Posts Tagged ‘Leadership’
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.
Meet the 2025-26 Chief Academic Officer Cohort!
We’re thrilled to introduce our newest Chief Academic Officer Cohort class! This exceptional group of academic leaders from high-performing charter networks across the country will spend the year collaborating, problem-solving, and pushing each other’s practice.
Here’s to a year of growth, learning, and collective impact as we get to know each outstanding member of our cohort.
Meet Our 2025-26 Cohort Members
Tomi Okuyemi: Chief Academic Officer, Growing Up Green Charter Schools
Tomi serves as Chief Academic Officer at Growing Up Green Charter Schools in Jamaica, Queens, where she champions the values of kindness, courage, collaboration, and social justice. Her journey from science teacher at Success Academy to beloved 1st grade teacher at Community Roots Charter School shows her deep commitment to students at every level. With an M.Ed. in School Leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education and experience as a Leadership Resident in Boston Public Schools, Tomi brings rich expertise in equity and inclusion. She joined the GUGCS community in 2021, drawn to its diverse faculty and families who share her passion for social justice.
Tonya Randall: VP of Academics, Journey Community Schools
With over two decades of educational leadership experience, Tonya brings incredible expertise in driving transformational change—including an impressive 28% increase in K–8 reading proficiency and 27% gain in math at Journey Community Schools this past year. From founding Nexus STEM Academy to securing $1.5M+ in grants for innovation and summer learning, Tonya’s commitment to historically underserved students shines through everything she does. Her background spans KIPP schools, instructional coaching, and data-driven leadership, with degrees from Spelman College and Walden University.
Sabrina Banwait: Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Hebrew Public Schools
Sabrina brings over 13 years of transformative leadership across Chicago, Los Angeles, and NYC urban schools. From classroom teacher to instructional leader, Sabrina’s journey reflects her unwavering commitment to equity and social justice. As a proud alum of the University of Chicago’s Urban Teacher Education Program, she continues to champion culturally responsive pedagogy and teacher preparation. Sabrina’s expertise in instructional design and leadership development centers on building capacity through coaching and collaboration. Her work with school leaders and teacher teams exemplifies her belief in public education’s power to create lasting, multigenerational change.
Dr. Keena Day: Chief Academic Officer, Breakthrough Schools
Dr. Keena Day is a 20-year literacy specialist who leads school districts, networks, and school leadership to develop systems in curriculum and assessment design to improve student achievement. As Chief Academic Officer of Breakthrough Schools in Cleveland, she is skilled in grades 4-12, AP Language and AP Literature coursework that allows for equitable access, dual enrollment, and literacy intervention. She has taught Freshman Composition, Technical and Creative Writing at the collegiate level. Her Masters programming focused on Africana Studies and Black Literature, Linguistics, Literacy, and Writing. Her research focuses on integration of literacy and social studies content, cultural studies in schools, DEI in text selection, organizational literacy structures, and closing the literacy achievement gap for various demographics of students.
Meet Our Facilitator: Erica Murphy
Leading this incredible cohort is Erica Murphy, who brings deep expertise in academic leadership development. In addition to facilitating the CAO cohort, Erica has spent five years with Hendy Avenue Consulting supporting school systems and charter management organizations nationwide on academic strategy, AI literacy, coaching to academic excellence, mathematics instruction, performance evaluation rubrics, and more.
Erica creates spaces where CAOs can push each other to excel, share best practices, and build lasting professional relationships. Under her guidance, our cohort members will tackle real challenges, exchange valuable resources, and strengthen their commitment to achieving stellar academic outcomes for students.
What Makes The CAO Cohort Special
Our Chief Academic Officer Cohort brings academic leaders together to learn alongside trusted colleagues in similar roles. Through the cohort, members sharpen their vision, build their skills, exchange resources, problem solve, build relationships, and feel more fulfilled in their roles.
This dynamic group represents some of the most innovative academic minds in charter education, united by their commitment to educational equity and their dedication to driving meaningful change in their networks.
Interested in learning more about how CAO cohort participation can level up the leadership and impact of your senior academic leaders? Ready to explore leadership development opportunities? Connect with Hendy Avenue Consulting about leadership coaching, CAO cohort participation for 2026-27, and additional opportunities to partner for just-in-time support to your organization.
The CAO Cohort: Where Vision Meets Action
In education leadership, the role of Chief Academic Officer stands at a critical intersection: where strategic vision meets daily implementation, where data meets human experience, and where individual school success connects to systemic change. Yet too often, CAOs navigate these challenges in isolation.
