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CAO Cohort Alumni Spotlight: A Conversation with Efrat Kussell, CAO of Explore Schools of Brooklyn
The Chief Academic Officer role comes with unique challenges—balancing strategic vision with day-to-day execution, developing others while managing your own workload, and often feeling isolated in a position where few truly understand the complexity of the work. That’s exactly why Hendy Avenue Consulting created the CAO Cohort: to bring academic leaders together in a community of practice where they can learn from trusted colleagues facing similar challenges.
Hendy sat down with Efrat Kussell, Chief Academic Officer at Explore Schools of Brooklyn, to talk about her experience in the cohort and how it’s shaped her leadership. Efrat’s insights offer a candid look at what makes this professional learning community so valuable—and what prospective participants might miss if they don’t join.
Hendy: Let’s dive into your cohort experience. What was the most unexpected benefit you gained from participating?
The individual coaching and its relationship with the work we did in the cohort sessions were really well dovetailed. I was able to take the learning from the cohort sessions and apply it to our bigger picture organizational thinking during personalized coaching…I was even able to bring my drafted work back to the whole group for feedback and presentation practice.
Additionally, I was able to look at the models of strategic planning from our sessions and think, “That’s cool, that’s interesting—I want to use that,” or “That’s something I could save for future initiatives.” That integration was really powerful.
Hendy: That interplay between individual coaching and group learning sounds really valuable. What’s one strategy, resource, or approach you learned in the cohort that you’re still using today?
Time management, definitely. We did a great module on how CAOs spend their time. Coming into the work of a CAO assumes that you’re really good at managing your calendar—and you have to be because the job has so many technical and systematic elements. You also need to get on the ground, interact with people, present in various contexts… there’s so much personal time management that goes into it.
The cohort gave me exposure to multiple options for how to structure time use. It added structure and helped me ensure that I am always spending my time in service of developing others. Before, I was probably pretty good at making sure everything I did took care of the things that everyone needed, but I wasn’t as intentional around making sure the way I was spending my time was also in service of developing other people. That learning resonated.
Hendy: Is there anything else from the cohort that’s stuck with you?
Yes—messaging. Messaging and re-messaging the same ideas using clarity and simplicity. That’s really taken hold, currently, in the design of training. Our summer trainings were more effective this year because we spent a ton of time on: how is our staff hearing the message? How can we message priorities with clarity and consistency? And does our messaging uplift our organizational values and hallmarks? As a result, our main priorities and our main tactics for achieving those priorities were better woven throughout and connected to the fabric of who we are as an organization
I also think about this in terms of feedback I have gotten around the level of information I share with various stakeholders. As a CAO, one of my responsibilities is to be able to speak the headlines while also keeping track of all the details. Depending on the audience, I need to provide just the right level of detail to tell a compelling story or make a convincing argument. The CAO cohort helped me be more intentional around how to deliver headlines while bringing an audience along with the right details.
Hendy: If you were talking to a CAO who was on the fence about joining, what would you tell them about what they’d be missing if they didn’t participate?
For the time commitment and the cost, it really works. I know when you’re signing up for a year-long commitment on top of your year-long commitment to improving student outcomes, you’re thinking, “How much will this take out of me and is it going to be worth it?”
I feel like it was totally worth it! I came away with several enduring understandings that I can now transfer over to essentially all the work I do—that’s one thing.
I’d also say that Erica and Jon were very skilled facilitators and worked well together. They created a community of practice online very impressively, considering that we didn’t meet each other in person—so shout out to them!
Last but not least, the coaching was, as I mentioned, truly great. It was very unexpected. When I joined the cohort, I knew there were going to be these sessions and we’d be going every month, but I didn’t realize how helpful the coaching would be. The differentiated work products we were sharing afterwards—that was excellent.
Hendy: It sounds like the combination of group learning, individual coaching, and peer feedback created something really powerful.
Absolutely. It’s rare to find a professional learning experience that delivers on all those levels.
Thank you, Efrat, for sharing about your experience in the cohort! We look forward to staying connection and hearing about the great work you’re supporting at Explore Schools!
