Giving Teachers the Feedback and Support They Deserve: Five Essential Practices

This report provides our findings on how district and state leaders can improve feedback and support for teachers. Based on interviews with five school districts spanning urban, suburban and rural areas, we identified five essential practices: (1) Promoting a culture of feedback; (2) Developing school leadership teams; (3) Giving schools the right tools; (4) Offering teachers options; and (5) Using technology well. We also describe the experiences of each district as they shift the focus of their evaluation systems toward giving teachers stronger feedback and support that will improve their instructional practice and student outcomes.

We developed the report with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of a series focused on teacher effectiveness titled Evaluation & Support: Strategies for Success. The series comprises an introduction and six briefs providing district and state leaders with practical advice for implementing high-quality evaluation systems. Districts interviewed in this report include: Aldine, TX; Fulton County, GA; Greene County, TN; Salem-Keizer, OR; and, St. Bernard Parish, LA.