A Different Kind of Professional Community
The CAO Cohort breaks this isolation by bringing together academic leaders from high-performing charter networks who share an unwavering commitment to educational equity. This isn’t just another professional development program – it’s a carefully curated community where every member brings both expertise to share and a willingness to grow.
What Sets Our Members Apart
Our cohort members share core values that drive their work:
- They embrace the power of partnership, recognizing that collective wisdom surpasses individual insight.
- They maintain the flexibility to adapt their thinking while staying true to their core mission.
- They welcome productive friction, knowing that growth comes from being both challenged and supported.
- They freely share their resources and best practices, lifting all boats in the pursuit of excellence.
Real Impact Through Structured Collaboration
Throughout the year, cohort members engage in:
- Regular data review cycles that inform strategic planning
- Collaborative problem-solving around shared challenges
- Resource exchange that accelerates implementation
- Deep discussions about equity and anti-racist practices
- Strategic planning sessions for systematic improvement
Beyond Professional Development
What truly distinguishes this cohort is its impact beyond individual growth. When CAOs collaborate at this level, their insights and solutions ripple across multiple school networks, potentially impacting thousands of students’ lives.
Join a Community of Change-Makers
The CAO Cohort isn’t just about professional growth – it’s about joining a movement of leaders committed to transforming education through collaboration, equity, and excellence. If you’re ready to both contribute to and learn from a community of visionary academic leaders, we invite you to learn more about joining our next cohort.
The Power of Cohorts
In today’s complex educational landscape, leadership can feel isolating. Whether you’re a Chief Academic Officer driving instructional excellence, a Superintendent exploring AI implementation, or a CTE leader shaping career pathways, the challenges you face are unique to your role—and often, you’re the only person in your organization navigating them.
At Hendy Avenue Consulting, we’ve witnessed firsthand how cohort learning transforms educational leadership. Our experience has shown that the most powerful professional growth happens when leaders come together in structured, purposeful communities.
Why Cohort Learning Works
The power of cohort learning lies in its fundamental truth: leaders need other leaders. When we bring together diverse talent in similar roles, something remarkable happens. Challenges that seemed insurmountable become opportunities for collective problem-solving. Individual expertise becomes shared wisdom. And perhaps most importantly, professional isolation transforms into lasting community. From adaptive leadership skill-building to tactical strategic planning to navigating change within an organization or across the broader educational sector, our cohorts aim to create space for thoughtful engagement and planning for leaders. We currently facilitate four distinctive cohort experiences, each designed to address specific leadership needs in education:
Chief Academic Officer Cohort: For CAOs in high-performing charter networks, this cohort creates a space where academic leaders can sharpen their vision and deepen their impact. Members engage in data-driven discussions, share remediation strategies, and collaborate on achieving equitable outcomes for all students.
AI Explorers Cohort: In partnership with AI for Equity, this nationwide community of practice supports senior executives as they navigate the AI revolution in education. Participants collaborate on everything from organizational planning to product evaluation, ensuring thoughtful and equitable AI implementation in their systems.
Career & Technical Education Group: Tailored for New York state CTE leaders, this program combines strategic planning with practical leadership development. Whether you’re a principal, assistant principal, or district director, you’ll find a community dedicated to advancing career and technical education.
District Educator Effectiveness Leader Cohort: Created for senior talent leaders in large public school districts, this cohort addresses the unique challenges of managing educator effectiveness initiatives at scale. Members find crucial thought partnership among peers who understand the complexities of their role.
The Hendy Approach to Cohort Learning
What makes our cohorts different? We believe effective cohort learning combines:
- Structured learning with organic relationship-building and thought partnership
- Immediate problem-solving with long-term strategic thinking
- Individual growth with collective wisdom
- Theory with practical application
Join Our Community
Educational leadership doesn’t have to be a solitary journey. Whether you’re looking to enhance your leadership, tackle complex challenges, or find a community of fellow leaders, our cohorts offer a proven path forward.
Interested in learning more? Explore our Cohorts page and discover how collaborative learning can transform your leadership journey.
Stay Conversations in the 2021-2022 SY
Our team has talked before about the importance of Stay Conversations as a crucial tool for staff retention. In the past, Stay Conversations have been about getting teachers and school leaders to return for the following school year. This year is different. This year is not only about retention for next school year, but also retaining people through the current school year. The 2021-2022 school year has been unbelievably hard. Across the country, schools are understaffed. Those who remain are being asked to go above and beyond: covering for vacant positions and for teachers who are absent or quarantined, supporting students who have endured emotional trauma and had significant disruption in their learning, and working in challenging physical conditions while worrying about their own safety. We’ve already seen the “Great Resignation” and unfortunately, it’s likely to get worse before it gets better.
