If you had a chance to read some of my latest posts, hopefully you’ve noticed that Insight looks at educator evaluation a bit differently.
We’ve been working with schools and districts for over 14 years, and have certainly met many great educators and seen some amazing things happening in that time. But we’ve also seen a lot of opportunity for change and improvement – especially with evaluations.
Unfortunately, a lot of systems used in schools today are not much more than an act compliance. And we all know that they often discourage, frustrate and unnerve teachers.
An evaluation shouldn’t be about just getting it done, though. It should be about getting something out of it.
That is why Insight is set on helping districts and schools implement evaluation systems that support teachers and strengthen skills – and why you’ll hear all of us talking about this idea of growth vs. “gotcha” so much.
There are so many opportunities for growth in observations and evaluations, once the “gotcha” is gone. Here are just three things that can happen:
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Observations spark open and honest communication between instructional leaders and teachers - feedback is applied directly to practice.
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Data is used to accurately gauge teachers’ current abilities and track growth over time.
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Professional development is targeted, relevant and actionable.
It’s our goal to see all educator evaluations become systems of growth, but there’s certainly far more to this conversation. Keep an eye out for our next posts and pieces that shed some light on ways district and school leaders can start to make the necessary changes – and how to get rid of the “gotcha" for good.
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