When we were in Chicago in July, 2015, we caught up with Vanessa Rich, the President of the National Head Start Association and the Deputy Commissioner, Family & Support Services for the City of Chicago. I had the opportunity to ask her about how she leverages data to make decisions about professional development for teachers. Vanessa believes that in Chicago, and across Head Start, reflection is the most important link between data and improvement efforts.
Reflecting on Vanessa’s comments, I couldn’t help but connect her words with something we at Teachstone have been thinking about … A LOT: coupling observation data with individualized professional development.
Too often we see these puzzle pieces disconnected. We see lots of data collected, but no reflection on how to use that data to create meaningful, personalized PD plans for teachers. Or we see one-off workshops or conference trips that are not necessarily relevant to where a teacher needs or wants support.
But every once in a while, we see programs that have figured out this puzzle. They have tied the professional development teachers receive to data—observations, information about how a teacher likes to learn, teacher experience, etc.—and it is with those programs that we are seeing the most meaningful changes. Program leadership has taken the time to step back and reflect on what teachers need and want to grow professionally. And that has made all the difference.
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After a couple of very challenging years, bringing people together feels even more significant than ever before. That’s why we are excited to bring people together again to build connections, share ideas, and inspire each other at our 8th annual InterAct CLASS® Summittaking place in Miami, Florida, April 18-19, 2023.
Can we talk about structure? When CLASS® entered my life, I was 20 years into my career in the field of early childhood education. What I remember most about that initial training, besides the nervousness about an impending reliability test, was a sense of relief. Structure, including state and program standards, curriculum, materials in the classroom, and approaches to childcare and pedagogy, had dominated my working hours. CLASS was a lot to learn, but for me, it was a breath of fresh air. Observing with CLASS meant I could set aside my obsession with all things structural, which encompassed my thoughts every time I walked into an early childhood classroom.
If you've ever been through a CLASS Observation training, you are probably familiar with the graphic below. Research tells us that improving teacher-child interactions is a process that includes many pieces.
The first step is to identify a teacher’s strengths and opportunities for growth, which can be done through a CLASS observation. Once you have this data, you can share it with teachers through a formal report, a face-to-face conference, or a feedback session. You’re off to a great start, but now what?
Originally published Jan 23, 2020 by Allie Kallmann
A few years into teaching early childhood, I applied to work at a school that does incredible work in the local community. I was thrilled to get an interview but realized very quickly that, even though the environment was supportive and the students were wonderful young people, I was much too intimidated to work there.