Leaders will not be able to recruit their way to solving this crisis. Instead, leaders will need to focus on retaining the people they do have. One retention strategy is the Stay Conversation. These conversations typically occur before the December holidays as a way to affirm a leader’s desire for their staff to continue at the school the following year and preempt a holiday vacation job search. These conversations are recommended for staff in all roles including teachers, operations, and leadership.
Stay Conversations are a tried and true retention strategy that we encourage school leaders to continue during this unique year, but with a few important revisions to the approach and an updated conversation guide:
- More Frequent Stay Conversations: Rather than just meeting once a year for a Stay Conversation, we recommend meeting 2-3 times this year (including just before the winter break) to ensure that staff are regularly hearing important messages and have a one-on-one opportunity to voice any concerns. This may sound like a lot of time, but a 10 minute conversation is much less time consuming than the time spent covering a vacancy.
- Detailed Tracking: People’s personal situations and needs have changed frequently and rapidly throughout the pandemic. With each conversation, make sure to add to your Talent Tracker additional details about each individual such as the teacher’s current school roles (official and unofficial), how they are being recognized for their work, their relevant personal circumstances, and their desired situation (long and short-term).
- Planning Possible Offers: Before the very first conversation, prepare 1) what policies you can put in place to support and recognize all staff and 2) what you may be able to offer to staff who have a special need. It’s important to plan these in advance so that there is equity in the arrangements that are made, not just being provided to the best negotiators. Note that these offerings can be monetary, recognition, or other things that are valued by the individual.
- Example All-Staff Policies:
- All staff may be asked to work up to one hour per week covering other classes. Any additional coverage over that hour will be compensated work at an hourly rate (accessing vacancy savings and ESSR funds).
- Lunch duty coverage includes a gift card/voucher to purchase meals.
- Public recognition each week of staff who are taking on additional responsibilities.
- Example Individualized Plans (with rationale for who gets it):
- Late start-time so a parent can drop their child off at school.
- Late start-time so a parent can drop their child off at school.
- Example All-Staff Policies:
- Communicate Impact: Clearly communicate the significant impact the person is having in the school. Ask staff directly to stay through the entire school year.
- Broader Strategy: Stay Conversations are powerful, but they are not enough on their own. Consider all the ways to ensure people feel valued, feel successful, are growing, and have flexibility to meet the demands of their lives.
- Set Yourself Up for Success: Consider the day, time, and environment that will set you, as the leader, up for success. You cannot pour from an empty cup so make sure you are in a good place yourself. One idea is to lead these conversations in the morning, before other distractions of the day.
We’re providing this updated 2021-2022 Stay Conversation Guide (adapted from a tool developed at IDEA Public Schools) to support you in leading important conversations in this critical year. We hope it helps you to meaningfully connect with your team members and results in strong retention. Please share your feedback so we can continue to improve the tool for others. Y
Are You a Leader Feeling Stuck Right Now? Ask Yourself These Questions
Leaders make sense of things for others, untangling knots of confusion and ambiguity. This responsibility compounds during a crisis and is even harder when you are feeling like a mess yourself!
To “un-mess” myself, I like to use a strategy that worked for me as a kid – some good old-fashioned self-talk – ala Lev Vygotsky. My grown-up version of self-talk takes the form of questions that I ask and answer myself (I only occasionally do this out loud). The good news is they’ve also worked well for my colleagues and the people I coach – and I hope they will for you too.
1. Am I keeping the mission and values central to every decision I am making? Remembering why you do the work and what you stand for–and will not stand for—are critical to good decision-making and productivity in a crisis. We all need to be grounded or anchored, and this question always gets me back to center.
2. What can I simplify at work, in my life, and for my team? Accomplishing even the simplest things can seem insurmountable when your world is turned upside down. Our economy shutting down, communications rhythms changing, and having your whole “way of working” change overnight has had pretty serious ripple effects. A strong leader works to simplify things for themselves and for their team. Doing so can focus a team and allow them to even feel motivated with newfound direction.
