Engaging Teachers in Classroom Walkthroughs

For teachers and administrators, Kachur (education, Illinois State U.), Stout, and Edwards share lessons learned from school leaders at 40 schools in the US and Canada who involved teachers in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of classroom observations. They introduce the concept of walkthroughs as a school improvement tool, detail the schools in their study, and address teacher leadership at the building and district levels, then discuss the features that contribute to a culture that accepts walkthroughs, including the leadership roles of the principal and teachers, shared leadership, an environment of trust and safety, a student-centered staff, communities of learning, and collaborative inquiry. They identify the components of walkthroughs, detailing the models the schools used, their years of implementation, which teachers did the observing, the frequency and length, the focus, methods of recording data, and types of follow-up; summarize recommendations from the schools for getting teachers involved; and discuss other issues, such as teacher resistance, teacher union concerns, coordinating and tracking the process, announcing observations, connecting them to other school improvement data and efforts, and evaluating the process and measuring its effect on teaching and learning. Annotation c2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)