I've worked in education for almost a quarter of a century. Unfortunately, I spent more than half of my years as an instructional coach focusing on the wrong things. I'm going to take you through four mistakes that are common even among the best instructional leaders. As basketball player and coach John Wooden said, "If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything." Mistakes are not a sign of weakness or poor leadership. If you're making them, that only means you are brave enough to try.
Mistake #1: Focusing on Student Outcomes
We often focus too much on the wrong measurement: student performance data. We create our school improvement plans, drill down to identify where the gaps are, and track student progress.
Though student performance is also influenced by outside factors, including students' experiences away from school, classroom teaching is what we have control over. So, why are we focusing solely on the outcome when we could be measuring instructional practices (the process) on a consistent basis?
When focusing on the outcome, a teacher might think, Johnny's parents are separated right now, and he's not handling it well, so he failed his test. When we focus on the process, coaches and teachers can shift the mindset: Johnny's going through a rough time at home. It's affecting him at school. What could we do differently to support his emotional state before, during, and after this test he needs to take? These conversations lead to solutions, such as building in time for purposeful encouragement and feedback for Johnny, breaks throughout his test, or rescheduling the test for a different day.
To help teachers shift from the first thought pattern to the second, we need to
- Validate: You're right. Johnny didn't do very well;
- Empathize: That stinks. My heart hurts for him; and
- Be curious: Next time he's feeling down about the separation I wonder if he'd benefit from breaks throughout the test? He'll need encouragement. Do you think it would be a possibility to reschedule the test?
No matter the circumstance, reflection and brainstorming with coaches about challenges to disappointing outcomes can be the catalyst for solutions.
Mistake #2: Staying Out of the Teachers' Way
You might have heard an administrator say, "That teacher is fantastic! I let her do her thing and stay out of the way." However, nearly 10 years ago, I learned about the Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule: 20 percent of actions bring in 80 percent of the results. Though this 80/20 rule is a generalization, every school does have peak performers in specific areas.
In my experience, what strong teachers aren't used to is receiving feedback from their coaches and supervisors about how what they're doing well relates to student learning. If we want to foster a climate of continual growth and make sure even the best educators reflect and make improvements, instructional leaders' job is to intentionally unpack feedback for them, too.
We can give intentional feedback on strong instructional practices, which zeros in on one targeted strategy using a "When-Then" format. The "when" is the instructional practice you observed and the "then" is the impact it will have on student learning, such as When you asked your students to think-pair-share, (then) they were able to process the information by hearing other ideas and by retelling their own ideas. Great work!
Some teachers may excel at building relationships with students; another's strength may be math instruction. The "20 percent of peak performance" ebbs and flows throughout the day for different teachers depending on content and activity. We shouldn't overlook time with those teachers who appear most effective.
Mistake #3: Staying Busy
Instructional leaders' days are typically a reflection of others' needs. We rarely have the luxury of working through a to-do list in a linear fashion. I became a principal in part because I love the organized chaos that a building can offer.
But busyness doesn't equate to productivity. Helping in the cafeteria and answering the office phone has a time and a place but shouldn't be how we function every single day.
What's essential is to deeply analyze every task and determine whether it's a high-leverage or low-leverage activity. When I first started analyzing my days, I was surprised how many low-leverage tasks I took on: meetings, interviews, assemblies, phone calls, building tours, planning, and class coverage. It's not to say these things aren't important. But not all of them are high-leverage tasks, which have a much narrower focus, directly impact the effectiveness of teaching and learning, and take long-term planning: being present in classrooms, providing feedback, and adjusting professional learning based off observed needs. It's about organizing your time and knowing your teachers well so you can identify the best supports.
Build high-leverage tasks into your calendar with a "no excuse" attitude. As Stephen Covey says, "Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important" (Covey, 2004). Planning is key. Every summer, I create a roadmap of tentative dates and topics for our professional learning ahead. Every Sunday, I look at the week's activities. Every evening, I look at what the next day will bring. If you can chunk out a minimum of 90 minutes in your week to provide intentional, strengths-based feedback to at least nine teachers each week, you've reached success. There will be days when low-leverage tasks must come first. Just don't let those things hijack your time and do continue to audit what fills every day.
Mistake #4: Always Seeking Out Ways to Critique
Instructional leaders' brains are wired to find gaps in teaching and learning and see how we can help, spurred by our passion for continued improvement. But critique isn't always helpful.
Say you give kudos to a teacher who introduced a mnemonic strategy, so students could successfully recall order of operations. Because mnemonic devices are stored in a different part of the brain than the mathematical process, students are more likely to remember both. But, say, in the same written feedback, you also suggest incorporating a cooperative learning structure. When you identify a positive and follow it with a suggestion, it invites teachers to think you're looking for something more or different and the positive you originally identified gets lost.
Focusing on remediation and repair is not always the best way to help teachers excel. Instead, according to Marcus Buckingham, the coauthor of the book Nine Lies About Work, catching the great moments has the power to transform our work (Buckingham & Goodall, 2019). A 2009 Gallup poll found that when employees are given primarily positive feedback, 98 percent will be highly engaged in their work, compared to 66 percent when the feedback is somewhat critical.
If you see teachers who are truly struggling or disengaged, that is often due to the environment we create for them, and we need to take full responsibility. DuFour and Marzano share that the instructional leader must influence each individual teacher, who in turn influences student achievement (DuFour & Marzano, 2011).
To see true growth, you must trust that your teachers are all doing the best that they can. When teachers know you expect them to practice new strategies, that you're looking for progress (not perfection), and that you encourage enthusiastic errors, you build trust. Trust is what drives meaningful conversations, collaborations, and true growth.
More on this topic: Why Coaches Need Coaches