3. How can I work collaboratively to identify bias, blind-spots, and inequities in our decisions and work without thwarting decisiveness? Even if it isn’t within your normal mode, you’ll have to move fast to make decisions and to give direction in crisis. Acting on instinct and doing so confidently provides what seems most needed – guidance. However, our instincts are inherently biased and we have blind spots. We can’t let the need to provide guidance and decisiveness over-ride informed decision-making. Take a second, ask a trusted colleague, mentor or team-member to check your thinking and make sure it’s someone who thinks differently and is willing to challenge you.
4. How am I adding value or support during the interactions that I have? If you’re leading a team, it’s likely that you’re getting bombarded with questions or working to keep people engaged while managing your own stuff (which is very real right now). In this harried time, there’s a big risk that some of these interactions devolve into transactions. Getting things done now is important, but you have to remember that the fight against inequity is an ultra-marathon; and building team and developing people can’t be lost in all of this. Make sure that you are entering conversations and interactions with intention and aiming to add value in as many interactions as possible.
5. Am I keeping my team and those around me appropriately updated (without overwhelming them)? You are likely hearing all sorts of news from every direction – schools are staying closed; the budget situation is going from bad to worse; inequities are deepening, and trauma is reigning. As a leader you have the unenviable position of knowing all of these things. Part of your job is to keep your team updated, but appropriately: giving people the information they need to do their best, transparently, without causing undue stress or concern by sharing too much.
6. How can I consistently be straightforward about where we are and what we still don’t know while still having relentless hope about the future? Mandela taught us that courage was not the absence of fear but the triumph over it; and Stockdale taught us that a brutal honesty about our realities paired with an unwavering confidence that we’ll prevail is key to thriving. Leaders must be clear about both the challenges we’re facing and have confidence that we’ll win in the end—because we have to. Pragmatic optimism is the key, especially in a time when, more than ever, people need the truth and hope.
Getting to clarity is hard enough to do on your own right now, much less for a team or your entire organization, but it’s sorely needed. Engaging in some disciplined reflection before or while you act will ensure that you, and more importantly, your teams and stakeholders will have a much clearer pathway forward – which is exactly what we need right now.
– Jeremy
Special thanks to Gallup and Impact Ladder for inspiring some of these questions.
Leaders, It’s Okay to Take Off the Cape
Leadership is difficult in good times. In times of crisis, this difficulty grows exponentially. This notion has become even more clear through my work supporting a Chief-level leader through the restructuring of a network of schools. This leader’s plate was full before the COVID crisis hit, and their responsibility and leadership scope has essentially doubled as a result of COVID: becoming responsible for orchestrating the network’s response to the abrupt closure of schools, and most significantly designing and implementing virtual instruction. Daily they are responding to questions and concerns from families, teachers, staff, and principals, and are looked to by staff to both assuage fears and set a concrete vision and plan for next steps.
My client reflected on having to spend all of their time being “on.” Conference call after call, zoom meeting after meeting, this leader has to be the one with all the answers, or the plan to find the answers. Staff call them for advice and support, or to complain about the way other team members are responding. And my client has to be there to listen, console and plan. All day, every day.
Yes, great leaders provide security and vision to their teams to manage through crises, but fulfilling that role is incredibly draining. Last week, my client and I reflected on how nice it is for them to have a chance to “take off the cape” during our check-ins: to not have to have all the answers, to be able to complain about how difficult all of this is, and to express disappointment, fear and anger honestly. I was honored that my client saw our check-in as the time for them to take that guard down and to be able to react to and reflect on how the work was weighing on them. It also provided an opportunity for us to brainstorm ways that we can handle the burden of leadership to meet the needs of staff without burning out.
I also saw this as a reflection of what we at Hendy pride ourselves on: walking arm-in-arm with our clients as they design solutions and create programs to better serve teachers and kids. Sometimes that relationship means gently pushing our clients to do something differently; other times it means accelerating full speed ahead on executing a plan. In these crazy times, it has sometimes meant simply providing a space for our clients to “take off their capes”, to reflect honestly about the difficulties of being a leader in crisis, and to know that leading others requires us to take care of ourselves.
-Jess
Yes, You Can Stop Doing That
Before COVID-19, education leaders prided ourselves in being goal oriented professionals, doing everything in our power to support student success. Working in schools, districts, CMOs, state departments of education and in supporting organizations, we took pride in our commitment to do whatever it takes, knocking through barriers, and always maintaining high expectations for ourselves and others.
But now, that day is over. Or at least on pause. We are balancing full days of meetings with full days of homeschooling our own children, we are nursing ourselves or our families back to health, we are facing fear, frustration, and grief. Our lives have changed and so too must our expectations for ourselves and for others.