Ready to join a community of practice that will transform your leadership? Applications for the 2026-27 CAO Cohort will open soon. Connect with Hendy Avenue Consulting by emailing Rachel Modica-Russell (rachelmodicarussell@hendyavenue.com) to learn more and be notified when applications launch.
Interview with Hendy’s Own Erica Murphy: CAO Cohort Facilitator
As we launch another year of our Chief Academic Officer Cohort, we sat down with Hendy consultant and CAO Cohort facilitator Erica Murphy to discuss what makes this professional learning community so impactful for senior academic leaders. Erica brings deep expertise in curriculum, instruction, and leadership development, having previously served as Chief of Curriculum and Instruction at Ascend Public Charter Schools. Her thoughtful approach to facilitation creates the kind of authentic learning environment where CAOs can tackle their biggest challenges alongside trusted colleagues.
Let’s start with the big picture—from your perspective, why is the CAO cohort such a valuable learning community for senior leaders?
The CAO position can be lonely. The opportunity to be in community with other leaders who “get it” and who are facing the same challenges and often doing the same work is invaluable. There’s something powerful about sitting in a room with people who understand the unique pressures and complexities of your role.
That resonates so much. Speaking of what happens in those rooms, what is the session you love most to facilitate, and why?
Strategic planning best processes in January! It’s so important to have good processes and systems to set strategic initiatives in a way that brings people into the process, creates buy-in, and creates clarity for the organization. And starting in January sets people up for success—it’s that perfect timing where you can really think intentionally about the year ahead.
I love that timing aspect. Now, we incorporated coaching into the experience last year—what impact did this have on your approach to facilitation?
It was so helpful to have one-on-one time with individual CAOs to hear how they were thinking about incorporating the strategies and resources from sessions into their own context. Knowing exactly what they were gravitating towards and struggling with helped me plan the whole group sessions in a way that really met their needs. It created this beautiful feedback loop between the individual coaching and our collective learning.
That individualized approach is so valuable. Let me shift gears a bit—can you tell me about the biggest leadership lesson you learned while in the Chief Curriculum and Instruction role at Ascend?
There are any number of good decisions you can make at any different decision point—there is never one right, perfect decision. The important thing is to: one, gather information and stakeholder input; two, consider options; and three, make a decision that you can communicate with compelling rationale. It may be wrong, and that’s okay—you’ll learn from it. But being paralyzed because you want to make the perfect next move doesn’t work, and indecision creates lack of clarity and frustration.
That’s such practical wisdom, especially for leaders who often feel the weight of every decision. As we wrap up, what’s one piece of advice you have for folks in CAO-esque roles?
Get in schools. Get in classrooms. Talk to principals, deans, students. It can be easy to get caught up in the network work, the politics, the paperwork, and so on. But the work is the teaching and learning. What is happening between teachers and students, and is it meaningful? Rigorous? Aligned to goals? Supportive and differentiated for all students? Academically engaging? That’s the most important work.
Perfect advice to end on. Thanks, Erica, for sharing your insights and for the incredible work you do with our cohort members!
Interested in learning more about the Chief Academic Officer Cohort? Reach out to Rachel Modica-Russell (email: rachelmodicarussell@hendyavenue.com) to explore how this professional learning community might support the academic leaders in your network.
Beyond the Checklist: Coaching for Impact Using an Arc of the Year Strategy
Imagine this: a new school year begins, and as a teacher, you’re handed a rubric with 16 different instructional practices, all deemed “essential” for excellence. Your coach then informs you they’ll be observing and coaching you on… well, all of them. Sound familiar? If you’re a coach, teacher, or school leader, you probably recognize the immediate feelings that arise from this scenario: overwhelm, scattered focus, and a sense of “where do I even begin?”
At Hendy Avenue, we recognize a fundamental truth about instructional coaching: you can’t effectively coach (or be coached on) 16 different things at once. It’s simply not sustainable.
