Evaluation, coaching, and PL often run as separate efforts, and the leaders working to connect them keep landing on the same four questions. Here’s a place to start on each, plus details on our November 4 webinar with The Danielson Group and two district leaders.

The final month of school isn’t just about wrapping up—it’s about setting up. District leaders who act now can turn reflection into strategy and momentum into meaningful growth.

Most teachers improve quickly early in their careers—but research shows that growth often levels off, even with continued professional development. In this post, we share key takeaways from Dr. Dan Goldhaber’s conversation on The Best of Us podcast, highlighting what truly drives sustained teacher growth and how district leaders can build systems that support it.

Performance assessment systems have a reputation for being rigid and intimidating, largely because of a focus on compliance over growth. But as the pandemic upended teaching and learning environments, many states have hit the pause button on performance reviews and begun to rethink their role.

Study after study shows that educator quality is the most impactful school-based factor in student outcomes — so how do districts create environments where teachers are professionally fulfilled, directly supported, and continuously growing in their practice?

If you're trying to build a habit among a group of people — like consistently and thoroughly responding to feedback surveys, for example — the trick is to simplify and streamline wherever possible, for both the audience and yourself. Today in our Actionable Data series: running large-scale data projects while respecting your teachers' time — and your own.

Drafting a professional learning plan is a critical step for districts who want to set their teachers up for success. We've gathered resources for making sure your plan is coherent and actionable, including tips from two Missouri district leaders.