As school leaders we expect our teachers to be responsive to the needs of their students. We want them to adjust their teaching in order to meet the needs of the students in front of them. We expect them to modify mid lesson when the students are not getting it to adequately support them. We tell them to differentiate and personalize their instruction and assessment to insure success for all.

How then do we as leaders change direction to support our staff who are struggling or not quite getting it? How are we responding to their needs?

Just like with students we need to determine just what it is they need? What are their struggles? How can we create an individualized plan of support?

As school leaders we must work with our staff to create individualized support plans for success, but what does that look like?

First determine the need of the staff and the underlying cause.

We must gather data so that we have observations and information to share and discuss. Data can be gathered in a variety of ways:

Classroom walkthroughs
Lesson Observations
Planning meetings
Conversations
Surveys
Student work samples
Student interviews
Peer feedback
Parent communications
Lesson plans and assessment records

Analyzing information from multiple sources will allow you to determine the overall gaps and trends and to identify specific goals for improvement.

Second, start by assuming positive intentions.

We believe that the staff we have are doing the best that they can and want to improve but there must be a barrier to their success. That barrier can come in many forms: trust, fear, knowledge, pride, personal issues, inexperience, misunderstanding etc. Without sitting down and sharing the information gathered and dialoguing with the person we may make incorrect or even harmful assumptions. In order to move forward in the right direction there must be an open and honest dialogue and shared goals.

When meeting with the staff member it is best to share the facts, information gathered without judgment or bias. Be specific. For example, I noticed during my classroom observation that when calling on students for a response you wait on average 3 seconds for the students to formulate their answer prior to moving to another student to respond. I noticed that several of your EAL learners were provided with a large amount of text and were struggling to follow along with the rest of the class.

When presenting information ask questions for clarification, understanding or reflection. For example, What made you decide to create a summative assessment with 10 equations that needed to be solved? Did you notice that students provided their answers but no explanation, why do you think that is the case? How will you use the data that you gathered from this test? How were you able to determine student thinking and understanding based on their responses? How did you differentiate this assessment for those students who required it?

Allowing teachers to think and respond to these questions provides an opportunity for reflection and for them to identify the issues or challenges we may be observing.

Third, set goals for improvement together.

No one myself included wants to be told what they must do in order to improve. My experience is that most of the time staff know exactly what it is that they are struggling with. Working with them to identify specific and manageable goals allows them to take ownership of the problem. They often have great ideas and strategies that will work for them to address the issues. By working with them and articulating suggestions for improvement they feel that they are part of the solution and that you are able to listen and respond to their needs. Not all solutions are going to work for all staff. Things that may work for you as a leader may not work for your staff members. Knowing your staff, their strengths and their needs will help to create a plan for success.

Finally, create a plan and write it down.

Work with the staff member to create a written plan with identified goals, and strategies for improvement. Set dates and times for regular check-ins as well as a date to come together and review the plan. I often meet weekly with my staff that are struggling. During those meetings we share our observations, ask questions, ask our teachers to self assess and share their progress. We may support a teacher in redesigning or refining a lesson plan, solve a problem of practice, discuss student or parent concerns, provide them with a professional learning resource or give feedback with next steps. Our goal is always improvement through coaching and support. We review and if required revise the plan and agree on the actions for the following week.

Teaching is difficult. There are many factors that affect the success of the teacher in the classroom but there is no doubt in my mind that teachers want to be successful. Sometimes they do not know how to determine where they are struggling or identity steps for improvement. I believe our goal as school leaders is to support all of our teachers to achieve success just as we ask them to support all of their learners to achieve success.

But, what happens when we do support and coach them and they are still struggling?

Stay tuned! We will unpack that in my next blog.