Talking with talent leaders across the country, We’re discovering that many simply need to hear, “You can stop doing that. It will be ok.” It’s time to re-prioritize and focus on the purpose of your work, not stay wed to the original plan or program. Schools can be our model. Teachers and principals are learning a whole new way to educate students. They are no longer teaching the same lesson plan, but they are working toward the same standards, ensuring that students are able to learn and grow. District and network leaders need to do the same.
For example, we were recently asked by talent leaders in both a big urban district and in a big charter network about how to continue their robust evaluation systems. While we firmly believe in systems of teacher development, evaluation, recognition and pathways (and have spent most of my career focused on them), now is the time to pause and reassess. It’s the time to ask yourself what the ultimate purpose of your work is and if your system is doing that now. It’s time to simplify and focus on achieving that original purpose, not to MacGyver a complicated and time consuming process. When we talked with leaders about their multiple measure evaluation systems we were direct – your student achievement measures based on interim data aren’t going to be accurate and won’t help teachers get better, so don’t do that. Your families don’t have time to give feedback on teachers, so don’t do that. Your teachers aren’t teaching in ways that align to the observation rubric and had to learn this new method in a day, so don’t do that. Instead, coach and support the adults to do the best they can in a tough situation so they can be their best for kids.
The purpose is always to support people to get better and stay longer.
Is your system doing that now?
As a talent leader, we recommend focusing your time and energy into five priorities:
- Communicate clearly and transparently – State what you know and what you don’t yet know. Be clear about the values that are driving decisions and what is being prioritized right now. Be real about your own fears and your own optimism. And find ways to connect. You can share a video, hold office hours or reach out one on one. In doing so, always focus on the employee’s needs as a person.
- Listen to and support your school leaders – School leaders are struggling through this time, navigating their own emotions and disappointments, and those of their teachers, students and families. Be responsive to their needs and make them your priority. When you need their input, make it as easy as possible for them. Give them a clear proposal and let them react.
- Retain your staff – Have “stay conversations” so people know they are valued and appreciated. Ask them directly through conversations or surveys what their plans are for the fall. Consider how to retain salaries through limited budgets and how to incentivize people through non-monetary compensation.
- Recruit and hire new candidates – Hiring will need to move online, but keep the process moving. Think about how to get hiring managers comfortable granting offers remotely and how to get candidates comfortable to accept offers. Identify how to bring your schools’ unique culture to candidates. For more, check out TNTP’s Virtual Hiring Guide and Fast Company’s article on unconscious bias.
- Recognize and celebrate people – Consider cancelling performance based rewards based on results from 2019-2020 and re-use these funds to recognize teachers now (or returning teachers in the fall). Identify ways to say thank you for the hard work and creativity people are bringing to the work. For example, a personal thank you message, a take-out restaurant gift certificate or a retention bonus at the start of next school year are all effective in letting people know they are appreciated.
As our fearless talent leaders, we want to say thank you for taking care of the adults so they can take care of the children. And, yes, you can stop doing that.
Listen Up: Hendy Avenue on EdPOP Podcast
Curious to learn more about Hendy Avenue Consulting? Our very own Jessica Wilson sat down with the host of EdPOP to talk about our mission, recent projects and how talent strategy can make the difference for kids across the country.
Three Steps to Avoid Common Observation Biases
We all have biases. Whether picking an ice cream flavor or choosing to take the scenic route rather than the highway, we all operate with mental models that place disproportionate weight on certain factors that move our judgment in favor of one option when compared to another.
When observing and evaluating teacher practice, there are numerous opportunities for biases to creep in. Just think of all the factors that go into a lesson: the subject, grade, school, teacher, time of day, lesson structure, materials used and more. An observer may think to themselves, “the students were well-behaved for the first class right after lunch”. A different person observing that same lesson may think, “if I was teaching this class, I would have used a different text.” Both of these sentiments may be true, but they have to be placed aside before conducting a visit so that observers can focus on objective teacher and student actions.
In short, great observers, coaches, and evaluators must identify, then set aside, biases in order to fairly and accurately evaluate and develop teacher practice.
Common biases include:
- Confirmation bias: the tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms one’s preconceptions,
- Halo effect: the tendency for a person’s positive or negative traits to “spill over” from one area of their personality to another in others’ perceptions of them, and
- Mirror bias: the tendency to judge performance as “good” if it is “like I would have done it.
A full table of common observer biases with examples can be found here: Observer Bias Examples
In order to mitigate the impact of these biases, great observers should ask themselves three questions:
