Best Practices for Teacher Evaluations

This performance review season, let's do away with "Start, stop, continue." It's insulting and passive-aggressive on many levels. You know what you MEAN to say, but here's what others hear at each stage: Start - I waited all year to say that you should start doing these good things, which you currently don't do. Stop - Again, I waited all year to tell you to stop doing these things you do now. Continue - You're not a complete idiot. To make you feel better, here are a few things you actually got right. I'll save this part for last. Instead, focus on these more constructive areas: 1️⃣ Don't save it up. Deliver feedback in real time throughout the year. 2️⃣ Give examples. Provide specific anecdotes and share what you'd like to see done differently. 3️⃣ Be actionable. If someone knew how to address their opportunities, they'd have already done it. How do you help them make improvements? 4️⃣ Show support. Your role isn't just to critique — it's to coach. Ask how you can help them grow and reach their goals. 5️⃣ Celebrate growth. Recognize progress and the effort behind it, not just the results. This performance review season let's elevate how we develop and support our teams. What are your go-to feedback strategies? Drop them below! 👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾

Are you worried that the feedback you’re giving might be hitting a little too hard? If you’re feeling that way, it might be true!   Here are some tips to help your feedback land better:  1️⃣ Be Specific; Provide Concrete Examples:     ↳ Focus on specific circumstances or outcomes instead of giving general feedback or vague directives (e.g., statements like “do better” or “try harder” don’t help).  2️⃣ Focus on Behavior, Not the Person: ↳ Use “I” statements, not “you” statements. For example, say, “I observed X action,” instead of “You always.”   ↳ Remember, it’s the behavior you’re addressing, not the whole person.  3️⃣ Use the “Feedback Sandwich” Sparingly:    ↳ Share areas for improvement, but don’t dilute your message by sandwiching it too much. Deliver constructive feedback separately for maximum impact.  4️⃣ Real-Time, In-the-Moment Feedback Is KING: ↳ The sooner you address behavior, the better.   ↳ Waiting too long to provide feedback can be counterproductive.  5️⃣ Ask How They Feel Things Are Going: ↳ Start with a question like, “How do you feel that went?” to encourage dialogue.   ↳ Self-awareness is key to changing behavior—if someone doesn’t know there’s an issue, they can’t address it.  6️⃣ Give Tangible Suggestions for Improvement: ↳ Follow up constructive feedback with one or two actionable suggestions for improvement.   ↳ Ensure they understand why the change is important and how it benefits them.  7️⃣ Inspect What You Expect: ↳ Set a time to check in or schedule a follow-up conversation.   ↳ Track improvement and offer additional guidance as needed.   ↳ Don’t forget to praise good behavior—change is hard, and positive reinforcement helps!  📌 Effective feedback can transform performance, relationships, and results. Often, those who push us the hardest are the ones who help us grow the most.  P.S. - Enjoyed reading this? Repost ♻️ it and follow me (Frederick Churbuck) for more insightful content. #feedback #sales #teams #leader #linkedin

One of the biggest time wasters in schools this time of year? The evaluation process.   Don't get me wrong. Clear performance evaluation is critical in any industry, especially one as vital as K-12 education.   So many schools get this so wrong. For example, many districts use the Danielson rubric to evaluation teaching. On the NY state website, there is a link to a 42-page Danielson rubric. Forty. Two. Pages. On page 42, the rubric included the instruction to evaluate whether "students create materials for Back-to-School Night that outline the approach for learning science."   Seriously?   The problem is that these 42-page rubrics and full-period observations and hours writing up the reports don't do anything to improve teacher practice. They make good leaders do unnecessary work, and they allow ineffective leaders to hide behind a seriously flawed process.   What's the alternative?   I coach school leaders to support teachers using a simple, 4-page rubric that answers the following questions: 1) Classroom Environment: Do the expectations and relationships create the conditions for powerful learning? 2) Rigor: Are students engaged in content aligned to grade-level standards? Is the teacher intellectually prepared to focus on the meat of the lesson?  3) Feedback: Do students know what high-quality work looks like? Does the teacher affirm and challenge students to produce top-quality work?    4) Thinking: Are students doing the heavy lifting? Are teachers holding all students accountable to do the heavy lifting?    Teachers are observed frequently with a weekly coaching meeting that supports them based on this simple rubric.   Then, at evaluation time, instead of dog-and-pony shows with Byzantine rubrics and leaders holed up in their offices writing long reports and hosting tiresome evaluation reviews, leaders simply replace a regular coaching meeting with a mid-year and end-of-year evaluation that is simple and effective:   Are you on track to meeting your goals? Why/why not? Based on our four key teaching questions, where are you consistently meeting the mark? Where is your top area for growth? What would a plan of support for that area look like?   The evaluation takes the leader less than 30 minutes to write up and less than 30 minutes to do with the teacher and has 100X the impact of long evaluation processes.    