Here’s why the “all at once” approach falls short:
- Coach Overwhelm: For coaches, trying to observe, provide feedback, and support growth across a vast array of indicators for every teacher is a recipe for burnout. The coaching becomes superficial, lacking the depth needed for true impact.
- Teacher Overwhelm: Teachers, already juggling countless responsibilities, are left feeling inadequate when faced with a long list of “areas for improvement.” This can lead to frustration and a lack of clear direction.
- Not All Indicators Are Created Equal: Some instructional practices are foundational, forming the bedrock of an effective classroom. Others are more advanced, building upon those initial skills. Treating them all with the same urgency neglects this natural cascade of development.
- Lack of Coherence: When every coach is focusing on different aspects of the rubric, and every teacher is getting varied feedback, the school’s PD efforts become fragmented. It’s incredibly difficult to have aligned PD that truly supports the coaching happening in classrooms if there’s no shared focus. This creates a chaotic environment where teachers receive “random” information rather than a coherent, supportive system.
Enter the “Arc of the Year”: A Strategic Approach to Coaching and PD
To combat this potential overwhelm, we advocate for chunking the Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric and the associated coaching into manageable “arcs” across the school year. This strategy brings focus, coherence, and ultimately, greater impact to your instructional improvement efforts.
The Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric is organized into four domains, each with an essential question and a set of indicators that describe what an effective classroom looks like. Our “Arc of the Year” strategy aligns with these domains to provide a clear pathway for teacher development. The goal for each teacher is to work toward a rating of “Proficiency” or a “Level 3” during each observation on each Indicator.
Here’s how it works:
Arc 1: Building a Strong Foundation (Domain 1: Classroom Culture)
The beginning of the school year is crucial for establishing a predictable, accessible, and joyful learning environment. How you start is how it is. Therefore, Arc 1 is intensely focused on Domain 1: Classroom Culture.
- PD Alignment: Your school-wide professional development should be specifically designed to reinforce strong routines, cultivate joy, and build positive relationships.
- Focused Observations & Feedback: When a coach enters a classroom, their observations and subsequent feedback are laser-focused on these foundational elements. They’re looking specifically at indicators related to predictable routines, high expectations for all, community and relationships, and academic joy.
- Targeted Coaching: Coaching conversations and support are rooted in these Domain 1 indicators. If a coach observes a classroom struggling with transitions, the coaching will center on strategies for smoother routines, and use the Core Teacher Skills from Domain 1 to help.
A critical nuance: if you’re coaching an experienced teacher who has already established a beautiful classroom culture, the coach shouldn’t waste time on what’s already mastered. Instead, the coach should look ahead within the framework and begin to coach that teacher on what they need, even if it falls outside the general Arc 1 focus. This personalized approach is key.
Arc 2: Deepening Instructional Practice (Domain 2: Lesson Content & Implementation)
Once a significant majority of teachers in a school have established a strong classroom culture, it’s time to move on to the design and implementation of instruction. Arc 2 shifts the focus to Domain 2: Lesson Content & Implementation. This domain addresses whether students are engaged with content that is purposeful, rigorous, and differentiated.
- Data-Driven Decisions: This transition is often informed by school-wide data. Are we seeing issues with student engagement in academic tasks? Are students demonstrating deep understanding, or just surface-level recall? This data guides the specific indicators within Domain 2 that will be prioritized.
- Coaching Alignment: During this arc, coaches are focused on things like lesson alignment, pacing, rigor, and differentiation. The goal is to ensure teachers are spending the most time on the most important concepts and that students are engaging in productive struggle with the content. When coaches enter classrooms, their observations and feedback are centered on these indicators. The majority of a teacher’s coaching should be in this arc unless they have a foundational gap in a prior domain.
Arc 3: Centering Student Thinking (Domain 3: Student Thinking)
After a strong foundation in classroom culture and lesson execution is established, the arc shifts to
Domain 3: Student Thinking. This domain asks to what extent students are responsible for the thinking, speaking, writing, and creating in the classroom.
