The Principals' Point of View


The veteran principal of Fischer Elementary School in Elmhurst, Ill., Jane Bailey, told me she could see the impact that learning targets have on student growth. Though the consistency and quality of Fischer’s use was ahead of other elementary schools, she found value in the instructional rounds process.

“For me, as an administrator, this experience was the first time that we have been in other buildings for the sole purpose of seeing authentic learning in our early childhood through 5th-grade classrooms. We talk about learning and teaching, but we rarely take the time to see it beyond our own building,” she said.

At Edison Elementary School in our district, Principal Jim Pluskota said he has welcomed the chance to collaborate on important goals and practices with his school staff. “Observing the practices, goals and learning in classrooms speaks to our district’s vision and how it is being carried out,” he said.

Susan Kondrat, Madison Early Childhood principal, has found instructional rounds a useful way to overcome the professional isolation she often feels in her highly specialized role. In addition to being able to dialogue with her peers about instructional practices, she pointed to both the joys and the challenges of discussing data from classroom visits with her teaching staff.

“Sharing data was difficult the first time, but it was very exciting to see and celebrate growth after the second round,” Kondrat said.

Churchville Middle School Principal Gina Pogue-Reeder said she found teachers excited to receive the feedback about their classroom instruction and echoed the importance of principals developing consistent and a common language when sharing data generated by the instructional rounds with teachers.

Value at Upper Grades
At York High School, Principal Erin DeLuga said teachers appreciate the visibility of administrators in a supportive, non-evaluative way, noting it was refreshing for principals to observe and discuss how to properly scaffold curriculum. Information from instructional rounds helped inform the school district’s January 2017 Institute Day. Teachers in grades 6-12 worked in content-area teams and discussed curriculum alignment and interdisciplinary learning opportunities for students.

In my third year as superintendent in Elmhurst, I see instructional rounds as an opportunity to expand collaboration for elementary principals and improve articulation and communication among the district’s three middle schools and the high school. Our administrators will continue to look for ways to improve the process and support teachers. Based on year one of instructional rounds, I can see improvement in the teachers’ use of learning targets and students’ ability to self-monitor their growth and learning.

— DAVID MOYER