Striving for top-notch teaching in District 13

Even those in leadership positions have go back to school. District 13’s administrative team participated in a two-day training session this summer to improve teaching in the elementary schools and, ultimately, boost student learning.

The training, on Aug. 16 and 17 at the James A. Dever School, was led by educational consultant Albert “Duffy” Miller. He worked with the district’s leadership — from the central administrators to the principals — on improving the evaluation of teachers.

Linda Roth, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said this only builds upon what is already a strong evaluation program in District 13. She said Miller shared his expertise on working with teachers during a classroom observation and understanding the true value of a lesson.

Additionally, Roth said, administrators should share their expectations with teachers before a lesson, so evaluations are meaningful. “The very big message is to have high expectations,” she said.

Miller told the administrators about the differences between a proficient teacher and a distinguished teacher. The goal, he noted, is to have distinguished teachers working with children. Better evaluations lead to better teaching, he explained, which leads to better student performance.

Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Lison said that during an observation, an administrator should collect evidence of student learning during a lesson, then present that to a teacher afterwards. “Sometimes they just need coaching to go to the next step,” she said.

Lison added that the goal is not to have teachers feeling they did something wrong, but learning how to improve. “We don’t expect anyone to be hired and not grow,” she said.

By having all of the district’s administrators together for this training, Lison explained, it puts everyone on the same page and ensures consistent expectations throughout the four schools. Lison noted that Miller has worked with educational author Charlotte Danielson, whose teachings are the model for the teacher evaluation system already in place in District 13. Miller’s training was designed to enhance the system.

In the coming years, student performance will play a significant role in teacher evaluations. The federal government’s Race to the Top education funding program will require about 30 percent of a teacher’s evaluation to be based upon the success of their students.

The district’s principals said they were excited about the training opportunity, and will share what they learned with teachers at the first-day faculty meetings this month. “We’re learning how to lead better professional conversations,” Howell Road School Principal Frank Huplosky said.

James A. Dever School Principal Darren Gruen said this training validates and extends what the administrators already do in evaluation teachers.

Roth said no matter how good a system is, there is always room to make it better. And District 13’s leadership team, she said, always wants to be better. “What we like to model for teachers,” she said, “is we continue to learn as well.”