- Coaching Alignment: When coaches observe during this arc, they are focused on the ratio of teacher to student thinking. Key indicators in this arc include questioning, ensuring students are doing the “heavy lifting,” discussion facilitation, and building content expertise in students. A coach will look to see if the teacher is asking questions at a variety of levels and if students are supporting their answers with evidence and explanation. The focus is on ensuring students are the ones doing the intellectual work.
- PD Alignment: School-wide data from coaching helps to inform school-wide PD. If, in Arc 3, many teachers are struggling with facilitating student discussion, then the school might plan a PD focused on techniques for discussion facilitation. The goal is to ensure that PD is aligned and coherent with support in individual coaching.
Arc 4: Responsiveness to Learning (Domain 4: Responsiveness to Learning)
The final arc of the year focuses on Domain 4: Responsiveness to Learning. This domain addresses how teachers use data and feedback to ensure students are learning and to reteach or provide support for more precise understanding.
- Coaching Alignment: This arc is centered on how teachers actively monitor student learning, use data to make instructional decisions, provide intentional feedback, and teach with purpose. Coaches will observe how teachers circulate to evaluate student progress and how they adjust their teaching based on misconceptions. This is about closing the loop of instruction, ensuring that student learning is continuously being assessed and supported.
The “Arc of the Year” is a framework, not a rigid straitjacket. While the general focus shifts, individualized coaching remains paramount. If a teacher’s classroom management significantly deteriorates, a good coach will still address that immediate need, regardless of the current arc. Conversely, if a teacher is excelling in the current arc’s focus, the coach should proactively move to areas where that teacher is ready for more advanced development. By strategically chunking the rubric into these arcs, schools can transform an overwhelming set of indicators into a clear, coherent, and highly effective pathway for teacher growth and student success.
Want support designing an arc of the year strategy for your school or district? Send us an email!
Unlock Teacher Growth with Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric Training
The Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric is more than just a tool for evaluation; it’s a comprehensive framework for professional growth. To ensure schools and districts can effectively leverage this rubric, Hendy provides a range of training and support services tailored to different needs and levels of engagement.
Our trainings can be tailored to your school’s specific needs, and are always a dynamic learning experience for your teachers and leaders. Don’t take our word for it – see below for feedback from Hendy training participants!
I loved all the content and the calibration with the videos and discussion was incredibly helpful. I also LOVE the rubric and am excited to use it!
Director of student services
The first session where we did a deep dive into the rubric was very helpful! We were able to take time to internalize the rubric, understand its purpose and structure, and practiced norming and applying the rubric to different scenarios.
Anonymous
The debrief of the rubric plus the norming and certification tasks were extremely useful and fun!School Dean of Curriculum and Instruction
High School Dean of Curriculum and Instruction
Hendy offers four main types of training and support to help school leaders and teachers master the rubric and integrate it into their daily practice:
- Rubric Training Materials + Train-the-Trainer: This option is ideal for schools that want to build internal capacity. Hendy provides a complete set of training materials, including slides, facilitator guides, and videos, for both school leaders and teachers. Additionally, we offer virtual “train-the-trainer” sessions to empower a school’s own staff to become expert facilitators.
- Rubric Training Facilitation: For schools seeking direct expertise, Hendy’s professional facilitators can lead training sessions. This ensures that leaders and teachers receive in-depth, hands-on instruction from those who know the rubric best.
- Readiness Assessment and Recommendations: Before a full-scale implementation, it’s crucial to understand your system’s current state. Hendy can conduct a thorough readiness assessment, including data collection and a written report with strategic recommendations, to ensure a smooth and successful rollout.
- Evaluation Design, Pilot, and Implementation: This is a highly customized service designed to align the Hendy rubric with your existing evaluation and development processes. It includes personalized support for stakeholder engagement, policy development, rubric customization, and continuous training to guarantee a seamless and effective implementation.
Whether you’re looking to build internal expertise, receive direct training, or get a customized implementation plan, Hendy’s training services are designed to help your educators thrive and create a culture of instructional excellence.
Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School for Excellence: The Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric in Action
Meet Kendra Salvador, the Executive Director at Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School for Excellence in Springfield, Massachusetts. Kendra was getting feedback from her teachers that coaching was vague or lacked clarity. Teachers were unsure about how the feedback they were receiving from coaches was supposed to look in action in their classrooms. In addition, teachers were evaluated on a different rubric than what was used in their coaching. Teachers were experiencing a disconnect between the coaching they were receiving and the experiences teaching in their classroom.
Kendra discovered the Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric, and was immediately impressed by the tool’s clarity, simplicity, and coherence. Kendra decided to adopt the rubric in her school, and have it replace the different rubrics in use for coaching and evaluation.
A key factor in her decision was the rubric’s focus on both teacher inputs and student outputs, a feature Kendra believes is crucial for effective instruction. Kendra noted that during initial walkthroughs, teachers saw firsthand how a lesson that appeared successful on the surface might be assessed as less effective when student engagement and learning were also considered. Kendra also appreciates the rubric’s Core Teacher Skills (CTS), which provide concrete and specific language that allows teachers and coaches to collaboratively identify a clear goal for a coaching cycle.
Kendra has taken a thoughtful, phased approach to introducing the rubric to her school.
- Pilot and Buy-in: First, Kendra brought the rubric to her Instructional Leadership Team, which includes leaders and teachers. After reviewing it and conducting a few instructional walks with the Hendy Rubric, the team’s feedback was overwhelmingly positive. They agreed that it was clearer and more practical than their previous tools.
- Strategic Alignment: Before introducing the rubric to the broader staff, Kendra meticulously aligned the Hendy Rubric indicators with the school’s strategic priorities for the year, including their focus on Responsive Classroom principles. This ensured that all school-wide initiatives were cohesive and mutually supportive.
- Gradual Rollout: Kendra previewed the rubric with teachers during summer professional development. This preview included an overview of the plan for coaches to use the rubric after the first observation to co-identify a coaching cycle goal with each teacher.
- Creating a Coherent System: The Instructional Excellence Rubric is now the single tool used for both coaching and formal evaluation. To support the evaluation process, Kendra added a fifth domain to the rubric to encompass professionalism, which includes items like reflection and attendance. The evaluation forms are housed on the Vector platform, ensuring all documentation is streamlined.
Kendra’s plan for the rubric at MLKCS centers on calibration and development to ensure the new system works as intended. This includes:
- Regular Calibration: The academic leadership team will meet at least twice a month to conduct calibration exercises. This is a critical step to ensure that all leaders—from the principal to the director of special education—are using the rubric consistently and providing teachers with a unified message.
- Building a Culture of Transparency: The rubric and calibration exercises will be “live” in meetings with both the academic leadership team and teacher PLCs. This approach is intended to demystify the evaluation process and empower teachers to take ownership of their own professional growth, regardless of who their coach is.
Stay tuned for future installments on the first year of implementation at MLKCS. Thank you, Kendra, for sharing your feedback and experiences with us!
Interested in implementing the Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric at your school or district? Reach out to Jess or schedule a call!
Moving to Excellence: The Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric Implementation Roadmap
Having a great tool is the first step to ensuring a vision for high quality instruction drives all coaching and support for teachers. Implementation, however, is really where the rubber really meets the road. In our 13 years of experience designing and implementing coaching and observation systems, we’ve found that the highest quality tool doesn’t mean much without careful implementation and change management.
Are you considering rolling out the Hendy Instructional Excellence rubric next fall? If yes, the time to start planning is now. Backwards planning with a focus on change management and implementation will help you ensure that your teachers and leaders maximize what the rubric can offer.
Step 1: Define the Criteria for Success
First, define what success looks like. Why are you implementing the Hendy Rubric? What do you want to be true for teachers and leaders as you implement?
By the end of the first half of the 2026-2027 school year, your goal could be for every teacher to:
- Understand the domains, indicators and performance levels of the rubric.
- Receive quality feedback from instructional leaders that is grounded in the rubric’s language.
- Feel empowered, not evaluated, by the rubric’s use.
Success for every leader and teacher coach could be to:
- Internalize the four domains, indicators, and performance levels of the rubric, and be fluent in the rubric’s language when used in coaching teachers.
- Use the rubric in assessing instruction and identifying highest leverage steps the teacher can take to improve.
- Feel empowered to recognize excellent teaching as described in the rubric, and support all teachers to demonstrate excellence in their classrooms.
Step 2: The Immediate Actions (Fall 2025 – January 2026)
Start with the end in mind, then focus on the now. The actions you take in the next few months will determine the success of your entire plan.
- Fall 2025 (Now): Study and Internalize.
- Get to know the rubric: You must deeply understand the rubric’s philosophy and structure. Identify how each domain connects to your school’s current goals and vision. Use the rubric to guide your own observations of classroom practice.
- Identify potential challenges: Reflect on your school’s culture. Are there existing tools or processes that might conflict with the Hendy Rubric? Are there any teachers or teams that might be resistant? Thinking through these now will help you proactively address them later.
- Initial conversations: Have one-on-one or small-group conversations with key teacher leaders and members of your leadership team to gauge interest and gather initial feedback. Start with the change agents who will help you champion this change.
- Winter 2025-2026 (November-January): Strategize the Rollout.
- Decide how you’ll use the rubric: The rubric can be used purely as a development tool, driving feedback and coaching for teachers. The rubric can also be used as an evaluative tool, driving accountability for teachers. It can also be used both ways. Decide how you’ll use the rubric in your school.
- Secure buy-in: Present the rubric to your team. Explain the “why”—its focus on equity, academic rigor, and social-emotional learning.
- Communicate the vision: Introduce the idea of a new instructional tool in staff meetings. Frame it as an exciting opportunity for professional growth and instructional improvement.
- Test the rubric: Invite teams to take the rubric for a spin. Choose one domain or one indicator, and observe a classroom together. Discuss what you see in the classroom and how it aligns to that indicator or domain. Help your colleagues get a feel for the rubric.
- Budget for the change: Allocate funds for professional development, stipends for your design team, and potential support from Hendy. Reach out if you want more information about how we can support you!
Step 3: The Critical Milestones (Spring/Summer 2026)
Spring and summer are the critical times to create and implement your plan to prepare for fall..
- Spring 2026 (February-May): Build the Foundation.
- Form a design team and create a plan: Create a small, representative group of teachers and leaders to co-create the implementation plan. This ensures the plan is practical and widely accepted.
- Training plan: The design team should outline the professional development sequence. This plan should include training on the rubric’s content and how to use it for observation and feedback.
- Pilot Program: Identify a small group to pilot the rubric, or even just one domain or indicator. The group should use the rubric according to the plan created by the design team.
- Training materials: Create training materials to introduce and calibrate leaders and teachers to the rubric. Review Hendy’s training plan options to find out ways we can help.
- Summer 2026 (June-August): Intensive Training & Calibration.
- Summer training: Host a summer training session for all faculty. Engage teachers and leaders with case studies, video examples of teaching, and group calibration exercises where they practice scoring based on the rubric.
- Resource Preparation: Ensure all supporting documents, forms, and observation tools are ready for use on day one of the school year.
By starting today, you’re building the foundation for a sustainable culture of instructional excellence. The backward plan ensures that your Fall 2026 implementation is the culmination of a well-executed and collaborative effort.
Do you want help with implementation planning? Need support in training and norming for your teachers and leaders? Reach out to set up a call!
What You Measure is What Matters: Why We Care So Much About Instructional Rubrics
The most critical in-school factor in a student’s learning outcomes is the quality of the teacher in the classroom. Teachers deserve feedback, coaching, and growth opportunities that support them to be the best they can for their students. To truly foster professional growth and ensure high-quality instruction for all students, we need a way to measure and define what “good” teaching looks like. This is where a high-quality teacher observation rubric becomes an indispensable tool. A great rubric is more than just a checklist; it’s a shared language and a roadmap for excellence. The fundamental principle at play is simple: what we measure is what matters. The selection of the tool or tools we use to guide classroom observation and teacher development is a signal of what we value most in teaching and learning.
