching. Why start now? This can be an ideal time to get out of your office and explore some best practices for conducting daily classroom Continue Reading
Classroom Visits
Part Four of Building a Learning-Focused Culture in Four Parts: Evaluating Progress
For those of you playing along at home…it has been two years since I published part three of this series. The lesson for me has been “better late than never.” Instead of being highly critical of my failure to complete this series in a timely manner, I chose to focus on the fact that I am finishing this series at this time and will continue to add content to this website. Perhaps you have not made the progress you had hoped to regularly visit classrooms or maybe this is now part of your daily practice, but you have not had Continue Reading
Impactful Administrator Classroom Walk-Throughs: How I Got Started
After 15 years of experience in public high schools, I had my first opportunity to serve in an elementary setting as an assistant principal. I had an uphill battle convincing the teachers that I had credibility, especially coming with no experience in their world. I was in classrooms often in the first semester, trying to learn as much as I could as quickly as I could about K-5 curriculum and instruction. Using the Right Tools I attended a fantastic workshop on summative and formative teacher evaluation that gave me many great ideas about how to conduct short classroom visits. These visits Continue Reading
Part Three of Building a Learning-Focused Culture in Four Parts: One Classroom at a Time
If you have been following along with the first two parts of this series, you learned in Part 1 what a learning-focused culture can be and what it is not. In Part 2, you were asked to record your informal classroom observations and follow up teacher conversations. You likely have every intention of getting into classrooms as often as you are able. However, it is far too easy to get caught up in the daily managerial tasks as they are many and typically urgent (at least in someone’s estimation). Three Dimensions to Success Building a Successful Practice The key to Continue Reading
Part Two of Building a Learning-Focused Culture in Four Parts: Taking Stock
There is no time like the present (NO exaggeration!) to be in classrooms. Your presence and interest in what teachers and students are experiencing is the best way to show them your support. Developing a practice that focuses on instruction will greatly increase the return on your investment of time and impact the learning-focused culture at your school. Read on to find out more… In the last post: Part One of Building a Learning-Focused Culture in Four Parts: Defining It, we looked at defining what it is and is not. Now it’s time to take inventory…literally, by counting the number of Continue Reading
School Administrators: Not Sure What To Focus On Once You Get Into Classrooms? Try This!
If you have been following along at home, this is the third in a series of four articles about teacher supervision and evaluation practices. We looked at how the teacher contract impacts teacher evaluation (Is Your District’s Teacher Evaluation System Stopping You From Being An Effective Instructional Leader) and how you as the site administrator implement the system (Teacher Supervision and Evaluation: How I Got Better). If you have not already done so, there are two research-based surveys you can take to get a feeling for where both the district and your own personal practice are on the continuum that Continue Reading
School Administrators: Increase the Impact of Your Virtual Classroom Visits
I am going to admit something that you need to know…I have not supervised teachers in a virtual environment. I recognize and honor the incredibly difficult work you are engaged in right now. I do not take for granted that you are truly doing the best you can to support EVERYTHING AND EVERYBODY at your school. Experience I Do Have I do support administrators who are currently supervising teachers in a virtual environment and have noticed that while there are marked differences in how you get into classrooms, what you do before, during and after has not changed. In fact, Continue Reading
How School Administrators Build Learning-Focused Relationships Using Classroom Walk-Throughs
What is a walk-through? It depends on the school culture. It could be a 5-10 minutes, scheduled or unscheduled, informal observation. It is more intentional than a classroom visit, which can be more interactive and casual. A walk-through has a particular focus, usually grounded in a particular standard of practice. What is the value of a walk-through? Your presence in the classroom has great value to the students, teacher, and you as the instructional leader. In the beginning, you are establishing a routine of being present and getting a sense of the classroom climate and culture. You are communicating your Continue Reading