Yesterday, one of our principals commented to me that it is evident that positively communicating feedback to staff is making a difference in the effectiveness of Tuesday walk throughs. Not only must the feedback be delivered positively and respectfully, but our feedback must also be timely and specific. These little things are critical components of our walk through process.

As a result of teacher professional development, administrator training and response to teacher feedback about the walk through process, we have made improvements that are leading to better implementation of classroom expectations for excellent instruction in Adams 14. Teachers now recognize that the walk throughs are a quick way to get valuable coaching to improve their classroom instruction. As someone who spends a lot of time in schools and who works with teachers daily, I am excited that we have entered what I would call the next phase of our walk through process. We have measured increases in the use of instructional objectives in our classrooms (see graph), and we are seeing increased student engagement in our classrooms. Thank you for making this commitment.

To me, this is a validation that the work we are doing in Adams 14 is the right work. Within a few short months, we have revolutionized the way we approach quality instruction. Most school districts are only able to talk about true education reform, but we are delivering on our promise to improve quality instruction in Adams 14.

And so it is clear that little things really do matter. By this, I mean that the nuance of quality instruction and effective communication matters. Each attribute of our walk through form might be considered a little thing that improves classroom instruction. We know these things matter. Each time a walk through team enters a classroom, the little things they do to respect the classroom environment and interact with students and staff matter. And every time that a walk through team member provides feedback to a teacher, the little things that govern human interaction and conversation matter. It is critical that our culture of collaboration is built on a foundation of respect and dignity.

As the District reviewed the results of the first walk through survey, we found several opportunities for improving our process.

• Some respondents commented that not every classroom is visited every Tuesday. While we make every effort to walk through each class, the reality is we cannot get to all classrooms every time. Walk through team leaders work with principals to discuss which classrooms were missed in prior walks, and then they try to schedule those classes as a priority to hit in the next week. That’s part of our walk through pre-meeting and debrief protocol.
• Some respondents mentioned that some of the staff conducting the walk throughs were not qualified. While we have not established specific qualifications for walk through team members, we deliberately chose staff who are competent observers of teacher and student behavior and who are comfortable in schools and classrooms. Additionally, we have provided several training sessions for our walk through teams to ensure that we are all on the same page about the walk through elements and attributes. Each walk through team member is invited to the administrator professional learning community to conduct walk throughs in other schools and with other team members. This is how we reach consistency about exactly what we’re looking for in every classroom in Adams 14. Just last week we conducted such walk throughs at Dupont Elementary.
• Some respondents requested that our feedback delivered in a positive and constructive way. We know that we are all capable of human error. It is clear that not every opportunity to engage in dialogue about our work is ideal. In fact, I am certain that feedback hasn’t always been delivered effectively. But here’s the important lesson – we are all in this together, and we are all working through it. As I wrote in the beginning of this message, I know that we are improving the way we provide feedback. In some cases, teachers are so hungry for this feedback that they track down principals and walk through teams in the hallway to get more tips on quality classroom instruction.

District walk through data is showing that classroom instruction is improving. As feedback gets better, and as teachers reach clarity about the expectations, we are seeing fantastic work. Nothing makes me more excited than seeing our students thrive in engaging, dynamic classrooms.

In the spirit of effective collaboration, Adams 14 today launches a second walk through survey to gain more feedback from instructional staff. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey at this link or on our website at www.adams14.org/for-staff.

We are on the road of continuous improvement, and together we are headed in the right direction. Thank you for your commitment to improvement in our schools, and thank you for doing the little things that matter.