That’s why we have shared the Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric free-of-charge with our community. The Hendy Rubric articulates the specific, observable teacher behaviors that drive student outcomes. This clarity provides teachers with a clear understanding of expectations. They know exactly what they’re being coached on and how their performance will be evaluated. The rubric also helps school leaders and coaches calibrate on a shared definition of excellence. When everyone is using the same criteria and language, the feedback a teacher receives becomes more consistent and reliable.
The Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric moves beyond simply articulating what a teacher does and instead focuses also on what students are learning and doing. A teacher’s input is only as effective as the resulting student output. By ensuring the indicators include both teacher actions and student actions, the rubric encourages a shift in mindset. It prompts teachers to ask, “Is what I’m doing leading to meaningful learning for my students?” This focus on student outcomes is the ultimate measure of success and the core purpose of all instructional support.
The Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric can help you to measure what truly matters in teaching in service of student outcomes. Providing targeted, focused coaching and support allows leaders to empower teachers to be their best and ensure that all students receive the high-quality education they deserve.
Want to know how the Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric can help you measure what matters? Reach out to Jess at jessicawilson@hendyavenue.com.
The Power of Partnership
A central feature of our work with clients is close partnership with the project manager. We say we walk arm-in-arm with our clients, and it really is true. These close partnerships yield innovative solutions that lead to results for kids and adults in schools. One partnership that exemplifies this innovation is the work that Hendy’s Erica Murphy did with Katie Carpenter during Katie’s leadership tenure at a large CMO. Erica and Katie’s work focused on developing a robust instructional excellence rubric, which eventually became the foundation for the Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric. While the creation of the rubric itself was a complex undertaking, the success of the work was a direct result of Erica and Katie’s complementary skills, mutual trust, and shared commitment to the vision.
The Challenge: Unifying Across a Complex System
The network faced a significant challenge: three disparate instructional rubrics across the state, leading to fragmented coaching practices and a lack of alignment in instructional vision. The network’s goal was not merely to create a new rubric, but to establish a single, anchor document that articulated excellence. This required building buy-in and investment from four different regions, each with their own preferences and expectations regarding quality.
A Partnership Built on Trust and Complementary Strengths
Erica and Katie recognized that a strong partnership was crucial for navigating the organizational dynamics and ensuring that the rubric they developed reflected the vision and values of the organization. Their working relationship was characterized by four key elements that are consistent across Hendy’s projects:
- Defined Lanes and Mutual Trust: Katie and Erica articulated and relied on a clear division of labor, built on mutual trust and respect for each other’s strengths. Erica typically prepared the content and built the foundational elements of the rubric, leveraging her expertise in instructional design. Katie excelled at organizational navigation, facilitation, and driving decisions. She understood the internal dynamics of the network, including key influencers, and effectively pushed the project forward. Katie also provided critical feedback on the rubric at each step, bringing her own instructional expertise to bear. This trust allowed Erica and Katie to operate efficiently and effectively despite the complexities of the work.
- Consistent Follow-Through and Accountability: Both Katie and Erica demonstrated a strong commitment to follow-through. If they said they would do something, they did it. This consistent accountability, both to each other and to the project, ensured momentum and fostered a sense of reliability within their partnership.
- Strategic Stakeholder Engagement: Katie’s understanding of the organizational structure and key decision-makers was paramount. Katie strategically formed a diverse steering committee, including representatives from various departments (academics, finance, analytics, talent) to inform the creation of the rubric. This ensured broad input and buy-in to the development of the rubric. Katie and Erica also focused on bringing critical stakeholders into the process early and consistently, ensuring agreement and ownership over the final product.
- Persistent and Purposeful Collaboration: The development of the rubric involved numerous iterations and challenges, but Katie and Erica maintained a persistent and purposeful approach. Their regular standing meetings fostered a rhythm of collaboration, allowing them to continuously refine ideas, make difficult decisions, and keep the project moving forward. They often explored multiple possibilities and potential outcomes, meticulously analyzing options and making decisions rooted in feedback from stakeholders.
