Supporting Effective Teaching: Communications Resources for Implementing New Systems for Teacher Development and Evaluation

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This guide shares communications lessons, examples, and artifacts from school systems that are implementing new teacher development and evaluation systems.

A growing number of states, districts, and public charter school organizations understand that to increase student learning they must support effective teaching. They are focusing on personalizing and strengthening supports for teachers, developing new evaluation systems to recognize and foster excellence and improvement, and creating new opportunities for teachers.

Clear, consistent, and transparent communication is critical to successful implementation of these changes. Effective communication is more than messages or messengers. It involves sharing information, getting feedback, making changes based on that input, and establishing predictability in what is inherently a continuous improvement process.

The lessons and resources come from 11 organizations funded since 2009 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as Partnership Sites to Empower Effective Teaching. They are not alone in undertaking this important work, and we encourage others to augment this resource as new guidance emerges, with the hope that every student has access to effective teaching every day and in every class.

Effective Teaching Communications Resources

Supporting Effective Teaching: Communications Resources for Implementing New Systems for Teacher Development and Evaluation