We often discuss ISM’s approach to faculty growth and evaluation that prioritizes predictability and support for teachers, students, and administrators. Our Comprehensive Faculty Development framework has two distinct elements.
- Faculty evaluation that focuses on teachers meeting your school’s Essential Expectations.
- Growth plans for each teacher that encourage them to set innovative goals and work toward meeting them.
We have found this approach can improve morale and culture, reduce legal risks by clearly outlining expectations, and ultimately lead to better student performance—not to mention continued growth for your school.
Today we’re focusing on the benefits of a focused and uniform evaluation framework. If you haven’t already adopted such an approach at your school, consider these four ways it can re-energize your teaching staff.
#1—Supports a Positive Culture
When considering faculty evaluation, it’s critical to understand why this is a necessary part of your leadership role. Properly done, evaluations reward and support teachers in their professional development. This carries over to positive student experiences and aids in retention.
Good teachers and a positive community are highly sought after by educators, children, and their families. Students stay at your school when there’s a sense of engagement and a positive culture. Teachers are drawn to a thriving educational institution that values their skills while enabling them to grow.
Effective evaluations can support these initiatives, but they must work for your school and your staff—not against them. With the right approach, you can ensure everyone knows where they stand and what is expected of them. This helps teachers stay positive, committed, and engaged.
#2—Offers Teachers Predictability
Faculty members value predictable structures the same way students do. They want the rules to be fair and objective, and they want to see them practiced consistently—providing support and creating a positive workplace. Your teachers may not say they want a faculty review, but they do desire a system to hold each of them accountable and level the playing field.
Looking at some top private schools, you’ll notice leadership has a growth mindset in place for faculty development. They know a great staff leads to engaged students and a highly motivated school community.
Predictability may sound boring, but it’s the key to faculty engagement at top-rated schools. Evaluations play into their growth.
Yes, faculty members want great pay and benefits—but even more, they want a positive atmosphere and solid leadership. They like mission-based decision-making, and they crave consistency.
When carried out in this way, faculty assessments will no longer be a yearly chore—they’ll be a welcome opportunity.
#3—Creates Consistency
Reframe the mindset on faculty assessments. These evaluations are often tied to job security, so people may fear them thinking a bad “grade” means they’ll lose their job.
It’s a good thing to have an objective tool for job performance, but a poorly crafted evaluation could dissuade teachers from testing a new method or project if they fear it could cost them their job. That same innovation could be exactly what the students—and the entire school—needs.
We recommend separating evaluation and growth plans. If evaluations discourage teachers from growth, they will not reach for higher goals.
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#4—Sparks Awareness and Improves Performance
An effective faculty evaluation must determine if the teacher is doing the job correctly and meeting standards. It can also provide feedback that creates awareness to enhance performance—identifying gaps and areas for improvement. The evaluation can pinpoint deficiencies and document required corrective actions, and it should set expectations—ultimately providing clear documentation of a teacher’s performance.
The faculty evaluation allows you to document whether a teacher is meeting basic expectations—it doesn’t tie their professional growth to their overall performance. This way, teachers can spend most of their time on goal-setting, self-reflection, and mentoring.