The Product of a Strong Partnership: A Strong and Impactful Tool
The network’s Instructional Excellence Rubric, a direct outcome of Erica and Katie’s effective partnership, was deemed a strong and impactful tool. Its most meaningful aspect was the emphasis on student impact – shifting the focus from merely teacher actions to the resulting student learning outcomes. This ensured that the rubric was not just about what a teacher did, but what students learned. Furthermore, the rubric intentionally included language insisting on consideration for exceptional learners, ensuring that all students, regardless of their needs, were addressed in the instructional framework. The clear and actionable core teacher skills provided concrete guidance for coaching and development. The tool also balanced the need to be comprehensive but also lean and user-friendly.
The successful two-year arc of its design, pilot, and initial implementation were a testament to the powerful working relationship between Erica and Katie. Their ability to effectively collaborate, leverage individual strengths, and strategically engage stakeholders ultimately resulted in a highly impactful instructional tool that fostered alignment and development across the network.
Are you interested in learning more about what a partnership with Hendy Avenue Consulting can do for you and your school system? Contact Jessica Wilson at jessicawilson@hendyavenue.com.
Re-Introducing the Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric: A Renewed Vision for Teaching Excellence
The Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric has been a cornerstone of our work at Hendy Avenue Consulting, designed to help educators create equitable and high-impact learning environments. We’re re-introducing it with a renewed focus on its core purpose: to be a practical, actionable roadmap for teachers and school leaders.
Why This Rubric Matters
The Hendy Rubric was built on a simple, yet powerful belief: every child deserves excellent instruction. Developed in partnership with teachers and leaders, it offers a clear vision for what excellent teaching looks like. It’s not a checklist; it’s a vision of excellent teaching and learning to help you reflect on your practice and grow as an educator.
What Makes the Rubric Unique?
What sets the Hendy Rubric apart is its balanced approach. It seamlessly integrates academic rigor with social-emotional learning, recognizing that both are critical for student success. The rubric is structured into four key domains, each with clear indicators of excellence:
- Classroom Culture: Creating a predictable, equitable, and positive learning environment.
- Lesson Content & Implementation: Focusing on rigorous, standards-aligned, and differentiated instruction.
- Student Thinking: Encouraging active student engagement and critical thinking.
- Responsiveness to Learning: Using data and feedback to guide instruction and ensure every student grows.
Watch this brief video to hear more about the rubric structure from Hendy’s Erica Murphy.
Putting the Rubric into Practice
While the rubric is a free tool, its real power comes from thoughtful implementation. We’ve seen schools achieve remarkable results by using it as a foundation for professional development, peer observation, and coaching. It provides a common language for discussing teaching and learning, fostering a culture of continuous improvement. We’re excited to see how you continue to use this powerful tool to unlock excellence in your classrooms. Download the free rubric here, and reach out for help with implementation!
Erica Murphy Celebrates 5 Years with Hendy Avenue Consulting!
In August, the Hendy team celebrated Erica Murphy for her 5 years of service to our team and the clients we serve. We think Erica is the best, but don’t take our word for it – here’s what a few partners had to share with Erica:
Thank you for everything you have done to support me as an educational coach and leader over the past few years. Your guidance, wisdom and steady encouragement have made a lasting impact on me, and I’m truly grateful to have you as a mentor. (School Leader)
From your work with the team at our network alone, you have impacted over 350 staff and over 1,600 students across two states. That is just with one organization. I can only begin to imagine the ripples that your stone has left on the education landscape and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to learn from and alongside you. (Network leader)
One of your true gifts is the way you see people not just in the surface level sense, but in the way you deeply listen, honor their experiences, and reflect back their strengths with clarity and care. You have a rare ability to name the unspoken, articulate the complex, and always lead with both wisdom and heart. (CAO cohort participant)
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. THANK YOU Erica for all that you do for our team, our partners, and the kids they serve. You truly make a difference!