Conventional teacher
feedback and evaluation is
based on a flawed assumption:
that accurate measurement
of teaching is the central goal
of teacher evaluation. I call
this the scoreboard model—
the belief that if we grade
our teachers in a truly comprehensive way, we’ll drive
student learning. Get the score
right, and positive results will
follow.
Leaders like Serena
begin from a very different
assumption, which I call the
coaching model. For Serena,
the core driver of teacher
development is not accurate
© SUSIE FITZHUGH
scoring, but skillful coaching,
working with instructors on
specific concrete actions that
will improve results.
Serena’s in good company.
sharpening our ability to evaluate
teachers has gathered steam lately. In
If the goal of
The best basketball coaches don’t spend
the bulk of their effort parsing the
part, this stems from the work of tal-
ented education experts, who’ve pro-
evaluation is to grow
most accurate way to record a “steal”—
they spend it training players how to
posed what a comprehensive rubric of
improve their footwork so they can great teachers to drive
teaching practice should include. Robert
Marzano and his colleagues focus on
student excellence,
avoid an opposing player stealing the
ball in the first place. The best directors
41 key strategies (Marzano, Frontier, &
Livingston, 2011). Charlotte Danielson
the traditional
don’t spend the majority of their time
debating how Academy Awards votes
(2002) has suggested a framework
for good teaching that encompasses a
whopping 76 criteria. These rubrics and
model has failed.
should be allocated. They spend it
developing actors to produce award-
winning acting. These talent builders
guides mark important steps in deter-
may find scoreboard questions inter-
mining what makes teachers effective in
Moreover, it’s likely that any criteria-
esting, but they realize that with limited
the classroom.
based observation of Michelle would
time and energy, concrete improvement
But is this approach to teacher obser-
occur toward the end of the school year. takes priority over developing a theo-
vation effective? Will a new teacher
With summer approaching, she’d have
retically complete framework of effective
develop more powerfully because of
normed evaluation criteria? It seems
little chance to put any changes into
place until the next school year. And
performance.
Let’s examine three ways leaders like
unlikely. No doubt a comprehensive
she might not know whether she was on Serena practice this coaching model.
rubric would give Michelle an interesting snapshot of her class and her
teaching. But with 30, 40, or even 70
the right track until months later, when
Serena completed the rubric again. If
the goal of evaluation is to grow great
Conduct More Frequent
Observations
areas to consider, how would she know teachers to drive student excellence, the Serena’s evaluation of Michelle wasn’t
where to focus her efforts to improve?
traditional model has failed.
a one-off “day of destiny.” It was part