November 30, 2016 - Supporting D97 Teachers Through Research for Better Teaching
One of our primary focal points for the next two years is for the administration to provide comprehensive support for all District 97 staff, especially our wonderful teachers. In order to accomplish this goal and achieve the shared vision we co-created with all of our stakeholders, we must make sure our administrators also have the support they need to be successful.
This school year, every administrator, instructional coach, mentor teacher and student support specialist in District 97 has been given the opportunity to take a course called Analyzing Teaching for Student Results. Through this course, our leaders zero in on strategies that support "high expertise teaching" so that we can improve student learning for all our kids. This includes developing a common language and skills for classroom observation we will use to provide teachers with the type of results-oriented feedback that will help them further hone their craft.
The course is offered by Research for Better Teaching (RBT), which is a professional development organization dedicated to improving classroom teaching and school leadership. Founded by Jon Saphier, Ed.D., RBT works to strengthen organizational culture and institutionalize the study of teaching throughout school districts. Our team is learning a great deal and is excited to use its new knowledge and skills to support our teachers. In fact, one of the administrators who is taking the class said, “My shift has gone from being teacher-focused to being more student-focused. I’ve always known this was important, but this course has really underscored how vital this mindset is to the success of our teachers and students. That is why the feedback I am giving now is a lot more focused on what the students are learning as opposed to what the teacher is doing.”