One of my biggest learnings from leading summer professional development for teachers? If you want a culture of feedback, you have to intentionally do so. The first step is to have short and sweet surveys (daily for summer PD, weekly thereafter). Most leaders do this. But to ensure the survey truly builds a culture of feedback and continuous improvement, I've learned three things: ✅ Ask focused questions. Simply, we get the data that we ask for. Ask both about the content and the general format of PD. For content, a few questions can be: What is one practice you are excited to try?; What is one thing you remain unclear on? What is one thing you know you will need further support on? For format, a simple Keep-Start-Stop can be super helpful. ✅ Review the data with your leadership team- This will allow you to process the feedback, add any additional color based on observations, and design a game plan. This can include differentiating groups, shifting a summer PD schedule or changing up future case studies and role plays to better address where the team is at. During the year, it will help you focus your observations. ✅ Respond to the feedback-It's not enough to make changes to the day based on the feedback. If you are giving people surveys, you must discuss the trends you saw and address these so that folks know they are being heard. Articulate how you are shifting things or if you can't, address where concerns or confusions will be addressed. When folks hear how their feedback is being heard they are more likely to be honest in the future. For concerns or feedback that only 1 or 2 folks have? Follow up individually. The time invested early on will pay dividends later. I know these tips don't only apply to school leaders, though Summer PD is definitely top of my mind. What are your tips and 1% solutions in building a culture of feedback and continuous improvement?

In almost every school I've ever visited, the issue isn't the teachers. It's not the leaders. And it's definitely not the kids. But here's the reality in too many schools: inconsistent instruction, stagnant student achievement, frustrated teachers, and overwhelmed leaders. That story was no different in a network of 7 schools we've been working with this year. But it's not the story now. Let me share what we did, not because I think it's magic, but because I think anyone can do it. Here's what we did: 1. Defined the vision for every block of the day: We mapped out what excellence looked like in every key instructional block: - What should an effective reading lesson look like? - What are non-negotiables in math instruction? - How do we leverage history to build background knowledge? - How does science become high rigor and high engagement? - What does student engagement actually look like, sound like, and feel like when we walk into any space in the school? That level of clarity removed guesswork for teachers and gave leaders a shared framework for observations. 2. Every teacher was coached, every week. - Short, focused observations (15-20 minutes, not full-period evaluations) - Immediate, actionable feedback on one key lever, not a laundry list of suggestions - Weekly one-on-one coaching meetings held sacred 3. Set weekly goals to measure progress: Instead of waiting for benchmark assessments, we built simple, weekly indicators of progress: - Are students engaged in learning in every block of the day? - Are students getting plenty of time to independently practice? - Are math exit tickets showing mastery of the lesson objective? - Are teachers implementing feedback from the last coaching session? Small wins led to big momentum. A narrow focus helped teachers and leaders stop feeling like they were doing the most and not seeing any progress. 4. Action planning based on data: No more “data meetings” that were just numbers on a slide. - We reviewed student work together, identified breakdowns, and built immediate next steps. - Teachers left each meeting with a plan they could apply the next day, not vague goals for next quarter. The results: Student proficiency increased by double digits in both reading and math benchmarks within one year. Teachers felt more supported and reported higher confidence in their instruction. Leaders shifted from putting out fires to proactively coaching and driving instructional improvement. If your school or network is struggling with initiative overload, the answer isn’t more programs. It’s more clarity. And the discipline to do some simple things really, really well.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧, 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤. A coach reached out to me for some extra support because she did not pass her coach-training program’s final evaluation. This is a common “niche” that I tend to support, especially when the coach-training program’s support for folks who don’t pass on the first time is quite poor. I asked this coach to send me a copy of what the official evaluator had written. This gives me a starting point to understand her areas of strength and development, at least from one person’s perspective. I was shocked to see that this coach received a feedback form with one (1) area of strength and seven (7) areas for improvement. It is a common and appropriate practice to write 2-3 areas of strength, and 1-3 areas of growth or development per evaluation. This approach is balanced and allows the coach to see their strengths while recognizing what areas need some improvement. In addition, writing feedback needs to include specific examples of why something is a strength and why something needs further development. “I love this” or “this was so great” is not feedback – it’s superficial cheerleading. I felt discouraged reading the assessor’s comments, and it wasn’t even my evaluation. Only one sentence was written as a strength: “Coach established the coaching agreement.” Between three to five sentences were included for each area of development. In other words, the coach received a superficial “you did a good job” comment and seven “there are detailed things you did wrong” comments. Folks, this just doesn’t work. This is not how anyone should give feedback. It is unbelievably discouraging, no matter how much “thick skin” a coach says they have. If you are an evaluator or assessor for a coach training program, or give written feedback to coaches (or any human) in general, please be sure you provide balanced, objective, and evidence-based feedback. A ratio of 1:7 is ugly and reflects a very lazy approach. If you own or lead a coach training program, please offer your assessors appropriate training (and maybe occasional spot-checking) so they don’t crush the spirits of coaches who want to learn and improve. I wish I could say this is a one-off instance I just heard about, but it happens a little too often. Photo from Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash.

