Last week Paul Dean of Jounce Partners wrote a terrific piece on the value of instructional leadership on Philly.com. Dean reminds us that effective teacher coaching is vital but lacking; the impact of teaching on student achievement is well-documented, but successful teacher preparation and support programs are rare.
Dean explains:
Good teacher development is about technique. It’s about repeatedly practicing the same very specific skills, getting a little better with each repetition, and then putting your own spin on the material only when you’ve become a master.
He cites Relay Graduate School of Education and Match Education’s Sposato School of Education as exemplars of this successful preparation methodology. But what about teachers already in classrooms?
Teacher training that includes frequent feedback and high-repetition practice of tightly defined techniques should not be restricted to graduate schools or summer institutes, though. It should be happening in between classes in principals’ offices, teachers’ lounges, and classrooms after the students have left. There is time for this type of development during the school day, and it does not require additional resources.
Schools that prioritize educator growth find plenty of time for practice, feedback, and collaboration. At TeachBoost, we know this to be true because we work with thousands of educators nationwide who use TeachBoost every day to give authentic, formative feedback to their colleagues. In these schools, teacher evaluation goes beyond mere compliance.
These schools tend to have something in common: dedicated principals who prioritize instructional leadership and support their faculty with regular, constructive feedback ensure that educators will pursue growth.
Dean highlights the integral role of instructional leaders in teacher growth, as he concludes,
To put great teachers in every classroom, we need great school leadership and a new focus for principals – not on the role of administrator and manager that they are used to, but on the role of expert coach. When school leaders and principals see themselves as – and develop themselves into – experts at getting teachers better faster, then on-the-job training will work for teachers. More importantly, it will work for our most vulnerable kids and underserved communities.
We built TeachBoost to give school leaders and educators everywhere the tools to pursue more effective instruction and deeper learning. But the real impact on student achievement emerges from those who use our tools: passionate educators working to refine their craft, and the leaders who support them. We can only hope that more school leaders head Dean’s advice and foster the environments for collaboration and growth that teachers deserve.