HOW PRINCIPALS CAN PROVIDE TARGETED FEEDBACK TO TEACHERS: Actionable. Instead of several suggestions, offer one or two pieces of specific feedback that the teacher can implement immediately. Evidence-based. Instead of general statements like “Great job!” provide descriptive and specific observations based on what the teacher is saying and doing and what the students are saying and doing. Part of a larger context. Develop a system within the school where teachers receive a variety of different support. Feedback should be part of a larger context where teachers decide upon an area of focus, and the principal and teacher together engage in a cycle of learning based on this focus.

'Tis the season for performance reviews—a process that sparks mixed emotions. Love them or dread them, one thing is clear: when done right, performance reviews can be a powerful tool for growth. Yet, only 14% of employees strongly agree that reviews inspire them to improve (Gallup). Why? Too often, they’re rushed, vague, or disconnected from ongoing conversations. To close this gap, reviews need to be thoughtful, actionable, and rooted in trust—not just another box to check. Let’s be real: a performance review should never be the first time an employee hears feedback. It’s an opportunity to reflect, refine, and plan—grounded in a year-long dialogue. Here are some best practices and common pitfalls to keep in mind when conducting performance reviews: ✳️Best Practices✳️ 1. Set Expectations Early and Often➡️Employees should know how they’ll be evaluated long before the review. Clear and regular communication about goals and expectations reduces anxiety and keeps everyone aligned. 2. Incorporate Self-Reflection➡️Encourage employees to assess their own performance. This not only fosters accountability but also reveals blind spots and aligns their perspective with yours. 3. Use Data and Multiple Perspectives➡️A fair evaluation relies on more than just personal opinions. Include metrics, peer feedback, and other sources for a well-rounded and unbiased review. 4. Focus on Growth and Action➡️While reflecting on past performance is important, the emphasis should be on future goals, skill development, and actionable next steps. 5. Make It a Dialogue➡️Effective reviews are two-way conversations. Actively listen, ask questions, and collaborate on plans that are meaningful and motivating for both parties. 6. Follow Through➡️A review without follow-up is a missed opportunity. Document key takeaways, set clear next steps, and schedule regular check-ins to track progress. ✳️Common Pitfalls✳️ ◾Surprise Feedback➡️Feedback should be given throughout the year—not saved for the review. Continuous feedback prevents surprises and builds trust. ◾Generic or Vague Comments➡️Statements like “Good job” or “Needs improvement” lack clarity. Tie feedback to specific examples and measurable outcomes. ◾Focusing Only on Weaknesses➡️Overemphasizing negatives can demoralize employees. Balance feedback by recognizing strengths and contributions. ◾Rushing the Process➡️Take the time to prepare and engage meaningfully. ◾Lack of Follow-Up ➡️Without accountability and investment, goals lose their impact. Schedule regular check-ins to evaluate progress and keep momentum going. When done effectively, performance reviews can drive clarity, alignment, and meaningful growth—not just for individuals but for teams and organizations as a whole. 🎤 What’s your take on performance reviews? What best practice or pitfall would you add?

The 3-Minute Secret to Better Teaching Cards on the table: I believe the traditional “Visit the classroom with a formal evaluation instrument for the whole period and discuss the strengths and weaknesses in a follow up meeting” is neither a realistic nor helpful way to improve teaching. It requires too much time. Multiply that process out with the # of teachers, twice a year, and I think it’s too much for admin to do with everything else on their plate. Further, if teachers are candid about what they’ve “learned” through this process, they’ll say, ruefully, “not much.” When the principal enters a classroom, it’s no longer a “normal” class. Everything becomes theater. My favorite example: I once knew a teacher who worked in the local public school, who told me her secret to excellent evals: “I tell my kids the principal is coming tomorrow. When I ask you a question, raise your right hand if you know the answer, and raise your left hand if you don’t.” “I get excellent marks for engagement and student understanding,” she said, smiling. I also believe the classroom visit eval method over-simplifies teaching. Effective teaching isn’t simply good delivery technique and classroom management. It requires the thoughtful sequence of what is covered, and what isn’t. It involves testing, the level of thinking required, the timeliness and quality of a teacher’s feedback, and how that teacher helps the student integrate that feedback into his or her future work. It involves relationships. It involves how a teacher helps kids who are struggling, the effectiveness of their communication with students and parents, the accuracy of their assessment of student progress and a host of other variables. What do I recommend as an alternative? I am a big believer in frequent 3 minute classroom visits. I will schedule these at random times, usually twice a week. I make particular note of things to praise the teacher for, and send a follow up email. Frequent snapshots of classrooms over time give a much better window. But I also believe in what has been called an “anthropological” approach: evaluating teacher effectiveness through the products of their work. -So I pay attention to syllabi, required of every class. -I run grade distributions per teacher after every report card, which tells me a lot. -i ask that teachers turn in their final exams. -I check grade books for the # and timeliness of graded assignments. -Standardized test scores allow us to track year by year growth in subject areas. -Of course, when teachers are ineffective, we often get emails from unhappy parents, and I pay attention to recurring themes. -i notice which teachers come to ball games, concerts, and other events. There’s a lot to consider! “Principals don’t really know what is going on,” teachers are inclined to think. But the truth is, if principals are committed to an anthropological approach and the 3 minute visits, they are flooded with information!